You know, I can't even remember why I chose this place, but I'm glad I did. The van park is a short walk from Bitter Springs in Elsey National Park. The spring is a 150m long course of beautifully clear water that's 32°. You hire a noodle from reception for a dollar and just float slowly from one end to the other, with the gentle current, under the shade of the pandanus trees. We did this for hours. The van park is good with plenty of space and lots of trees and water.

Mataranka is a tiny little dusty town with a few shops and servos. The park has a model of a giant termite mound and some rudimentary statues of local celebrities including Jeanie Gunn (author of "We of the Never Never" who lived here).

I was reminded of just how great the stars look when you're out of town away from the lights. The moon was not up so the Milky Way was really obvious and the Southern Cross shone out. Tried out my new binoculars for the first time - you can see millions of stars more with a bit of magnification - it's awesome. I got out my camera and tripod and took photos of the stars. It took me a bit of practice but I got a reasonable image after a few tries. Might try this again tomorrow night.