Another big day of driving today with 612 kms all the way to Banka Banka Station. On the way we explored the Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve. Awesome rock formations. Banka Banka station is a lovely place to stay but in the spirit of moving north fast we left early in the morning. On the way to Mataranka we took a slight detour to enjoy lunch in the famous Daly Waters pub. We had some tasty Barra burgers. This place is awesome and full of character. First day of 40 deg, it’s getting HOT.

  • Banka Banka Station
  • Making call to grandparents
  • Devil’s marbles
  • Daly Waters Pub
  • Getting hot

We arrived in Mataranka around 4pm which left us with a bit of time to still visit Bitter Springs. Awesome time swimming in natural hot springs and floating on the noodles downstream.

The next day we visited Mataranka springs. Much smaller and more man made infrastructure capturing the actual pools than Bitter Springs. They were also very picturesque BUT.… the smell and sight of 1,000s of bats was very off putting. Nevertheless we all jumped in for a quick swim. Wasn’t until Ania’s “favourite” mammals decided to take revenge for her years of studying their viruses by pooping a few times directly on her. That was a cue for us to head back.

  • Bats, bats & more bats
  • Our camp site near Bitter Springs

Both the temperatures and humidity increased, which was felt especially during the nights. Air conditioner in the caravan definitely started to get more use.