With the sun boring down on us again and the scrubby trees offering little protection from it we quickly saddled up and continued our drive north.

A short distance ahead we drove through the side town of Larrimah stopping to quickly check out the Pink Panther Pub and the termite mounds that littered their cricket ground – it would certainly make hitting a “four” an obstacled feat.

Then we continued on to Mataranka. This town is famous for its thermal springs and a few travellers had suggested that we bypass the commercial Mataranka Thermal Springs and head for Bitter Springs instead (thanks for the original suggestion by Mr van der Tang). We did just that and once parked trekked through the pandanus growth towards the spring.

We couldn’t believe how clear the water was especially with the amount of weed and coral-like growths that occurred at the bottom of the spring. Still, we ventured in for a swim but soon realised that the thermal spring was truly thermal and it felt more like taking a bath than a refreshing dip. Needless to say we didn’t stay long and could only capitulate that it might have been better visiting in the cooler dry season.

So, we continued etching northward until we arrived at Katherine and stopped to have lunch. Before heading on again we stocked up on some groceries and visited the Tourist Info Centre to plan how we might spend the time north of this town. Between here and Darwin there is a heap to visit including; Katherine Gorge, Litchfield National Park and Kakadu but many of the swimming holes are being closed due to increasing rains and the threat of crocs entering the waters.

With our minds now at peace as to the best places to visit we ventured north for another 40 kilometres finally coming to Edith Falls. These falls are still part of Katherine Gorge (Nitmiluk) but are easily monitored by rangers for wandering “salties” – salt water crocodiles that may migrate into fresh water if given the chance.

After Deb conjured a deal with the ranger to keep the price at an affordable rate we set up the van and headed down to the falls for what we thought might be a cool, refreshing dip. However, the sun that had been boring down on us had also been heating the swimming area and while the water around our feet was crisp and cool the top-third was still like a warm, steamy pool. It made the experience a little less enjoyable but we worked out that if we swam back the way we came we could encounter bursts of cool.

Then, after dinner, the rain caught up with us as we sat outside drinking in its cooling waters. It was the first time on the trip that rain had been welcomed so excitedly. The breeze cooled the temperature down and the passing storm didn’t produce a deluge as expected but just moistened the ground and cooled the van down in the process.

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