Alice to Mataranka

Finally the pace has slowed a little and the temperature has risen!

We moved on from Alice Springs, after having a great last day exploring the West Macdonald Ranges. Because we enjoyed Devils Marbles so much last time, we decide to make it our stop over point for our trip north and also, the girls would have been a little cranky if we had not given them one last chance to venture around the rocks. Our time there, once again, was very special. After I had sorted dinner and the girls had knocked over some school work and a challenging game of Checkers with Daddy, we all took off for a walk. We played until the sun went down and then proceeded back to camp to eat and also set up the fire.

The next morning we had our earliest departure to date...8.30am. We just can't seem to get moving early and the girls are hardly ever out of bed before 7am. We made it to the famous Daly Waters Pub by mid afternoon and soaked up the atmosphere and the delicious Beef n Barra dinner!

Yesterday was only a short trip up to Mataranka, the town made famous by the book/movie We of the Never Never. I have been reading a kids version of the book to the girls, so they were looking forward to seeing the town and the homestead in real life. The caravan park we are at is only a couple of minutes bike ride away from Bitter Springs thermal pools, so after a quick unpack we jumped on the bikes and headed for a swim. We all had a ball, particularly once we popped the goggles on and explored what was beneath us, whilst floating downstream on our hired noodles! We would then have a quick, cold walk back to the beginning and would do it all over again.

Today we went into Elsey National Park, to see the other thermal springs and also the replica homestead of the house from We of the Never Never. These springs were very clean, with concreted edges and a mostly sandy bottom, but lacked the fun of "our" springs. After lunch and an afternoon siesta, it was back down to Bitter Springs to float the afternoon away.

Next stop is Litchfield National Park, with maybe a few stops on the way.

Desert Park, Alice Spring - Aboriginal talk

Lib would have loved to taste some of the foods

See me walk so straight and tall.....

Bush Orange

 

Our day at the West Mac Ranges

 

Stanley Chasm

 Ormeston Gorge

 Thinking, thinking

Fun back at the Devils Marbles

Goodbye to the sun

Hello to the moon

 Love, love, love this one

And this one

So proud of my planker!

 There she goes

Dinner by the fire

 

Daly Waters Pub

Who wants a beer?

 Matarank - Bitter Springs

Paddy trying to float

Loving the warm water

Our float down stream

The girls had a ball

Our littlest fish

 Our biggest fish