After a night on the town in Darwin last night it was time to head south for the next phase of our trip away. We had set our sights on stopping another night at Bitter Springs (where we have previously enjoyed luxuriating in the soothing thermal spring waters while accumulated dust and grime is liberated and we return clean and relaxed from the immersive experience). The Bitter Springs Caravan Park that shares a border with the Elsey National Park doesn’t take bookings, so they operate on a “first come, first served” basis. We know from experience that people start arriving from around 9.00am to check in, so it pays to stop nearby the previous night to be sure of getting a campsite. Wendy had found a bush campsite 17 kms north of Bitter Springs that would have us first in the queue the following morning.
It was an easy drive going against the Darwin peak hour traffic as we headed away from the city along the Stuart Highway. Once clear of the Arnhem Highway turnoff to Kakadu (that we had arrived on yesterday) the speed limit increased to 130 kph. Cruise control was engaged and we settled into the drive to Katherine, where we planned to stop for a coffee and to purchase a few supermarket items that we hadn’t been able to get in Darwin. The expansive mango orchards stayed within view for a number of kilometres before making way for familiar savannah country. The termite mounds were enormous as we passed the Litchfield NP turnoff and they reflected the beige colour of the soil in the area. We noted closer to Katherine that the termite mounds turned red in colour as we moved further away from the coast and into drier country.
Katherine was bustling when we arrive at 11.45am. It seemed like everyone comes to town to catch up with friends, conduct business and do their weekly shopping. Market gazebos were set up around the information centre, with the various candidates and their supporters encouraging locals to vote in the Northern Territory elections scheduled for next weekend. We have noticed that all bar one of the candidates are Caucasian, with only one indigenous candidate standing for the seat of Arnhem. It seems a mismatch, given the Territory has the highest percentage of indigenous people in the country at 25%, but little representation in the Territory government.
Lunch was on the list of to-dos before we attended to last minute shopping that was partially packed away (fridge and freezer items) before we continued our journey south. Chris proposed continuing on to Bitter Springs to try our luck with a campsite – if unsuccessful it was only 10kms of backtracking to that bush camp. We ended up arriving at Bitter Springs at 2.30pm and were successful in securing a campsite. It didn’t take us long to get set up and change into our bathers for another visit to the hot springs.
The Nathan ‘Whippy’ Griggs whip-cracking show was on at the Mataranka Showgrounds last night. People started heading out in their vehicles from 7.00pm to get a good seat before the show started at 7.30pm. We knew when the show had finished because it was like the end of an AFL footy match, when everyone leaves within minutes of the final siren. Vehicles were practically queuing to get back into the caravan park at 9.00pm. A check of the forecast suggested it was to be a cooler night than we have been used to; for a change we started under the doona at the beginning of the night – not on top of it until early morning when it typically has been cooling down just prior to dawn.