Katherine

Katherine Facts and Figures

The town of Katherine is located about 300 km south Darwin and 1200 km north of Alice Springs. It has a population of over 9,000 and is the third largest town in the Northern Territory. Katherine is situated on the banks of the Katherine River, far enough from the coast to avoid the humidity of the tropics but also far enough north not to be surrounded by arid lands. Katherine has a annual rainfall of 960 mm most of which falls between November and March, during the northern wet season.

The Municipality of Katherine covers a total area of 528 square kilometres and offers a range of swimming, fishing and recreational activities. The Katherine Region covers some 336,674 square kilometres, or almost the size of the Australian State of Victoria. The total population of the Katherine region is just over 17,000, of which 29% identify as indigenous.

Because of its location, Katherine is sometimes called the 'Crossroads of the North'. Today it is a thriving regional centre offering a wide range of services to communities from the Western Australian border to the Gulf of Carpentaria on the Queensland border. There is a modern airconditioned shopping centre, hospital, sportsgrounds, parks and gardens as well as a large number of Commonwealth and Northern Territory Government services.

Katherine Features

Katherine Gorge
The most popular tourist attraction in the Katherine area is the 2,920 square kilometre Nitmiluk National Park, also known as Katherine Gorge. Located 30km north east of Katherine, the spectacular Katherine Gorge is actually made up of 13 sandstone gorges.

Cutta Cutta Cave Nature Park
27 km to the south of Katherine is the Cutta Cutta Cave Nature Park, covering an area of 1500 hectares. The whole area around Katherine is characterised by limestone formations containing large numbers of caves. Thermal springs (at Mataranka and Douglas Hot Springs) bubble to the surface in many locations in the Katherine region.

Katherine Railway Station
Katherine Railway Station. The historical Katherine railway station, the only one on the Darwin to Katherine line built out of concrete, is operated by the National Trust. It is open Monday to Friday from 11 AM to 1 PM.

Katherine Museum
The Katherine Museum is located 3 km out of Katherine on the Katherine Gorge Road. It has a good range of exhibits including material on the Overland Telegraph Line, the Chinese in the Northern Territory, and detailed history of the changes to Katherine from the first settlement at Knots Crossing to the building of 'The Katherine', to the modern settlement. The Katherine museum also publishes a range of publications on aspects of local history including a booklet on the origin of the street names in Katherine and a fascinating account of Russian Peanut Farming at Katherine 1929-1960.

Springvale Homestead
Springvale Homestead in Katherine is the oldest station homestead in the Northern Territory. Today it is within the Springvale Homestead Tourist Park and can be visited and inspected.