Katherine Region

While its star attraction is undoubtedly the famous Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge), Katherine and its surrounds include great fishing, hidden natural wonders and a rich indigenous and pioneering history. The region stretches from the Gulf of Carpentaria to the West Australian border. Around 300 kilometres south of Darwin, Katherine is set on the banks of the Katherine River. 

Katherine was named by explorer John McDouall Stuart in the late 1800s after the daughter of one of his expedition sponsors. The area was renamed 'Nitmiluk' - meaning 'cicada place' - in 1989 when traditional owners, the Jawoyn Aboriginal people, gained title to the land.

The Katherine River flows through 13 separate gorges that carve their way through the Arnhem Land Plateau. You can canoe, cruise and swim between sheer cliffs to the sandy freshwater beaches of the main gorges, and view ancient Aboriginal rock paintings high on the rock faces. Waterfalls and rock pools are found along over 100 kilometres of walking tracks, beginning at the park’s visitor centre. 

Katherine offers a wide range of accommodation, facilities and attractions, including museums, art galleries, character-filled pubs and historic sites. Other attractions within easy reach of the town include the Cutta Cutta Caves Nature Park, the Katherine Hot Springs and Leliyn (Edith Falls).

Must do:

• Relax by the natural spring-fed crystal clear pool of the Katherine Hot Springs set in picturesque surroundings with lush green lawns, shady paperbarks and pandanas trees.

• Cutta Cutta Caves are located about 10 minutes drive from town, the cave is a series of limestone caverns dating back 500 million years featuring sparkling columns, pillars and flowstones of calcite crystal.

• Take a cruise or canoe along the magnificent Katherine Gorge (Nitmiluk), and be dwarfed by the towering glowing cliffs of the gorge.

• Just 8 kilometres south of Katherine is Springvale Homestead, the oldest original homestead in the Territory, was built in 1879 by Alfred Giles the former Overland Telegraph linesman.  

The Jatbula Trail Walking Track

Nitmiluk National Park is home to one of the most popular and challenging walks in the Top End. The famous Jatbula Trail is a 58 kilometre track traversing a variety of landscapes from hot sandstone escarpment to wet paperbark forests and features waterfalls, cultural sites and deep sandstone gorges. 

The Jatbula Trail commences at Katherine Gorge and culminates at Edith Falls, following the Edith Escarpment overlooking the Seventeen Mile Valley. Winding up and down through ever-changing environments and over undulating terrain, it takes around five days to fully experience the Jatbula Trail. 

There are designated campsites at Biddlecombe Falls, Crystal Falls, 17 Mile Falls, Edith River Crossing, Sandy Camp Pool and Sweetwater Pool, each with natural swimming holes, waterfalls or wide rivers in which to cool off. Ideally, walkers should trek from first light until about 2.00pm, spending the remainder of the afternoon relaxing by a waterfall, swimming in a crystal clear waterhole or just gazing at the beautiful colours of the sheer sandstone cliffs in the afternoon light. 
A highlight of the Jatbula Trail is about halfway along the track; the Amphitheatre is a butterfly-filled lush pocket of rainforest featuring Aboriginal rock art. 
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Katherine Visitor Information Centre

The centre is located at the southern end of the town at the corner of the Stuart Highway and Lindsay Street. Friendly staff are there to assist with your tours, travel enquiries and accommodation. Free booklets and brochures on the Territory, plus road condition information are readily available. Call into the Visitor Centre for information or Freecall 1800 653 142. 

Katherine Hot Springs

Open daily subject to weather conditions. Free entry. Take a refreshing dip in Katherine Hot Springs. These natural thermal springs are located just five minutes from the centre of town on the banks of the Katherine River. Relax and enjoy the pools at a constant idyllic temperature of 32ºC, and, with surrounding grassy banks and shade trees, the ideal  spot for a pleasant picnic. Access is from the Victoria Highway or Riverbank Drive. Wheelchair access is available, contact 1800 653 142 for access code. 
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Leliyn (Edith Falls)

