Deep within Elsey National Park at Mataranka, Northern Territory, Bitter Springs is a long channel of turquoise water winding through pandanus and palms, fed by an underground spring discharging roughly 30.5 million litres a day. Water temperature stays steady around 34°C year-round.
The local ritual, now something of an institution, is to walk upstream along the wooden boardwalk before slipping in and floating gently for about 200 metres back to the exit ladder. The site, equipped with picnic areas for a relaxed day out, also owes some of its fame to the Australian novel 'We of the Never Never', which put the Mataranka region on the map far beyond the Northern Territory.
Insider tip — Bitter Springs near Mataranka in the Northern Territory flows from artesian limestone aquifers at a constant 35°C through a crystal-clear palm-fringed channel in Elsey National Park. The calcium-carbonate water gives it a striking turquoise clarity, and the slow current allows a dreamy drift through pandanus palms and paperbark trees. Unlike the more-visited Mataranka Thermal Pool nearby, Bitter Springs sees fewer crowds and rewards visitors with a more immersive bush swimming experience. Freshwater crocodiles share the waterway but are harmless to swimmers; watch for them basking on the banks.
