HOT SPRINGS HEAVEN
About 200km south of Darwin, where the Stuart Highway traffic settles in for the ride to Katherine, a humble road sign points savvy travellers to one of the best natural relaxation havens in the Top End.
What lures the caravanning crowd to Tjuwaliyn (Douglas) Hot Springs lies deep underground: steaming hot springs that bubble to the surface at a red-hot 60 degrees to then mingle with cool fresh water to create utterly rejuvenating spa pools.
This lovely riverside camp is a destination worth detouring to, but on this stretch of blacktop, Tjuwaliyn Hot Springs is just the beginning. Travelling south you can leapfrog to the waterhole camp at stunning Leliyn Falls, and another 40km down the highway, lounge in steaming, pandanus-fringed pools at Katherine’s very own hot springs.
It’s a short, oh-so-relaxing itinerary that’s custom-made for caravanners, with good facilities everywhere you stop and plenty of
