All Roads Lead To Katherine - Twice (Part 1)

Here we are some 3 weeks since my last episode (it appears that my fingers have healed), time sure does get away from you when you are retired. Since the Daly Waters Pub we headed to Mataranka Springs Homestead, this area was used in the filming of the 1950's film "Jedda" and the 1980's film "We of The Never Never" and the hot (well warm anyway) springs. Rainbow Spring flows through the pool at the rate of 30.5 million litres per day, that's a lot of spring water. The water that comes out of Rainbow Spring is so clear that it was impossible to judge the depth of the pool.

RAINBOW SPRING

During our stay here I took a side trip out to Roper Bar about 175ks out from Mataranka on the Savannah Way. The Savannah Way is an iconic road that goes from Cairns to Broome via Normanton, Burketown and the Gibb River Road (a trip we would like to do another time with more suitable equipment).

ROPER BAR

After Mataranka we headed to Katherine for a couple of days to stock on supplies etc., before going to Douglas Daly Hot Springs. Now they were hot springs. The camp area was in the National Park at the outrageous cost of $13.20 per night. A nice camping ground and although the Hot Springs weren't that deep they were certainly very warm. There are to water courses that flow and join up, one being hot and the other quite cool, so you would plonk your self down in the hot spring to par cook and the scurry over a small sand hill and cool off in the other stream. Very nice indeed. There was plenty of wildlife in the area - they told us later that there was a fresh water croc upstream - none too happy about that, they tell us that they won't attack humans - I would prefer not to tempt them. Plenty of birds of prey in the area.                                         

WHISTLING KYTE - MEAL TIME

Our next port of call was Adelaide River, a lovely little town on the highway, a really nice caravan park, but it has a couple of claims to fame and they are that it was a major evacuation point during the bombing of Darwin during WW2 and consequently there is a War Cemetery there, the ages of those killed was quite sad. The other claim is that it is the resting place of "Charlie" - who is Charlie I hear you ask. Charlie was the Water Buffalo from Crocodile Dundee, he has pride of place on the bar of the Adelaide River Pub.

"CHARLIE"

Getting closer to Darwin now, but we head off to Litchfield National Park for a few days. Litchfield has some good water falls and swimming areas - away from the "salties" and some good 4WD tracks. One of the good ones took you out to Blyth Homestead and it include a couple of minor creek crossings and one out to the area called the lost city (full of corrugations - my hands have not long stopped shaking, but well worth the drive), a collection of stone out crops that look like something out of an Indiana Jones movie.


THE LOST CITY

Part 2 will come tomorrow - I promise

FLORENCE FALLS