Its price tag of about $400,000 came in for a lot of criticism, as did the planned steel construction given Katherine's hot weather.

There were still many supporters for this centrepiece of stage two of the Katherine Springs upgrade despite the long delays to the work.

Many thought children would enjoy playing around the structure when it is installed and the entire project is finally finished later this year.

Shade, shade and more shad were the keys to a successful turtle according to many readers.

Dave Travers says on our Facebook page what is another $400k on top of the already $3 million already spent on the hot springs. "Hopefully they put a White Elephant in the play area, as an impression of what it really looks like."

Mandy Edge Tootell urged the council to consider lots of shade. "The best way to mitigate erosion is with roots from trees."

"Softfall gets scorching hot in the sun, and holds the heat once in shade. I hope it is under cover at all times," says Fiona Nicholls.

Kaz Randall fears the unique natural aspect of the hot springs have already gone and is dismayed they are to be replaced with a "McDonalds playground".

Casey Bishop worries local people are bit too quick to criticise but also has a word to say about the need for lots of shade.

"How about spending the money on upgrading the town's main pool," commented Toni Watts.

Keelin F. Smyth had plenty of support for this comment: "This is so ugly. Why ruin such a beautiful spot."

Some of the readers wanted more clarify on the timeline, hoping the turtle doesn't further delay the finishing time for the hot springs.

They were particularly concerned the finishing time might intrude on the busier tourist time of this year when the dry season returns.

"It should look great when it is finally finished," Jen Blensdale said.

While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox each Friday at 6am from the Katherine Times. To make sure you're up to date with all the news, sign up here.