Katherine

Introducing Katherine

Though it’s the Territory’s third-largest town, there’s a sense that the surrounding subtropics could take it over any minute. Katherine is located on a lush river, and you only have to move a block from the main drag’s takeaways, supermarkets and banks to see the encroaching bush festooned with thousands of flying foxes.

Essentially a large country town, Katherine is the region’s hub, with a population made up of Jawoyn and Dagoman indigenous folks, farmers, and personnel from the nearby Tindal air force base.

Katherine has long been an important stopping point, as its namesake river is the first permanent source of running water north of Alice Springs – that’s about 1200km. The town is a good place to regroup on the long drive north or south, west down the Victoria Hwy to WA or east to Cairns in Queensland. It’s also the gateway to the gaping gorge and sweeping sandstone country of Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Park.

Last updated: Mar 2, 2009