Mataranka

About an hours drive south of Katherine lies the town of Mataranka. It’s a small town, less than 400 people, but is steeped in colonial history and is home to perhaps Australia’s best known Thermal Pool and Hot Springs.

I first heard of Mataranka decades ago when I read Jeannie Gunn’s classic Australian Novel, We of the Never Never, then watched the subsequent film in the early 80’s. Both the book and film painted a fairly bleak picture of the region, particularly in the uneasy relationship between the European settlers and the local indigenous population.

As we rolled into town mid afternoon on a Sunday I was interested to see if things had changed in the ensuing 100 years or so.

First impressions aren’t great, a couple of roadhouses, a pub, café and supermarket occupy the western side of the 300 metre or so commercial strip of the Stuart Hwy. Most of them with prominent security grills on windows and fences and don’t feel the least bit welcoming. More utilitarian – come in, don’t cause trouble, complete your business, leave.

The eastern side of the highway is well maintained greenspace and carparks, halfway along which is the world’s largest man-made termite mound. Why? I think to myself as we pass it. But of course, by this point of our journey, we’d seen millions of termite mounds, large and small and had long ceased to wonder at the architectural skills of the industrious insects. The notion of a man made one seemed surplus to requirements.

On the lawn opposite and 80 metres or so down from the hotel there’s a collection of people, around a dozen or so - sitting, waiting, watching. A couple of them asleep, the rest in a rough circle passing a bottle around. One notices me looking and offers a lazy wave as we drive by.

Back outside the pub the local constabulary is checking licences of entering patrons, enforcing take away alcohol limits and dealing with intoxicated patrons. I’d be subject to the same ID checks later when I went back into town to purchase a bottle of wine for Kathy. Once inside the manager is in a heated expletive laden discussion with an inebriated patron while serving me and, after checking my licence again, expresses surprise that I only want a standard size wine bottle – not a flagon. Seems there’s still some issues.

Accommodation options are limited – there’s the pub, the Mataranka Homestead Tourist Resort out near the hot springs and The Territory Manor Motel and Caravan Park which we opted for. Shady spots under trees, live entertainment and a laid-back vibe.

The entire site was nice and flat and I had no difficulty moving around the park but once again encountered the bane of my Northern Australian experience – a raised amenity block. This one was particularly difficult – only three steps but no handrails and wide doors that opened outwards. To enter I would have to walk up the steps, open the door slightly, move back down the steps to give the door enough room to open fully then struggle back up the steps. Because of the width of the door I couldn’t reach from the top step to grab the door and close it behind myself. Back to surreptitiously peeing behind trees and sponge baths!

Bitter Springs

Nestled in the Elsey National Park just a few kilometres east of town across Roper Creek, the town’s biggest draw is the Mataranka Thermal Pool and Bitter Springs.

On the short drive in, the red dust, water starved lawns and ubiquitous termite mounds gradually give way and you arrive at a true oasis, startling to me considering the contrast to the hundreds of kilometres of inhospitable land surrounding it that we’ve driven through.

While the thermal pool itself is man-made, the surrounding environment is entirely natural, with towering cabbage palms providing shade, and the nearby Roper River adding to the peaceful atmosphere. A wide flat concrete path winds a couple of hundred metres through a hybrid of gum tree laden Australian scrub and lush palm forest until you eventually arrive at the Thermal Pool.

Metal steps allow access to the water but one glance at them and I know that whilst I can probably get in easily enough, getting back out would be a problem. Accessibility for the paths, car park and surrounds A+ - access to the water, the main attraction, D-

Kathy jumps in and I content myself for an hour or so wandering around the surrounds, talking some photos and chuckling at people floating down the gentle current of the Bitter Springs on anything that floats, before heading back up the path and doing it all over again - The world’s slowest carnival ride.  The prepared, or at least those in the know, had pool noodles aiding them while several made do with improvised mini rafts of eski lids or inflated silver goon bags, some of which I reckon weren’t empty before they started.

All in all, I can recommend a visit to this beautiful place if you are passing through Mataranka for the location alone. Accessible car parking, wide flat concrete paths with plenty of seating and accessible amenities in the carpark.

My experience was diminished however by the lack of accessible entry and exit to the water for those with mobility issues. I hope this will be addressed by them in the future.