So… after a pleasant and interesting night at the Daly Waters Hi-Way Inn we saddled up the next morning and headed north to Mataranka. A little bit over half-way you come across the Larrimah Hotel. It is one of those very quirky outback hotels that is impossible to miss as it’s bright pink and adorned with a number of pink panther stuffed toys and a whole heap of weird and wonderful things including a ‘rotor-less’ gyrocopter mounted on a pole.
To be honest… it’s looking a little bit run down but that’s probably to be expected after two years of COVID and the difficulties of attracting workers experienced all the way up and down the Northern Territory. That said… it’s still open and operating so we stopped in for a coffee and a look around.
The first thing we noticed, apart from the pink panthers, was a seat with spring-style animal trap on it called the ‘Nutcracker Seat’… The verandah and outdoor area is covered with all sorts of amusements and whimsical artefacts…
Most notable of course are the various pink panthers inculding a trio riding a bike made for three… The hotel is just so out of place and time but seemingly perfectly located in the middle of nowhere in the Northern Territory…
But having said that… right beside the Larrimah Hotel is the Larrimah Museum. Larrimah has a strong WW2 history, having been established as a military staging place and rail terminus. The museum is located in what was the Larrimah Telephone Repeater Station and Powerhuose.
Entry was free and gave a glimpse of the WW2 communications technology of the time as well as beginning the the education process, for those travelling north, of the Japanese bombing raids on Darwin during WW2. The invasion came as far south as Katherine just a couple of hundred kilometres north of Larrimah.
The museum has a number of rusty relics outside the Repeater Station that are interesting in their own right but the real story is in the indigenous peoples of the Northern Territory who served in the military and as coast watchers, labourers and nurses… More untold Australian history of the debt of gratitude that we owe to indigenous Australians who, once the war ended, were returned immediately to a position of having no rights and little recognition in their own country. Thankfully that story is starting to be re-told and the past injustices acknowledged and there contributions being honoured.
Although a bit tired, there is a need for places like Larrimah that remind us of the Australian sense of humour, the immensity of our country and how close we came to being invaded during WW2. On top of that it reminds us poorly we have treated our indigenous peoples and how much they have given to us when it was needed…
And so… To Mataranka. A town of around 350 with a 30% indigenous population. The town itself is only a small strip town with a large park on one side, and IGA, pub and service stations on the other side…
We pulled in at the Territory Manor and Caravan Park, which proved to be a very sizable caravan park but not terribly busy while we were there. A bit surprising because it was a very good van park with large, spacious van sites, a great bar and cafe with live music some nights, and good facilities.
We were greeted by ‘Des’ who was good for a chat and finally asked us, “I suppose you’d like a nice drive-thru site?” To which Rob replied, “That’d be great!” To which Des responded, “Yeah… but we don’t have any…” He then proceeded to guide us down to a very large end-to-end double site that was drive-thru anyway because neither was occupied until we arrived. Bit of larrikan was Des…
The grounds of Territory Manor and Caravan Park are also home to a flock of peacocks, peahens and the odd guinea fowl. They roam around everywhere at their leisure and are quite tame, feeling free to walk through your campsite and peck at the crumbs.
We’ve seen quite a few peacocks on our trip so far in Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory. But not until now have we seen a peacock put on a show and lift his tail feathers in the glorious display that only peacocks can do when they’re courting a mate. Jo was very excited about this after having coaxed and cajoled just about every other peacock we’d seen to do this… unsuccessfully.
The major attraction of Mataranka is, of course, the hot springs, which we’ll cover in separate tabs. Jo had been on a mission to buy some pool noodles since Victoria. Every major town required a visit to KMart, BigW, Discount Shops and even Bunnings to try and acquire pool noodles for floating in the springs at Mataranka.
Nowhere in Victoria, South Australia or the Northern Territory thus far had had pool noodles available. We had heard that there was a major recall of all pool noodles due to an incorrect warning being printed on them. We had also heard of them being sold for $15 or more since they were so scarce.
It ended up being a little ironic that after scouring a third of the country in search of pool noodles that the Service Station in Mataranka had boxes of them for sale at $6 each… With that little problem out of the road we were then fully set for a few days of relaxing in the hot springs of Mataranka as well as all the other waterholes and springs of the Northern Territory yet to come…
The primary reason for every person visiting Mataranka is to swim in the crystal clear springs. Bitter Springs was only a couple of kilometres down the road from our van site and can only be described as stunningly beautiful with the clearest of spring fed water.
The springs are inappropriately referred to as hot springs and thermal springs, where in fact they are not heated in any way at all. They are simply ground water springs that bubble up from the ground under natural pressure. That said… the water in Bitter Springs is the same temperature of a tepid bath, around 32-33oC.
The water flows in a lazy but distinct current from the top of the springs to the bottom with entry/exit ladders at both ends and in the middle. A pool noodle is an absolute must so that you can slip into the water and slowly ride your noodle from one end to the other…
Bitter Springs are a natural water course, excepting the paths and ladders, with the banks lined by native plants , palms and trees. The waters edge is adorned with water lilies and a some areas of floating green (not blue) algae from the decaying vegetation that collects in the water and ultimately floats back to the top.
Despite this, the water itself is as clear as crystal and, combined with the temperature, gives the illusion of floating in glass as you slowly wind your way down the few hundred metres of pristine waters. The reflected water colour ranges from clear to green, blue and purple… sometimes shimmering in a mixture of all colours reminiscent of a Monet painting.
We decided that we would spend one day at Bitter Springs, one day at Mataranka Thermal Pools. Although both were beautiful, Bitter Springs was the clear winner and this is where we returned to for the second time. In either case, the springs at Mataranka are a unimaginably beautiful wonder on the outback…
Mataranka Thermal Pools are another set of spring fed pools a bit further away than Bitter Springs. They are located at the Mataranka Homestead, a historic homestead (Elsey Station) that has evolved resort and caravan park.
Jeannie Gunn, whose husband was an early owner of the station, returned to Melbourne after her husband died and wrote the classic Australian story “We Of The Never Never” based on her time there. The book was also made into a classic Australian movie.
Mataranka Thermal Pools, like Bitter Springs, are a naturally fed spring, however they differ in that they have been artificially shaped to be more pool like with formed walls with easier entry and exit points. And although the water flows from the spring there is no discernible current so it is more like being in a natural pool than a flowing stream.
The water just as crystal clear though and tepid in temperature at around 32o-33oC. It is perfect for just floating on a pool noodle, relaxing and letting your mind relax and de-stress. Not quite as pleasant though as floating with the current at Bitter Springs…
Unlike Bitter Springs, the actual spring at Mataranka Thermal Pools, which is a little way away from the swimming area, is much more visible and bubbles away looking just like a genuine thermal hot spring like you see in Rotorua. The only difference is that the Mataranka Thermal Pools spring is not heated and bubbles up from pressure rather the heat.
It is an absolutely beautiful spot that we thoroughly enjoyed although we both agreed that we preferred the more natural beauty of Bitter Springs.