Devil’s Marbles – Daly Waters – Mataranka
After a short stop in Alice Springs to stock up on food and supplies, we were on our way further north! Our next three stops were going to be just one night each as we needed to cover a lot of kilometres in a short time.
We were determined to get to the Devil’s Marbles by sunset so we drove straight through with only one toilet stop – and luckily we made it! It was definitely worth it – the way the golden light shone onto all of the boulders was just beautiful. Before visiting there, we hadn’t realised the magnitude of the area and just how many boulders comprised the “marbles”. It was mind-blowing to see it in person! We stayed overnight at the Devil’s Marbles Hotel caravan park and enjoyed a delicious meal and did some much-needed laundry.
The next day we made our way to Daly Waters Pub and what a delight that was! The pub is really popular and has such a cool vibe. There are animals roaming the street, antique helicopters and planes to play in and Tim’s Junkyard to explore. The pub itself has an awesome beer garden and a separate outdoor area with two swimming pools – a big hit for the kids! The pub serves amazing food and there was so much to look at on the inside- definitely not a place to be missed!
We stayed overnight at the Daly Waters Pub caravan park and then headed off early for the Bitter Springs Cabins and Caravan Park. This caravan park was one of my favourites, as it was filled with huge leafy trees and provided lots of shade. We had noticed a significant rise in temperature since leaving Alice Springs so it was good to be sheltered from the direct sunlight.
As soon as we had unhooked the caravan, we took the short walk to the Bitter Springs to go for a dip. I’d read many wonderful reviews about the Bitter Springs and it certainly did not disappoint! The water was warm so it was easy to jump straight in, and the current of the water takes you easily from one end of the springs to the other. Although you can do this without a pool noodle, it’s much more relaxing if you have one. The water is a gorgeous turquoise colour and is the clearest water we’ve ever seen! There were trees and plants lining the edge of the springs providing a lot of shade and calmness. I was certainly in my happy place here!
We also visited the Mataranka Thermal Springs and that was different but also wonderful. Mataranka was smaller – rather than a long stream it was more like a large swimming pool. The water was equally as warm and clear and didn’t have much of a current. Both the Bitter Springs and Mataranka Thermal Pools are great for kids – Hudson said he loved them both!
We could easily have stayed longer there and spent more time just floating around, however we had to leave the next day for our next stop – Katherine. However we did manage to get up early and spend another 2 hours in Bitter Springs before we headed off!
