Mon., 9 July 2012 - Mataranka to Katherine

Left the campsite at 9.30am to travel the 104km to Katherine.  We visited the Thermal Pools before leaving town.  They were 7km off the highway, in Kelsey National Park.  We found a real oasis of Cabbage Palms & crystal clear pools, with a water temperature of 34C (would that I'd had time for a swim.)

We heard that red fruit bats were sleeping above us in the palm trees, but we didn't see any.  However, we did see several small, honey-coloured kangaroos (possibly wallabies) hopping amongst the trees, obviously unconcerned about the people nearby.

It was quite humid in the palm grove & we both found the air heavy.  Despite the humidity, we enjoyed this very different environment that really contrasted with the surrounding area.

It seemed that an animal massacre had taken place as we left Mataranka - dead animals littered the road; it was a scavenger's delight & we saw large birds hovering above the corpses (hope I'm not becoming obsessed about roadkill, but it does seem excessive sometimes.)

It wasn't a long trip to Katherine & we arrived at 12.15pm.  The "Big 4" site looked lovely - spacious, green & leafy.  However, it was very hot (30C+) & hardly a breeze disturbed the foliage.

Facilities were good, so I changed the sheets & towels - they were washed & dried in no time at all.

Just after dinner, we lost all power & had to rely on our batteries.  We sat with Judy, Charlie & their neighbours & had a good chat before retiring at about 10.15pm.