Bitter Springs, Northern Territory 🇦🇺 2025

Date: 13-15th July 2025 

Travelled: 180 kms from Daly Waters to Bitter Springs  

Visited: Bitter Springs  

Stayed: Bitter Springs Camping Ground, $45, S14.91185, E133.08489  

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Daly Waters is still quiet as we pack up for the road. It was a bit of fun but far too noisy for us. It’s a relatively short drive to Mataranka this morning, even stopping for breakfast on the road we arrive two and half hours later.

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Mataranka is a mad house with caravans stopping, turning trying to park and whatever. It’s the last of the school holidays here in the NT, so hopefully it will be a little quieter next week. We drive straight to the toilet drop and do what needs to be done. Thinking we will have a look at Mataranka on our way back we turn for Bitter Springs just a couple of kilometres up the road.

We’ve learnt from experience most of the popular campsites in the NT don’t take bookings, it’s first in best dressed which now we know suites us.

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Bitter Springs camping ground stands just outside the Elsey National Park about 120 kilometres south of Katherine. Once we’ve settled in, we find it’s about a 500m walk to the springs and thermal pool that leads from it. The spring creates a lush tropical woodland and groves of palm trees. This extends around the campground as well.

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Bitter Springs, Martin Road, Elsey, Roper Gulf Region, Northern Territory, Australia

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It gets busy and the earlier you are in the quieter and more relaxing it is. As we are here for three days we make it our early morning routine. The water moves along the stream at a very slow pace, when you get to the end just get out, walk back and do it again.

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We’ve had a very relaxing three days at Bitter Springs near Mataranka but the orange juice is finished and we need a proper supermarket shop, so next stop Katherine.

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Michael + Pam