Mattaranka
Hot Springs
After having breakfast with the German couple we went our seperate ways – them towards the east coast and me north. Later that day I met a couple Dale and Em from Sheffield at a pie shop in Larrimah. They stayed at the same campsite as I did at the Devils Marbles and were headed for Mattaranka so we decided to stay at the same campsite near the hot springs there.
Preying Mantis
I didn’t arrive until late evening and it was too late to go swimming so just set up camp and had dinner. We were camped on the side of the river and were treated to a feast of wierd nocturnal goings on. First off there were bats diving onto the water of the river, frogs falling out of trees, huge spiders walking about, tiny little fireflies everywhere, and a very curious preying mantis. It refused to go anywhere except on us, so we took some pictures.
The next morning Dale and I went to the springs. They had snorkelling gear so I borrowed a mask and flippers and became one with the fish and turtles in the water. It was brilliant, the water was 34 degrees so it felt fabulous and it was really clear. I’m not the strongest swimmer in the world and I needed help at one point but it was still great fun. When we were done snorkelling we had the mandatory bombing competition. It never gets old 
Whilst I was taking a breather on the bank I heard rustling behind me. There was a snake prowling around just a few feet away, opening its jaws like it was yawning or something. I hadn’t a clue what it was at the time but after looking at a guide book later I’m now pretty sure it was a Taipan, only one of the deadliest snakes on the planet. Thats about as close as I’d like to get.