Renner Springs Desert inn

Word of warning on this place, the goose honks all night and according to the manager it doesn't like kids or women, telling you to stand your ground or else you will get a bite on the butt. This aside it is such a cute little camp ground for caravans & a few tents, cabins also. Has a spring with birdlife, peacocks roaming free. There is a swimming pool but it is icy cold so not for us. You can have a feed or beer at the pub here which has some outback character or you can purchase some fresh home made bread baked daily which I highly recommend. We even had a patch of grass, yay no red dirt in the van.  

Elliot

Not very inviting.  We fueled up at the BP and kept driving on to Renner Springs.

Mataranka homestead

If you want pole position for the Mataranka Thermal pool then the Homestead is the place to stay. You literally walk from the caravan to the thermal pool in minutes.  Each night there is entertainment,  whether it is a singer or a whip cracker. The meals looked ample. The kids played pool with the locals. They have a little store in reception which sells souvenirs,  dresses, tank tops, bait & ice cream. Bring your own pool noodle to float around at the thermal pool as the shop sells out of them. There is no grass areas but you are in the out back so for me it's all part of the experience.  Amenities seem clean but run down and uninviting.  There is wallabies (they mated under our van the first night, sounded like fighting), peacocks, rainbow lorikeets & kites. Just don't feed the wallabies bread as they get a painful disease from it, sliced apples is just fine.

Mataranka Thermal pool

What can I say, Mataranka thermal pool is paradise!  If you want pole position stay at Mataranka Homestead where you can walk down to the thermal pool in a few minutes via the foot path. Highly recommend bringing a pool noodle to float around as you can't touch the bottom for the most part.

Litchfield National Park

Litchfield National Park was our first stop out of Darwin. So glad we decided to visit. We stayed two nights at Litchfield Tourist Park which was a quaint spot, the food was simple but made with love. You could see that there was heart in this place. The girls were even able to feed horses from a neighbouring property in the evening. As we were limited with time we only did the Termite Mounds, Florence Falls & Buley Rock Holes. If you do Florence Falls take the Shady walk it is a beautiful walk, the alternative is 135 steps (steep). Florence falls is beautiful, make sure you have reef shoes or grip shoes as there is plenty of slippery rocks to navigate over before you get to swim. For the girls they loved the Buley Rock holes.  The water is crystal clear and there is a series of rock pools.

Goodbye Darwin

The time has come to leave Darwin. I'm excited for our new journey but also sad to be saying goodbye to family & friends we made along the way. Darwin has been good to us, Akira enjoyed her school.  Brenden got a job at the Caravan Park which was also our home. My kids learnt how to swim at the resort pool. We saw jumping crocs, enjoyed every waterpark (there all free!), did the Crocodylus park & Crocosaurus cove. My favourite is Mindil markets where all the different food outlets, buskers, the fire twirlers, funky fashion stalls and the sunset like no other, makes for paradise in one spot. Brens favourite is the jumping crocs. Ahliyah said her favourite is Crocodylus park and Akira said the adventure.