Wednesday
17 May 2017
Mataranka - Katherine
7.15am and I was awake and urging Paul to get up so we could
go for one last swim. We donned our bathers, still damp from the day before and
ventured down the path. There were a few others already taking advantage of the
bath like water. The temperature difference between it and the air around it,
meant that steam was rising from the water’s surface.
We dropped our things and sat in the same spot we sat last
night when it was inky black and eerie, now it was clear and bright and the
stars had made way for the blue sky. We soaked in the warm and the beauty
before returning to the van ready for breakfast.
I had a shower and returned to the van with Paul set and
ready to move on. When I had finished all I had to do we were moving on from
the campground at Mataranka Homestead and towards Katherine.
Once again there wasn’t much between the two places, the
journey was only an hour and a half, short by our standards. By 10.30am we were
driving through the centre of Katherine and my phone began pinging, yay phone
coverage, we haven’t had it since leaving Alice Springs. I think if I were to
do this again, I would ensure one of our mobiles was with Telstra, as those
with it seem to have better range.
We stopped in town for fuel and then it was on to River View
Tourist Village where we booked in for two nights at $37pn. Once shown to our
site, we set about settling ourselves in and then it was off into Katherine in
the car.
We stopped at he tourist info centre to enquire on the must
dos, picking up brochures and maps. I stopped to take a photo of the Katherine
icon; a statue of a drover on a horse representing those who pioneered the
land. We then wandered through the shopping centre, picking our groceries. We
wanted to pick up alcohol too, but the liquor sellers don’t open until 2pm.
We made our way back to the van, unloaded and relaxed. I
rang home for an update and then we went for a walk around the park to check
out the facilities. I booked in for a boat cruise at Nitmiluk National Park
(Katherine Gorge) tomorrow morning, then Paul returned to town on a beer run
while I happily loaded up bits on the net.
When he returned we took ourselves to the Katherine Hot
Springs that can be accessed via a path from the back of the caravan park. We
joined the many other tourists who were also looking for a refreshing dip. It
was lovely cooling off in the natural pool and chatting to other travellers as
the local kids mucked around.
We did a quick walk around the complex, spotting some other
nice spots to swim in and then returned to our van.
It was quite hot and steamy, so we sat outside reading. I
then rang Cathy to get the low down on the goings on at CPS. happy to be here
and not there. Paul got dinner organised, which warmed the van up, so after
eating we wandered down to the pool for a refreshing dip. It was quite cool,
but once in, it was enjoyable and we had it to ourselves, apart from the geckos
and green tree frogs.
Once back at the van, we packed what we would need for
tomorrow and then we read before making it to bed.
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