One of our greatest challenges has been the change in weather. In Alice Springs the temperature was about 15 deg during the day with a very cold wind and 0 deg overnight and two days later we are in Mataranka with daytime temperatures of 34 deg and overnights of 19 deg. Not sure yet which is better!! We do have air conditioning so that should solve the problem, but only when we are plugged into power!

Leaving Alice Springs the buitmen road heads north going from one range to the next. They are endless but the scenery is lovely….very different to south of Alice. Small white trunk gum trees are everywhere and when you can see the next horizon from the top of the ranges, it is miles off in the distance.

Small termite hills reach for the sky.

Cattle wonder the ranges and ferral donkeys and horses are roaming around. Most of the photos on this post are taken from the moving car so may not be as clear as I would like.

Large windmills bring water to the stock.

The flies are horrendous.

We stayed overnight at the Devil’s Marbles.

A visit to Daly Waters Pub on the way through was worth the stop. We arrived at about 9:30am so didn’t try the Barra & Beef Burger or have a beer but did have a coffee, which was very good for a ‘help yourself’ machine coffee. The pub is adorned with all sorts of memorabilia.

The drive into Mataranka is very scenic. The gums trees are a different variety and clouds float about – offering a bit of relief from the warm sun.

We are staying here for a couple of days with friends Richard & Helen from Perth at the Bitter Springs Caravan Park. After a couple of long days on the road it was nice to be able to luxuriate in the warm natural thermal springs, a short walk from the caravan park.

Along the nearby Roper River Richard tried his hand at Barra fishing – no luck this time.

Butterflies were plentiful along the banks.

Next stop is Katherine.