KATHERINE, N.T.
The fourth largest town in the Northern Territory, Katherine is a regional centre that has retained its importance due to the growth in regional tourism. The town is the place from which to explore the stunning nastural attractions of the region, which include Katherine Gorge, Edith Falls, Cutta Cutta Caves and Douglas Hot Springs.
Location: 340 km south of Darwin; 1,184 km north of Alice Springs.
Origin of name: John McDouall Stuart passed through the area in 1862 on his sixth and successful journey across the continent. On 4th July 1862 he crossed the Katherine River and recorded in his diary: "Came upon another large creek, having a running stream to the south of west and coming from the north of east. This appears to have been named 'Katherine', in honour of the second daughter of James Chambers Esq." Chambers was a South Australian pastoralist who had become obsessed with the idea of an Overland Telegraph link with Europe and had sponsored the first five of Stuart's expeditions. Stuart reciprocated by naming a number of places in the Northern Territory after members of Chambers' family. There is some argument over Stuart's spelling of the name, as Chambers' wife's name was Katherine but, according to most sources, his daughter's name was spelt Catherine.
Brief history: To the local Aborigines Katherine was the place where the traditional lands of the Jawoyan (sometimes spelt Djauan), Walpiri, Dagaman and Wardiman met and consequently the river and the nearby gorge were popular meeting places. As with many towns in the NT, the arrival of the Overland Telegraph Line and the establishment of the Katherine Telegraph Station on 22nd August 1872 played a major role in the town's establishment and development. The first pastoralist in the area, Alfred Giles and Alfred Woods, arrived in June 1879 with 40 men, 2,500 cattle, and 12,000 sheep, and established Springvale station. Giles had been second-in-command with the team who had surveyed the Overland Telegraph Line route and had explored the Top End of the country. In 1917 the railway was extended from Pine Creek to Katherine but the difficulty of building a bridge over the river delayed the opening of the line until January 1926.
Natural features: Katherine River; Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Park (180 352 ha, 32 km north east) - Katherine Gorge Cruise; Katherine Hot Springs; Leliyn (Edith Falls); Umbrawarra Gorge; Cutta Cutta Caves Nature Park (27 km south); Flora River Nature Park; Beswick Falls; Douglas Hot Springs; Low Level Nature Reserve; Kintore Caves
Heritage features: Katherine Railway Station; Katherine Museum; Springvale Homestead (the oldest station homestead in the Territory); Kintore Caves Aboriginal art (15 km north-west)
