A few big days of driving saw us leave the blue of the Pacific and return to the red of Australia’s centre. The cure for all that driving was wallowing in water that matched the air temperature! We visited 3 such places- Mataranka thermal pool, Bitter Springs thermal pools and Katherine Hot Springs. All three places are natural thermal springs, roughly 34°C all year round.
Mataranka was our least favourite. It was basically the size of a large swimming pool and surrounded by palm tree detritus. It was the warmest of the 3, because it was the smallest area and the water was very still. It was also the most popular- a very safe environment for families with small children and older visitors who may have difficulties getting to places off the beaten track. Katherine Hot Springs had separate pools and there was a better water flow bringing the temperature down a few degrees… which in fact was much more pleasant. Being the dry season the water was quite low in places and you had to scramble over the rocks in shallow water to get to the next pool. Bitter Springs was the best of the three. It had a nice current and good depth- you could enter the water at one end, float down the length of the Springs, climb out the other end and repeat!
IngramsAroundOz 