Mataranka Hot Springs, NT: Thermal Pool, Bitter Springs & crocodiles?

The Mataranka Hot Springs in the Northern Territory incorporate the Mataranka Thermal Pool and Bitter Springs swimming holes. Entry is free, and crocodiles are rare.

The Mataranka Hot Springs are one of the most fun places you can stop on the long drive from Darwin to Alice Springs. They’re in Elsey National Park near the Northern Territory village of Mataranka – and there’s more than one thermal pool to swim in.

How hot is Mataranka Thermal Pool?

The name ‘Mataranka Hot Springs’ usually refers to the Mataranka Thermal Pool, which is right next to the Mataranka Homestead. This pool is fed by a spring, and has a constant temperature of 34 degrees Celsius. This isn’t exactly refreshing in the tropical Northern Territory heat, but it’s an undeniably beautiful spot for a swim. The Mataranka Thermal Pool is surrounded by paperbarks, fan palms and pandanus trees.

This section of the Mataranka Hot Springs is sculpted somewhat for visitors, and there are steps into the pool.

Mataranka Thermal Pool in Mataranka, Northern Territory. Photo courtesy of Tourism NT/Natalie Sum.

Mataranka Hot Springs entry fee

There’s no entry fee for the Mataranka Thermal Pool, and it’s a 500 metre walk from the car park.

For the other section of the Mataranka Hot Springs, you have to go back down the Homestead Road, back on to the Stuart Highway, then take the next turning east along Martin Road.

Bitter Springs, Mataranka

Bitter Springs isn’t quite as developed as its cousin. The pools, however, are deeper and a tiny big cooler. The water at Bitter Springs is naturally heated to a constant 33 degrees Celsius.

Again, it’s a 500 metre walk from the car park and there is no entrance fee.

Crocodiles at Mataranka Hot Springs

One thing you have to be aware of in this part of the Northern Territory is crocodiles. So, are there crocodiles at the Mataranka Hot Springs? Well, yes and no… There are certainly crocodiles elsewhere in Elsey National Park, which is based around the rather croccy Roper River. Signs warn against swimming in waterholes elsewhere in the park.

The Mataranka Thermal Pool and Bitter Springs are a little bit away from the river, however. Crocodiles do occasionally make it there, but both sites are carefully monitored, and closed if a croc is spotted.

Moreover, the crocodiles that do make it to the Mataranka Hot Springs are very rarely the big saltwater crocodiles that kill one or two people per year in Australia. It’s usually the far less dangerous freshwater crocodiles.