Where the outback meets the tropics, Katherine is the gateway to spectacular Katherine Gorge and Nitmiluk National Park. Sandstone cliffs adorned with rock art line the Katherine River, shaping the traditional country of the Jawoyn people.
Katherine is the gateway to spectacular Katherine Gorge and Nitmiluk National Park, where sandstone cliffs adorned with rock art carve a swathe through the traditional country of the Jawoyn people.
Gateway to nature and adventure
The Katherine region extends from the Gulf of Carpentaria near the Queensland border towards the Kimberley in the west. Base yourself in Katherine to explore the five distinctive areas within this vast region.
Cruise, canoe, bushwalk or fly over magnificent Katherine Gorge in Nitmiluk National Park, soak in Mataranka’s thermal pool and visit the setting of the famous novel We of the Never Never in Elsey National Park.
Land a barramundi in the Daly River region, touch the explorer’s 1856 inscription carved on a boab tree in Gregory National Park or survey the Gulf region’s ‘Lost City’ from the air.
A rich local history
Wander through Katherine’s museums for an insight into its heritage. See the ‘Gypsy Moth’, the original aeroplane flown by the first Royal Flying Doctor. Learn about the region’s World War II, pastoralist, railway and Overland Telegraph Line histories.
Visit Springvale Homestead, the oldest original station homestead in the Territory, which was built in 1879 by Overland Telegraph linesman Alfred Giles. Rest in the shade of four towering South American Rain Trees planted by Giles’ wife.
Explore the region
Follow the winding boardwalk through the limestone Cutta Cutta Caves, or relax in the Katherine Hot Springs 5 minutes’ from town. Listen to a lesson being broadcast out to a classroom spread over 800,000 sq km classroom at the Katherine School of the Air. Or meet local Indigenous artists and purchase their work at the town’s art and craft galleries.
