"Katherine But Not the Gorge" Top 5 Page for this destination Katherine by AlbuqRay

Katherine Travel Guide: 72 reviews and 324 photos

When I was going south from Darwin to Alice Springs on the Greyhound Croc Stopover tour (5 Aug 2010), I had a bad experience with Nitmiluk Tours and had to miss seeing the Katherine Gorge. When Zig (1+1) and I went through Katherine on 26 Aug 2010 on our way back to Darwin, we did not have time to go out to the Gorge. We did make a couple of stops in Katherine itself that were quite nice. One was the Low level Nature Park (see also my Things to Do tips here). The Wikitravel Katherine Travel Guide details many things to see and do in the Katherine area.

Memorial to Men & Women of the Outback

The Stuart Highway turns to the west just before you get to Katherine. On the east side of Katherine near the Visitors' Information Center is a Memorial to the Men and Women of the Outback. It is definitely worth a stop (see my Things to Do tip here).

Flying-Foxes

Besides the historic Low Level Bridge, another thing to see at the Low Level Nature Park is the flying-foxes, the largest bats in the world. They looked black to me, so maybe they are that species. They were actually quite noisy and I realized that when I had gone to the Mataranka Thermal Pool, there were no flying-foxes around at the time or I would have heard them. See also my Things to Do tip here and a videoclip.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Low Level Nature Park is a beautiful spot
Cons:Nitmiluk Tours would not pick me up when bus was 40 min late
In a nutshell:Need to go back and spend time in Katherine area

Last visit to Katherine: Aug 2010
Intro Updated Aug 24, 2012
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Reviews (10)

Stuart Highway Bridge Over Ghan Tracks - Katherine

Stuart Highway and The Ghan Rail Line Off The Beaten Path (1)

Originally, Katherine was connected to Darwin via the North Australia Railway, a narrow gauge railway which was... more travel advice

Behind Katherine Transit Center When We Arrived - Katherine

Nitmiluk Tours Failed and Did Not Care Things to Do (8)

Before my trip to the 2010 VT Meet and Survivor Camp in 2010, I decided to fly into Darwin and use the Greyhound Croc... more travel advice

Katherine River West of Low Level Bridge - Katherine

West End of Low Level Nature Park Things to Do (8)

The west end of the Low Level Nature Park is the less developed and less crowded part of the Park. There was a shallow... more travel advice

Katherine Low Level Bridge Things to Do (8)

The Katherine Low Level Bridge was built across the Katherine River during World War II when it was part of the Stuart... more travel advice

Transportation (1)
Katherine Greyhound Bus Station

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Comments (1)

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CatherineReichardt Aug 21, 2012 at 11:44 AM

Hi Ray
What a disappointing tale and a sad example of the Aussie 'jobsworth attitude'. Unfortunately Oz (where I lived and worked for a number of years) is great when everything's going to plan, but when something unforeseen happens - as in this case - service providers can be disappointingly inflexible, which only adds to the woes of the consumer.
Hope you had a good time in Katherine anyway: I loved spending time there, and I still recall the squabbling flying fox colonies with great affection.
Regards
Cathy