It was just a matter of getting the kms out of the way to get from the Barkly Hwy to Stuart Hwy which follows the early explorer's route from Port Augusta to Darwin.
Overnight stops at Banka Banka and Daly Waters before reaching Mataranka.
Daly Waters has a few claims to fame.It consists of a couple of houses, a caravan park and a pub. Back in the '30's Daly Waters had the first international airstrip, servicing flights to Singapore. Later on, it became part of the northern defence in WWII. The pub is now well-known for it's collection of memorabilia and a live show by an ex-drover and rodeo performer called Chilli.
Mataranka is a tiny little town famous for it's natural hot springs. The most well-known of these is like a swimming pool but another one called Bitter Springs is more like a creek. It has 30 million litres a day of fresh water coming into it; creating a continual flow of water at a constant temperature of 33.c .
Many hours were spent gently floating the 200m trail beneath cabbage and palm trees fringed by water lilies. Bright blue dragonflies darted about and a snorkel and mask revealed a whole new world under the water. Many different types of weed wafted in the current, providing a safe haven for hundreds of tiny little silver and yellow fish.
Mataranka is also on the rodeo circuit and we happened to be in town at the right time! Ben entered into the calf-riding competition which was an experience in itself ! We had never been to a rodeo before and the closest thing Ben had done was riding a mechanical bull at his footie breakup...
So it was with much trepidation ( but also admiration for his bravery ) that we allowed him to enter. We were lucky to have befriended an experienced rodeo rider that afternoon, and he gave Ben a crash course on bull-riding in the chute! The calf had probably never had 55kg sitting on him before and created havoc by spinning around in the stall trying to dislodge his burden. Ben had quite a ride before the gates even opened! Unfortunately, the calf was lying down when the gate opened and he shot out to freedom leaving Ben facedown in the dust wondering what had just happened...
The winner of the $100 prize money rode the calf all the way across the paddock but he basically had his foot stuck in the ropes and couldn't get off anyway...It made quite a shot in the local paper...
Next stop...Katherine, gateway to Katherine Gorge. Our base here is with Neil and Jane ( friends of Wym and Carol ) They have been extremely welcoming and hospitable and have provided a little patch of paradise to call home for a while. Thanks Jane and Neil. We are most grateful.
About an hour's drive north of Katherine is a place called Edith Falls. This is a series of waterfalls and waterholes with beautiful, cool, clear, fresh, crocodile-free water to swim in. Heaven! We spent many happy hours splashing around. Sam and I were at Upper Pool and Mick and Ben had walked a further 3.5km to Sweetwater Pool.
Today, is a rest day. We have just returned from Nhulumbuy on the Gove Peninsular where we stayed with Paul's sister Cathy, her husband Tony,and kids Sam and Bree. They also opened their house to us and were fantastic hosts. Thanks Cath and Tony.
Nhulumbuy is a 9 hour drive ( 7 for locals ) along the Arnhem Road and requires a permit to cross Aboriginal land. It is the most nerve-wracking road we've encountered so far with crocodiles to watch for at the creek crossings, water buffalo, horses, kangaroos and cattle on the road and bull dust, corrugations, washouts, flood channels and oncoming traffic to contend with on the road itself.
Once there, however, Nhulumbuy is located in a very pretty patch of Australia. It is also a mining town with Alcoa being the major employer. The bauxite is mined and refined to alumina and somewhere in the process, travels along the longest conveyor belt in the southern hemisphere.
Most of the beaches have lovely sand and beautiful blue water, but the threat of ever-present crocodiles means alas, no swimming. One place we did manage a swim was at a beach called Little Bondi where we camped for the night. It's very popular with the locals and has a good little wave for board-riding.
As with other parts of N.T. there are strict rules regarding alcohol. The Aboriginal communities have a no alcohol ruling while Nhulumbuy itself requires a permit to purchase it.
Currently, Nhulumbuy has a very young population with 2 primary schools and a high school with 700 students. Because of this, lots of activities and sports are available, though travel to Darwin, Cairns and even Broome is required for regional competition.
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