TOD Tour 2.0 Day 43 - Mataranka Thermal Pool

During the late morning we went for a dip in the thermal pool at Mataranka Homestead, also part of the Elsey National Park.

The source of the pool, Rainbow Springs, is uncovered less than 100 metres away and just constantly churns up warm water which flushes through a more formerly constituted pool. When we visited in '95, the pool only had a formed structure on the entry side but now it has three entry points and is bricked and concreted on all parts of its elongated banana shape. The water was just as warm and as clear as ever and with the aid of the noodles, we floated for an hour or so, with palms swaying above us.

In the afternoon, we returned to Bitter Springs and the warm lap. Sue went around twice but having dried all my wet bits from the morning, I was loathe to subject them to wringing out again. Instead, I sat near the end of the course with my iPad, making alterations to our trip planning.

Click for today's photos

On to Nitmiluk National Park (Katherine Gorge) for a different type of visit. This time we will stay outside the park and we won't be going on a gorge tour. Having done five gorges last time and two when we toured with the kids, the current cost is prohibitive for something we have had the extreme pleasure of seeing twice already. They have priced us out of the market.