The Town of Katherine

On the shores of the Katherine River is nestled the town of Katherine, the third largest town in the Australian Outback with a population of just under 8000. For thousands of years, the Jawoyn people have found this area to be a rich and vibrant food source. The area was settled in 1878 with the arrival of Alfred Giles, a cattle rancher. In 1884, Gilles built his homestead, which stands to this day on the banks of the Katherine River to this day. Conducted tours out to the homestead are available. While there are many multi-day tours that start in Darwin and stop for a visit in Katherine, it is worth your time to visit Katherine for several days to visit the surrounding area. The stunning Outback landscapes will pull you back time and time again.

The wild beauty of the Nitmiluk National Park will captivate you. The crown jewel of the park is the 50 km Katherine Gorge. With its deep gorges carved into the red sandstone over the past 1.6 million years, Katherine Gorge is best explored on a Jawoyn guided boat tour. If you are truly an adventurer, you can rent canoes for a self-guided exploration.

To the west of Nitmiluk National Park is the idyllic Edith Falls. At the base of the falls, enjoy a dip in the pandanus ad paperbark fringed natural pool. Leliyn Trail will take you on a challenging walk that is physically demanding. Although the trail is only 2.6 km, the walk is rather steep and rocky but absolutely worth the exertion. Edith Falls marks the end of the Jatbula Trail, a 58 km trail that starts at the Katherine Gorge headquarters. Easy vehicle access is available to those that prefer not to hike 58 km. There is camping at Edith Falls so you need not rush to see the sights.

Just 27 km south of Katherine are the Cutta Cutta Caves Nature Park. A colony of rare orange horseshoe bat and ghost bats, an endangered species, call these caves home. Although there are guided tours, the tours do not venture into the areas that the bats inhabit so that they won’t be disturbed. As opposed to the temperate caves of Southern Australia that are not occupied by animals, the Cutta Cutta caves are tropical caves inhabited by animals.

As with many of the Australian Outback attractions, your breath will be stolen by the incredible beauty of the natural environment. There are the parks, the caves, thermal springs, plateaus, wildlife, and more…so much more…to do and see in the Katherine area.