The Top End - Australia 2004 - page 412

Kakadu Hwy. (50km/31 miles south of Bowali Visitor Centre), Jim Jim, NT 0886. & 1800/500 401 in Aus-
tralia, 800/835-7742 in the U.S. and Canada, 0800/897 121 in the U.K., 1800/553 155 in Ireland, 0800/801
111 in New Zealand, or 08/8979 0145. Fax [phone]. www.sphc.com.au. 48 lodge units (all with shower
only), 24 budget rooms (none with bathroom), 80 powered and 300 unpowered campsites. Lodge room
A$198 (US$129) double. Extra person A$28 (US$18); children under 14 stay free. Budget room A$31 (US$20)
per bed. A$13 (US$8.45) per adult, powered campsite; A$10 (US$6.50) per adult, unpowered campsite. Chil-
dren under 14 stay free in campsite. Rates in bungalows and budget rooms are often reduced in the wet sea-
son. AE, DC, MC, V. Amenities: Small outdoor pool; tour desk; babysitting; coin-op laundry. In room (lodge
rooms only): A/C and ceiling fans, TV, fridge, coffeemaker, hair dryers (on request), iron, free cots and rollaway
beds.
4 Katherine
314km (195 miles) S of Darwin; 512km (317 miles) E of Kununurra; 1,177km (730 miles) N of Alice Springs
The key draw to the farming town of Katherine (pop. 11,000) is Katherine (Nit-
miluk) Gorge. It's small by the standards of, say, the Grand Canyon, but its dra-
matic sheer orange walls dropping to a blue-green river make it an unexpected
delight in the middle of the dry Arnhemland plateau that stretches to the horizon.
The gorge and its surrounding river ecosystem are located in the 292,008-
hectare (721,260-acre) Nitmiluk National Park. In the Dry, the gorge is a
haven not just for cruisers but for canoeists, who must dodge the odd “friendly”
freshwater crocodile as they paddle between its walls. In the Wet, the gorge can
become a torrent at times, and jet boating is sometimes the only way to tackle
it. Hikers will find trails any time of year throughout the park. Farther afield are
hot springs, water holes, uncrowded rivers to canoe, and Aboriginal communi-
ties where visitors can make dot paintings and find bush tucker.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE Airnorth ( & 1800/627 474 in Australia, or 08/8920
4000) flies from Darwin, and from Alice Springs via Tennant Creek.
McCafferty's ( & 13 14 99 in Australia) and Greyhound Pioneer ( & 13 20
30 in Australia) stop in Katherine on their Darwin-Alice Springs routes, which
both companies run twice a day. It's about a 4 1 ⁄ 2 -hour trip from Darwin, costing
A$52 (US$34); from Alice it's about a 15-hour journey for which the fare is
A$179 (US$116). Greyhound also calls daily from Broome via Kununurra; a
journey of about 19 hours costs A$226 (US$147).
Beginning in early 2004, visitors to Katherine can hop aboard The Ghan (see
“Getting Around” in chapter 2) in Adelaide or Alice Springs and hop off in
Katherine. The train leaves Adelaide on Sundays at 5:15pm and Alice Springs
on Mondays at 4pm. The trip from Alice takes about 16 hours and costs A$480
(US$312) for a “day-nighter” seat or A$1,760 to A$2,200 (US$1,144-
US$1,430) for a sleeper. Contact Great Southern Railways ( & 13 21 47 in
Australia; www.trainways.com.au) for details on connections from Sydney and
Melbourne.
Katherine is on the Stuart Highway, which links Darwin and Alice Springs.
From Alice Springs, allow a good 2 days to make the drive. The Victoria High-
way links Katherine with Kununurra to the west. There is no direct route from
the east; from, say, Cairns, you need to go via Townsville, Mt. Isa, and Tennant
Creek, a long and dull journey.
VISITOR INFORMATION The Katherine Visitor Information Centre,
Lindsay Street at Katherine Terrace, Katherine, NT 0850 ( & 1800/653 142 or
08/8972 2650; www.krta.com.au), has information on things to see—not only