Open daily – subject to weather conditions.  Free entry. Located on the western boundary of Nitmiluk National Park (Katherine Gorge), the paperbark and pandanus fringed natural pool at the base of the falls is safe for swimming throughout most of the year. The area is also great for bushwalking. Leliyn (Edith Falls) is the finishing point of the 66 kilometre Jatbula Trail walking track, which begins at Nitmiluk National Park (Katherine Gorge) headquarters. 
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Nitmiluk National Park (Katherine Gorge)

Just 32 kms from the town centre, the gorge system is the major natural attraction in the area - a visitor’s delight - 180,000 hectares of natural wonder. There are 13 gorges in the system, carved out of the rock by torrential summer rains over millenia. Five of the gorges are readily accessible by organised tour and boat cruise, alternatively the visitor can hire a canoe, or take a trek.

Commercially operated two, four and eight hour cruises are available, and the recently introduced breakfast and sunset dinner cruises have proved a popular attraction.  Helicopter scenic flights are also available.

Within the gorge system are many fine examples of Aboriginal rock paintings many thousands of years old. These art sites are amongst the most popular attractions of Nitmiluk National Park.

The Nitmiluk Gorge / Katherine River was the cultural and spiritual foundation for the first inhabitants of the area, the Jawoyn and Dagomen people, providing for food and water and for both spiritual and recreational needs.

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Nitmiluk Visitor Centre

The Visitor Centre is located at Katherine Gorge (Nitmiluk). Information displays explain the geology, landscape and Aboriginal history of the national park.

Informative staff are there to help you with tour enquiries and  information. Parks and Wildlife rangers are also available to assist with your enquiries about walks and camping. The Centre has toilet facilities, souvenir shop, café, and also features an activity playground for children. The dining area, on the deck overlooking the Katherine River, is the ideal spot to relax, enjoy a meal or just savour a cooling drink and take in the glorious sunset. 

Katherine School of The Air

Gorge Road, Katherine. Open Monday to Friday from April to December. Entry fee applies. Katherine School of the Air (KSA),a distance education school, broadcasting to students for the past 35 years over an area of some 800,000 sq kms of the Northern Territory. Curriculum materials are delivered to the students via radio, telephone, and the internet where lessons are conducted online in a virtual classroom. 
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Katherine Outback Heritage Museum

Open daily March to October; open Monday to Saturday November to February. Entry fee applies. The Katherine Outback Heritage Museum, was originally constructed as an air terminal during World War II, and now contains an eclectic collection of artifacts, photographs, maps and pioneer memorabilia in an informative museum. Outdoor and undercover exhibits illustrate a rich heritage of ingenuity in rural machinery and household equipment. 
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Springvale Homestead

Open daily. Free entry. Springvale Homestead, near Katherine, is the oldest original homestead in the Northern Territory. The station was established in 1878 and managed by Alfred Giles, the ex Overland Telegraph linesman. The homestead displays many photographs and information on the early history of the property. 
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Katherine Low Level Nature Reserve

The Reserve, located 5 kms from town, is a popular swimming, picnic and fishing area for both locals and visitors to the town. The Katherine River flows over rock bars just below the weir and the Low Level Bridge making pleasant rapids and shallow swimming areas. The surrounding  river banks, with their tall paperbark trees, make for excellent picnic spots. Nearby is a grassed picnic area with gas BBQs, picnic tables, toilets and play facilities. You’ll also witness the extensive variety of birdlife and the ceaseless chatter from the colonies of flying foxes in the trees that line the river bank. 

Cutta Cutta Caves

Open daily from 8.30am to 4.30pm subject to weather conditions. Entry fee applies.Cutta Cutta Caves Nature Park covers 1499 hectares of karst limestone landscape and caves. Guided tours of the cave system are conducted throughout the day. The Jawoyn Aboriginal people have a long association with this area, and evidence of their culture can be found throughout the Park. 
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Katherine Community Market

Enjoy breakfast in the Park every Saturday at the Katherine Community Market. Purchase fresh farm produce, local food and drinks, art and craft and enjoy entertainment at Ryan Park. Located on the corner of the Stuart Highway and Victoria Highway, Katherine. More information visit www.katherinemarkets.com.au.

Parks and Reserves