Heading south again after a couple of days at Edith Falls, we drove to
Bitter Springs &
Mataranka - the home of the true story written by Jeanie Gunn and the subsequent movie - "We of the Never Never". We booked into the caravan park at Bitter Springs where the manager gave us a copy of the famous local story.
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Campsite at Bitter Springs
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Bitter Springs
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Bitter Springs Thermal Pools
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The Bitter Springs thermal pools/creek are quite fast-flowing and the caravan parks hires out the foam noodles so that guest can float down the creek exiting near the bridge. There are steps down into the water so there is easy access to the springs.
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Steps into the Thermal Pools
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Bitter Springs Thermal Pools
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In the afternoon we drove to the Mataranka to discover the story of Jeannie Gunn. She was from Melbourne where she met & married her husband,
Aeneas. She travelled with him when he took up a position as manager at Elsey Station, Mataranka. She was the first white woman to settle in the area in 1902. She wrote the book
We of the Never, Never which was the story of her experience settling in such a remote aboriginal area and the stockmen and transient travellers that she met. It was later made into a movie of the same name.
There are several statues in the park showing the various people in the above story.
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Aeneas & Jeannie Gunn
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Bett Bett - the little aboriginal girl who she befriended
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| Terry inspecting the statue of Bett Bett |
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Cheon - their Chinese cook
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Linnie admiring the statue of Cheon the Chinese cook
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The replica of the Gunn's homestead that was built for the movie
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Terry taking a dip at the Mataranka Thermal Pool
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