Mataranka moments

We had a big day of travel on Monday and got into Mataranka fairly late in the day. We were reminded it was worth a stop here and it gave us a little more time to be on our own before heading into Katherine.

Unfortunately, some of our boys had taken sick with a 24 hour gastro bug toward the end of the mission time. So, we ended up staying two nights in the Elsey National Park to relax...

Relax?  Well, we still went on a 4km walk to the Falls on Tuesday and for those recovering from illness, it did take a bit to do.  I had no such excuse at the Falls.  I couldn’t plead sickness, I couldn’t plead temporary insanity (maybe, actually) for what happened next.  I was at the top of the Falls (which really were so small) and I wanted to walk out onto a rock and get a photo from the top.  I hadn’t pulled the camera out yet but had in my mind’s eye what I was going to frame...when...I just disappeared under the water.  Laugh, I know, it is funny except that I fell straight onto sharp, jagged pumice type stone and cut up my leg and have big bruises down my back.  My sisters will remember another time when I mistook slimy stuff for solid rock - I don’t look sometimes!

Well, that could not be my only experience of the Falls or any of the water at Mataranka, for that matter, so I went in and had a quick swim. We moved on to the Thermal Pool, a place called "Stevie's Hole" and Bitter Springs later in the day.  Didn’t get out of our swimsuits until past dinner time.  It was so lovely in the water!

That left us with a short one hour drive to Katherine today and after two days of being in the bush, we’re happy to have power and to be in a caravan park today. Everyone seems well bur not everyone in the family has had this thing so we are keeping to ourselves for now.