Day 63 / 2025 - Daly Waters to Katherine

Leaving Daly Water we started to head North again after a quick 2 Km trip south to fill up with fuel at the Daly Waters Roadhouse on Stuart Hwy. The weather was improving all the time and we could see more blue sky than clouds the temperature was also starting to climb...yay.

We are heading for Mataranka to stay at the Homestead for a couple of days and spend some time soaking in the thermal springs just located inside the national park boundary. Since it was getting into the busy season we though a overnight stop at a roadside rest area just out of town then drive in early next day to maximising our time there.

About 30 Km shy of the town we found a rest area called Warloch and decided this would be a good place to stop. It was still morning as we had only travelled about 140 Km from Daly Waters so we had the pick of the parking spots. We were concerned after the recent rains that Mataranka Homestead maybe closed or the thermal pools were closed. There wasn't really any mobile reception but some rest areas have these satellite looking dishes where you place your mobile phone on a stand in front of it. You then wait about a minute then you magically get mobile reception, at least enough to make a call and if you are lucky data as well. I was able to call the homestead and check they were and the thermal pool was still open, which they were. 

Warloch had a fire pit and as the weather had improved (no rain, no fly's and no wind) we decided we would sit outside of the evening in front of the fire. There was no firewood so I spent a good couple of hours walking up and down the Stuart Hwy collecting as much old tree branches of various sizes I could find. That evening another van and 2 motor homes pulled in where they joined us in front of the fire and toasted marshmallows we had been carrying since Coober Pedy. I think our last fire was at Wirraminna station just south of Glendambo, so was well overdue. 

Next morning we packed up and headed the last 30Km into Mataranka, the homestead is about 7 Km off the Stuart Hwy. We arrived about 9 am where we were able to book in. We paid the money and then told, go find yourself a site, this is a first in best dress park. Moving our way through the first row we came across 2 sites which had just been vacated so pulled into them. Ours was probably not the best site as it was on a slope and mainly gravel base with large stones but it was mostly shady and not far from the Thermal pool. We did go for a walk later and found there are a lot more sites up the back so there is plenty of room you just need to drive around to have a look.

The thermal pool is in the national park and is a well developed area with raise pathways, seating along the edges and hand rail steps directly into the water for easy access. The Thermal Pools are managed by NT Parks so you need to have parks pass before entering the area. We stayed at the homestead for three days and utilised the pool every day if not twice per day. It was quite busy but you always managed to find a spot to sit and just relax. Would recommend using some sort of flotation device such as a pool noodle to help keep you buoyant. We did look at some at the reception shop there but they were asking $8.00 per noodle so we decided to do without. Would recommend you get your floatation devices before getting here.

The homestead had a bar and Kitchen/Bistro area where you could purchase a meal. The beer prices weren't too bad, I think we paid $8.00 for a stubbie and $4.00 for a glass of Lemon, Lime and Bitters. There was also entertainment in the form of a singing playing Duo. They were okay, not quite Daly waters standard though. Last time we were here Nathan "Whippy" Griggs was the entertainment but he was nowhere to be seen this time. We check his website but there were no events listed at the moment. We had originally booked for 2 nights but decided to extend by another day. This means we will be leaving on Tuesday instead of Monday.

The weather has gone next level for us with warm temperatures, light breezes, blue sky's and no rain, it's amazing what a different a 500 Km north can make. Most days are between 31 and 32 degrees with nights dropping to around 15 deg's. We have noticed the condensation is starting to increase with big droplets forming on the awning and smaller ones on roof hatches... not complaining just a part of being in the tropics I guess.  It all evaporates when the sun hits it.   

An update on "Whippy" Griggs, a sign just appeared outside the Homestead's reception area that he is in town. We thought he might be coming to Mataranka Homestead but will instead be at the Showgrounds in Mataranka. It was a good job we booked the extra night as his first show for the season is on Monday night. We headed into Mataranka about 6pm as the show was to start at 7pm, its not very far, only about 7 km. You can bring your own chairs but we were hoping to use the seating already there. 

The show went for about an hour, it was a lot of fun with many more different elements than the last time we had seen him in 2014, 11 years ago. He was much more engaging with the audience especially with the kids. He used many kinds of whips of various lengths depending on what trick he was doing. He had the audience choose songs and would crack whips to the tempo. He also showed some of the trick whipping that helped him get into the Guinness Book of Records.  There were also some glow in the dark whips which one was pink and had him cracking them to the song Barbie Girl. The finaly included cracking a 13 Kilo chain whip that was on fire as well as 2 leather whips that were also on fire. You don't actually book or pay for tickets he works on the process of passing a very large hat around and left it up to you ro put in what you think the show was worth. He also had quite a bit of Merch on sale such as whips, which he makes himself. All in all a great show we would highly recommend. I think he will be in Mataranka June, July and August 5 nights per week. 

Next morning we packed up again and headed out, going North again. Tonight we planned to free camp at a roadside rest area for one night then onto Katherine in the morning. We stopped at King's Creek Rest Area which is about 40 Km Short of Kathrine. This rest area seemed quite popular as it quite a few people stopped for the night. It was a loverly warm evening and we even had to bust out the battery fan and leave the windows open overnight for the first time. Simple dinner was the order of the evening the retired to bed. 

Next Morning we headed off on the final 30 Km to Katherine. We didn't realise at the time but our hitch was in the unlock position and we were lucky it didn't come off. I guess between the 250 Kg ball weight and the down force of the WDH kept it held on. We arrived at Big 4 Low Level / Breeze Tourist Park or what ever it is called now about 10:30 and weren't sure if we could get in. The reception staff did say go down and check if it is free and if it is we can park up. If not, just park in the unpowered area until it becomes free. Lucky for us the sites were free and we were able to go straight on. Not sure how we managed to jag it but these were great sites, very shady with plenty of room. They weren't particularly wide but very long with lots of room in front and behind. We stayed in the park for the rest of the day catching up on chores such as washing and other cleaning and maintenance.

Next day we ventured into town for grocery shopping and a look around. We have been here a few times before and really only just wanted to see how much has changed, which was pretty well not much. That evening was a demonstration at the Caravan Park's Bistro on Didgeridoo making and playing while sitting having a drink.  We had originally booked for 5 days but ended up extending for another 3 days making it 8 days in total. We really didn't have any plans, just sit and relax.

Today we decided to go for coffee at the Pop Up Cafe. This is a small cafe setup in 2 modified shipping containers just near the entrance to the Thermal Springs. We didn't try the food but the coffee was delicious. We sat at tables setup under the trees was a loverly atmosphere. We may try again later and perhaps go for breakfast which was highly recommended by Greg Mann. We did walk down to the thermal pools for a look, very inviting and not to crowded. We ended up going and purchase 2 pool noodles from in town, drove back to the van and get changed then head back down to the pools for a swim.