Mataranka to Darwin and In Between.

Genuinely THAT happy in Mataranka Hot Springs

Mataranka Hot Springs were my absolute favourite part of the road trip. It was just one of those perfect days when everything falls into place. The weather had been getting progressively more beautiful the further north we drove, however this was the first place where it was really like a paradise. There were two separate hot springs in the little town. The first, main one was this pool which was just the perfect depth and temperature. It's hard to believe that it's not man-made. I could have stayed in there all day. You're floating around looking up at the sun shining in through the palm leaves and spider-webs, glistening and reflecting on the pool. The water was warmer than the air so it felt like a relaxing bath. The whole thing was so peaceful. It was just amazing.

The Wild Hot Spring

The second Hot Spring in Mataranka was really cool. It was a bit more rugged. It was actually a flowing river where you get in at one end and the current gently sweeps you along a winding route for a little while until you get to a bridge with a ladder to get out. Actually, for anyone who's been to Discovery Cove in Florida, that's what it was like. Most of the rest of the group did this but since it was a lot deeper and I'm not a strong swimmer, I decided to just film the rest of them doing it. I did hang out for a while clinging to a rock, and then a log, but it wasn't quite as relaxing. The surroundings were just as spectacular though. I remember thinking that it looked like a movie-set or a painting, not somewhere that really existed.



After a blissful day, we decided to try and make it to the next destination before sunset. Katherine was another brilliant stop along the way. For more than one reason. We planned to get to Katherine with enough light left to cook a barbecue and spend the rest of the evening relaxing with some beers. Technically, that's what happened. Brenda, a Katherine local, was throwing a surprise birthday party for the girl who was lodging with her. She really wanted to have more party guests for the surprise and she knew that there were usually a group of backpackers camping up on their way through the town. So she drove by a few times. Finally she plucked up the courage to approach the group and invite them to the birthday party. The group were split. Some of us were completely against the idea, some of us for it. I was for it. Brenda seemed like a lovely, genuine woman and anyway, there was eight of us. If anything happened. at least half of us would probably get away. So we agreed to go to the party but secretly devised an escape plan in case anything looked a bit off. We had nothing to worry about. We had a brilliant night and Brenda was an amazing host and one of the most interesting people I've met.



We said our goodbyes after breakfast and hit Katherine Gorge, another of my most anticipated stops. The whole place is beautiful. We spent most of our time climbing to all the different look-out points overlooking Katherine River. Hopefully the photos do it justice. We had time to get some more hot spring time in though, spending the late afternoon floating around in Katherine Hot Springs. As we were getting ready to leave, a very  helpful ranger told us that it's a favourite spot of crocs. In fact he even feeds them! It was really helpful of him to tell us that after we spent hours there. He did redeem himself though. giving us a great tip on the best road-house on the Stuart Highway. We made our way another few hundred kilometres to Emerald Springs. After three weeks on the road, it's easy to get excited about a really great road-house. We had the best breakfast of the road-trip and a hot shower before heading to Litchfield.

Florence Falls

Wangi Falls

I think we seen about 10% of Litchfield National Park - maybe even less. It's massive. We did pick out a few key parts we made sure to see and they were beautiful. The park is so big that you drive for hours between sights. The highlights were Florence Falls and Wangi Falls, which Barney actually swam out to. There were beautiful walks and climbs up through the trees to tree-top look-outs and loads of different types of spiders in their natural habitat. It was amazing that for such a huge tourist spot that the environment seems to be so well conserved.

The bar at the Ski Club

It didn't take too long to make it to Darwin from Litchfield. Anyone who has been to Darwin will know that it's not exactly a sprawling metropolis. The city only has a population of about 130,000 people and the CBD consists of about two streets. But when you're coming off the back of three weeks of looking at flat, vast desert interspersed with little towns and natural wonders, Darwin looks like the hub of human civilisation. (Which everyone knows couldn't be further from the truth.) We quickly got acquainted with the bars along Mitchell St and settled in to a six month stay in Darwin.

Darwin is hard to describe. It has it's own definite identity. The opposite of Melbourne, Darwin was never designed or planned. It's as if it didn't expect to become a city. It's outer suburbs were recently their own remote towns but have now become part of Darwin. Infrastructure hasn't caught up with the rapid growth of the city. There's been sporadic mining booms throughout it's recent history and it's in the middle of another one now. The local economy coupled with the haven of fantastic weather during what is the winter for the rest of Australia makes it an attractive option for backpackers and relocating Australians. This rapid expansion seems to have taken another community by surprise as well. In a few generations, most of the Indigenous community have been displaced and there seems to be a lot of social issues that nobody knows how to reconcile.

Sunset from Skycity over Mindil Beach

Overall, the theme of Darwin is a bit too "macho" for me, although some of it was really amazing. Cullen Bay and The Waterfront are two areas that are really stunning. The atmosphere in Cullen Bay, which is five minutes outside the CBD is just wonderful. All the millionaires live there and every house has it's own boat in the harbour behind it. Along the pier, there's a strip of restaurants and bars which for some unknown reason, never seem to be too busy. It's a refreshing change from rowdiness of Mitchell St. Mindil Beach and the Skycity casino complex ten minutes outside the city are fantastic.

Sunbathing at Cullen Bay (on a Sunday)

For a long time our Sundays consisted of  a walk to Cullen Bay or the beach, followed by a trip to Mindil Beach Sunset Markets to watch the sun go down and feast on various Asian cuisines from the stalls. Then we would mosey over to either the Casino or the Ski Club to finish the evening of with a few beers. Sometimes we didn't do it in that order. Sundays were really important because it was the only day that Barney and I really seen each other. We worked opposite hours all week so we really tried to make the most of our one day together.

The Sunset Cruise

 My absolute highlight from Darwin was a champagne cruise at sunset out of the harbour and around the coast of the city. That was really beautiful. We started our voyage at Cullen Bay then it took us out of the harbour and all around the coast, giving us a different perspective of all the sights we were used to. It was as romantic and peaceful as it sounds. I'm really glad I experience living in Darwin. I'll be honest and say there were aspects I didn't really like but there were some really great things too. It's hard to describe the feel of it. It's just somewhere you have to judge for yourself. I do definitely recommend a visit though.