Mt Bundy Station; a great stop in the NT
After Mataranka, we had been looking for somewhere to stay, and things to see a bit out of Darwin. Originally, the plan was at Umbrawarra Gorge, or Douglas hot springs, until the very list minute when we stumbled across Mt Bundy Station, and quickly changed our minds.
Where is Mount Bundy?
Mount Bundy Station is right on the Adelaide River, 3km out of Adelaide River itself. There is some pretty decent signage directing you there, so you’ll have no issues getting there. It’s only about 100km away from Darwin too, allowing you lots of options of things to see and do.
What’s it like?
First impressions were fantastic; a beautiful water hole on the way in with buffalo, cows, horses and a pig. The area is well kept, with nice grassy areas and the welcome was great.
We picked an unpowered site, which is anywhere you like along the bottom near the river; lots of grass, plenty of big trees and a short walk to the river.
There’s a great swimming pool, little horses that walk around your campsite along with peacocks and a variety of other native animals. We really enjoyed Mount Bundy; its kind of an informal caravan park with a bar, pizzas cooked and a small shop.
We knew coming in that the amenities weren’t going to be great; a lot of people had made comments about them, and its true; they are pretty old and average. That said, they still do the job and I’m not going to jump up and down about it. We tend to care less about these things than most, and just look for a nice place to stay.
What’s good to see in the area?
There are plenty of great places to check out not far from Mount Bundy Station.
Robin Falls
Only about 15km away from Mount Bundy lies Robin Falls, which is a fantastic place. You can camp right along a beautiful creek, and take the walk into the falls, which is about 500 – 700 metres of relatively flat, but very rocky track.
It meanders along the creek bed, passing lots of little waterfalls until you arrive at the bottom pool, and look up. The falls are pretty tall, and have 2 levels, with a lot of people heading to the middle pool for a swim.
I climbed right to the top, which was a bit of work and had a look around; beautiful views but not much in terms of swimming.
Douglas Hot Springs
Douglas Hot springs are a bit of a drive away from Mount Bundy, but they are a beautiful place, especially for young kids and you can pick the temperature water you want to splash about in.
The water is not very deep; most places would barely be 40 cm deep, but its enough to have a splash around and enjoy yourself. Unfortunately, this is closed at the moment, until further notice.
Butterfly Gorge
We wanted to visit Butterfly gorge, but it was shut. It’s right near Douglas Hot springs, and despite a big gate, some wally in a big Nissan patrol decided to drive around it and continue on. Asides from the track damage that can be done and the massive fines you can get, it just gives 4WD owners a bad reputation.
Umbrawarra Gorge
Traditionally a woman only place for the aboriginals, this place is pretty spectacular. It’s a short, relatively easy walk to the water, and from there, heading into the gorge it becomes much rockier and harder.
The gorge itself is stunning, but we didn’t have enough time or energy to push on as far as I’d have liked.
Should you stay at Mount Bundy?
We really enjoyed our visit to Mount Bundy. It’s got plenty of character, the camping area was lovely and we’d go back again with no issues at all.
Have you been to Mount Bundy? What did you think of it?
