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Have started running again! First run since I sprained my ankle in Melbourne. Pathetic, hey! But at least I finally started again. And in this awful heat too. Must be the fact that I’m having to bare my body in togs again. First run was Sunday morning. Did 4.8km pretty much continuously, with only one break half way for a minute or so of walking. Then ran 5km yesterday morning. Very happy that my cardio ability has not declined too much. Just my legs feeling it. Every muscle.

After leaving the magnificent Devil’s Marbles, we spent a night at a very crowded rest area on the highway near Newcastle Waters. It was around this area that the dry red centre meets the wet top end. The landscape started to change when we drove north the next day.

Next stop was at Elsey National Park campground at Mataranka. A great national park campground with hot showers! Given that we hadn’t had showers for 2 days in the boiling heat, it was a real luxury. We checked out the thermal pools at Mataranka homestead the first day. Then Bitter Springs the second. Then swam in the Roper River over some rapids on the day we left. The pools were 34C, which any place else would feel hot, but given the outside temp has been hovering at 40C, they felt nice and cool. The boys have been swimming their hearts out and absolutely loving it.

Even here at Katherine, our caravan park is right near the town’s hot springs, which Sean and the boys checked out last night while I cooked dinner. A yummy mushroom risotto. Back into beer country now. Found Barefoot Radler on special so bought a case. Very happy!

One quick last note before boys tear each other apart… visited the Cutta Cutta Caves on way to Katherine yesterday. Really pretty. Because the cave dries up in the dry season, the stalagmites and stalactites all crystallise and the effect is spectacular. They look like they are covered in tiny diamonds and sparkle like diamonte necklaces. Something really special.

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