Manja mandja to Adels Grove...hello Mataranka Spaths !!

Mon 19 - Wed 21 June 2017

Well it goes without saying that it was tough to leave Adels Grove....as I typed away on the previous post I chatted on and off with one of the employees as the kitchen closed up and the lights dimmed in the main deck area for the night. I asked her if it was too cliched if people say - there's just something about this place?? And she responded immediately saying - 'yep there is and that's why we all keep coming back' - the staff that is. The ease and flow was palpable and not just in the landscape...it was mirrored in the people working at Adels that we met too. 

So we headed off knowing that we'd experienced a really magical time and found out that for whatever reason the last 4 weeks have been really quiet - so for me that's another bonus as we got to enjoy so much with not many people around us, so not a coincidence !! Just as an aside I should explain the definition of spaths. For Sash a spath is a combo of a spa and a bath, it's also a real word ok  - hence the Mataranka Spaths !! 

Water Lilies at the Billabong, Camooweal

Crossing the Gregory River near Riversleigh Station, QLD

Our first night after Adels was at a Billabong just outside Camooweal. It looked like a nice spot to stay in the Camps 8 book.....hilariously about 50 other vans and campers thought the same !! We still got a nice spot and got some firewood along the way with the $100 chainsaw that did a great job - even Stu was shocked with how well it went!!

Sunset at the Billabong, Camooweal

Painting for the arvo

The kids enjoyed chilling out here, Sash painted and Eva took some pics. Huges and I went for a walk along the Billabong and saw some beautiful pelicans and other birdlife that we were unfamiliar with. It was lovely to have a fire to sit around...we've not had many so far and the wood was heavy and burned beautifully....it seemed sacrilege to put it out before bed!! An early start saw us up ready to set off for a big enough day across the Barkly Tablelands and then north as far as we could get. 

Eva's Sunset Pic

Dinner and a few more of Eva's jokes!! ;) 

Sunrise at the Billabong, Camooweal

A great day of driving with massive expanses of open plains across the Barkly Tablelands. We had breaky at Barkly Homestead which had THE most extensive display of souvenirs so far that we've seen this trip - great fun with 3 kids !! We then kept heading on as far as we could loving up Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban on audio..Stephen Fry is a fabulous narrator!!

We pulled up stumps at Renner Springs Roadhouse with quite a few other vans and camper trailers. It's the simple things that you get back to appreciating....creating something from nothing for dinner with next to no vege or salad (admittedly we did have home grown eye fillet so that was a super start ;) ), a self saucing pudding on the BBQ in an enamel dish with 2 tent pegs aerating underneath so you don't burn the base and then washing up under the stars...simple and fun!

Somewhere near Renner Springs....

Another early morning kick off with a pretty short day only about 380km to Mataranka. The sunrises and sunsets regardless of where we are you never tire of, always so different. We watched a young guy get his chopper fuelled up and sorted, although didn't get to see him take off. We assumed that he was contracting for the APA Pipeline guys to check pipelines in the area.

Sunrise at Renner Springs

Fuelling up the Chopper at Renner Springs

We pulled into Daly Waters Hi Way Inn that a neighbour from home son owns with his wife Kim and 2.7 kids! Fabulous breaky !! We knew that Jack was away and a shame we missed Kimbo too as she was in Katherine with the kids for Mini Cluster school. 

Breaky at the Daly Waters Hi Way Inn - owned by Jack & Kim Harries

Arriving at Bitter Springs Cabins and Camping a bit after midday and got a cracking spot for the next couple of nights. Loving my glamping and it was ssooooo very lovely to throw some washing in a machine and get some fresh clothes happening !! 

A tough campsite - so shady and gorgeous, Mataranka NT 

Glamping at it's best - yes the Doona cover is Esprit...well picked!! :) :)  

Dacquiri Bar & Kitchen 

We all had a lovely dip in the Thermal Springs about a 500m walk down the way from where we are staying - about 34 degrees the water is just divine !! 

Bitter Springs, Mataranka NT

Kids loved up the state of origin tonight...well Eva came back after the first 5 mins claiming it was getting a little loud and rowdy ...such a cracker. Of course the other two held out for the whole match and sadly NSW went down 16 to 18. More hot springs tomorrow and I daresay 'Sir' will set the classroom up too !!