Mataranka - We of the Never Never

Little Roper River at our campsite

Another view of Little Roper River

Me floating in the thermal pool at Bitter Springs - heaven!!

Yes you guessed it - Little Roper River

Oops Charlie fell in trying to get his red claw net!!!

Yeah Kev and Charlie caught the snagged red claw net



Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dumer after the successful rescue - you work out which one is which!!!



Well it was all worth it - dinner tonight!!!!  Glad I'm not hungry

Me outside the reconstructed Elsey StationHomestead which was built for the movie We of the Never Never

Cairn marking the original site of the Elsey Station Homestead

Darren and Jools (a female Frank Spencer from Some Mothers Do Ave Em)

Well here we are in Mataranka - the Capital of the Never Never.  For those of you who don't know and I'm thinking of my overseas family, this area was home to Aeneas and Jeanie Gunn - Jeanie wrote the famous book about Elsey Station titled "We of the Never Never" which is now part of Australia's folklore..  It is claimed that once you visit Mataranka, you'll Never Never leave!!!  There is the famous thermal pool at Mataranka which is a constant 34 degrees and is serviced by Rainbow Springs but we stayed at Bitter Springs and used the thermal pool there which we preferred - imagine if you will me and Charlie with noodles in hand, thongs on the end of them (to cope with the walk back to our towels) floating along with the current in the thermal springs - does it get much better than this?

Anyway we booked in for 3 nights at the Mataranka Cabins and Camping Ground which is a great bush camp, 500 metres from the thermal pools and right on the Little Roper River.  Charlie has been like a little boy, running down to the river with his red claw nets, falling in and scrambling up the bank in case of crocs - gee I wish I had been there because there certainly would have been a photo on the blog of that - instead the after picture!!  I sent him off to the showers and when he came back his towel was filthy - did he wash himself at all?  Men will always be little boys I suppose.  But he is a good hunter and gatherer having caught 4 yes 4 not (4 kg) of red claw.  I'll never go hungry travelling with my man but I'll certainly lose weight!!!

We've been off to see the Elsey Cemetery where the people from Jeanie's book are buried, including her husband.  It is quite a historical little town.  We've also been to see the replica of the Elsey Station Homestead which was built for the movie "We of the Never Never".  Its a very relaxing place and I really don't know where the time goes.

We met these really friendly people called Darren and Julie (Jools) - initially in the Bitter Springs thermal pool when I floated up and collided with him!!  We then had happy hour with them and Jools had us in hysterics for about 2 hours with her antics.  How many people do you know go to the wrong funeral and only realise it when the "corpse" walks by and says Hi??  A walking disaster but a really great person.  Thanks for your great company for the evening Darren and Julie.

Off to see the barra feeding tomorrow - Charlie still has to catch one but it will happen, don't know when but it will happen of that I am sure and then the excitement of checking the nets for red claw, reading, another swim in the thermal pool and then happy hour and dinner - that's just about our day mapped out for tomorrow.  Then on Sunday we will leave for Katherine but that's another story and another blog and another adventure yet to come of which I will share with you all later.

Adieu from The Wandering 2s.