We headed South from Darwin a couple of hours where we would find ourselves setting up camp in the township of Katherine. Katherine is steeped with traditional history and is synonymous with the Australian outback. We stayed at the Big 4 caravan park where we got in trouble for doing 10km per hour in a 5km zone (the little things). None the less for the price of the park $44, I would not recommend a stay unless it was a necessity. Katherine township has all the necessities and is probably the last proper chance to stock up essential supplies such as sufficient food products.
About 20 minutes from Katherine is the Katherine gorge, it is sign posted all the way in and is very accommodating for larger vehicles. The information centre is where you head for info on river cruises and other relevant topics such as hiking tracks. The gorge itself is a maze of faults in the earths crust, which all run straight lines, making for a beautiful natural feature(s). We took a two gorge river cruise, it cost us $140 for the whole family. The guide was very knowledgeable and gave enough time for all members on the cruise to take photos and conduct the 600m walk between gorges. The outback is certainly a harsh land and your guide reiterates this and explains techniques on how indigenous people overcome these difficulties. one that intrigued us was a native plant that took the oxygen out of the water, knocking out the the fish. The Aboriginal would then take sufficient food and then tell their Pikininis to jump back in the water to replenish oxygen and give the remaining fish consciousness again.
Score Katherine 61/ 100
Score Katherine Gorge 74/ 100
Tip – bring appropriate footwear for the gorge. ensure you get enough food to last you to the next proper township
