KATHERINE, NORTHERN TERRITORY

'Katherine' () is a town situated 320 km southeast of Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is the third largest settlement in the territory after the capital Darwin and Alice Springs. At the 2001 census, Katherine had a population of 6,488.^[1]
Set in promising grazing and future agricultural country, the town's main economic source has often been gold, but this has lessened after the closing of the mine at Mt Todd. There is increasing tourism and the RAAF Base Tindal 17 km southeast of town is also contributing to the economy. The town has several churches, sporting clubs, parks, a well kept golf course, and a showground.
The spectacular Katherine Gorge in the Nitmiluk National Park near the town has many ancient rock paintings. These often become flooded during "the wet season" as the river can rise 18 m in the narrow passage. In a particularly wet season, the paintings higher up can become flooded, damaging these ancient treasures.
The town was given its name after the daughter of one of the sponsors of John McDouall Stuart who first saw the area in 1862. The original inhabitants of the area belong to the Jawoyn, Dagoman and Wardaman language groups.
A narrow gauge railway south from Darwin to Katherine was completed in 1926. It fell into disuse. In 2003 the line was replaced with standard gauge as part of extending the line to Alice Springs north to Darwin. Katherine is now the only stop of The Ghan between Alice Springs and Darwin.

Contents

Geography and climate

Topography and climate

Districts

Built environment

Parks and gardens

History

Early city

Flooding

Indigenous History

Modern city

Government

Local government

National government

Economy

Demographics

Transport

Rail

Air

Road

Society and culture

Katherine High School

Leisure and entertainment

Literature and film

Music

Sport

Floods

References

External links

Geography and climate

Topography and climate

Katherine is situated on the banks of the Katherine River, which rises in the Arnhem Land escarpment to the
north. The topography of the region is predominantly tropical savanna woodland and rocky escarpment country.
Katherine is located 320 km south of Darwin and has a
sub-tropical climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. The
annual rainfall is 1040mm and average temperatures range from 25° – 35° C, reaching 40C and very high humidity at
times during November and December.

'Climate Table'

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum temperature (°C)	35	34.3	34.5	34	32.1	30	30.1	32.5	35.4	37.7	38	36.5	24.2
Mean daily minimum temperature (°C)	24	23.7	22.9	20.4	17.1	14.1	13.2	15.5	19.6	23.6	24.7	24.4	20.2
Mean total rainfall (mm)	235	216.5	161.3	32.9	5.7	2.1	1	0.5	5.9	29.2	88.2	197.7	976.1
Highest daily rain (mm)	233.7	229.1	152	102.6	61.7	32.8	33.8	15.5	90.9	80.3	121.7	228	233.7
'Source:'Bureau of Meteorology

Low elevation and frequent rainfall, as well as the town's situation on the banks of a river, means that the area is prone to flooding. A flood on Australia Day in 1998 was particularly destructive — Cyclone Les produced between 300 and 400 millimetres of rainfall during a 48 hour period, causing the Katherine River to rise to 21.3 metres^[2].

Districts

The central business district of Katherine is set 350 metres from the banks of the Katherine River. The township services the other regional centres of Pine Creek, Mataranka, Borooloola, Douglas Daly, Daly River and Timber Creek.
The RAAF Tindal Base is located 17 km from Katherine and plays a significant part in the local economy. Tindal Airbase officially opened on 1 October 1988.

Built environment

Springvale Homestead, built in 1879, is the oldest original homestead in the Northern Territory. The homestead was originally managed by Alfred Giles, an ex-Overland Telegraph linesman, but is now open to visitors. The Old Katherine Railway Station is another historic attraction that served Vestey’s Meatworks during their operation in Darwin and was a major hub of transport during World War II.
Another historic site is the O’Keeffe Residence. Originally built as a recreation hut in 1943 for army officers during the Second World War, it is a good example of local construction practice, using local materials like Cypress pine and corrugated iron.
Since the establishment of Nitmiluk National Park, Katherine has developed into a tourism destination. Katherine Gorge in Nitmiluk National Park attracts large numbers of visitors each year (232,000 in 2004-05).^[3] The town is well-equipped with a shopping centre and other modern conveniences and services.

Parks and gardens

Katherine town and surrounds provide plenty of park and garden areas. Dakota Park, Giles Park, Jukes Park and O’Shea Park are in the town. Tourist attractions include Nitmiluk National Park and Katherine Hot Springs. Along Riverbank Drive on the Katherine River, Katherine Hot Springs provide swimming, shaded picnic tables and BBQ facilities.

History

Early city

The town has had several locations since its settlement by John McDouall Stuart and the present site was gazetted on 15 July 1926. The original post office and the Overland Telegraph station were set just above Knott’s Crossing and next to the Sportsman’s Arms Hotel that had quarters for the station master at the Overland Telegraph station and a single room police station.


The Katherine River, after which the town and the nearby gorge are named, was named by John McDouall Stuart
when he passed through the area in 1862 on his sixth successful journey across the continent. On 4 July 1862 Stuart
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 I have named 'Katherine', in honour of the second daughter of
James Chambers Esq.'


There is some conjecture over Stuart's accuracy. Chambers' wife's name was Katherine but, according to most sources, his daughter's name was Catherine. The next stage of development of Katherine was the establishment of the Katherine Telegraph Station on 22 August 1872 and the completion of the Overland Telegraph Line later in 1872. It wasn’t until 1923 that construction began on the Katherine railway bridge and in 1926 the bridge was completed. All shops were then moved to the opposite side of the river, where the town of Katherine now sits. The first train crossed the bridge on 21 January 1926.
Construction began on a new rail line in July 2001. On 13 September 2003, the line was finished and there was a continuous track from Adelaide to Darwin. The Ghan passenger train commenced on 4 February 2004 and runs several times a week. It stops in Katherine on both the northbound and southbound journeys.
Dr Clyde Fenton of Katherine became one of the first Flying Doctors in Australia when he raised £500 to buy a plane for his medical run. He soon earned himself the name of 'Speed Gordon of the Territory Skies'. On 22 March 1942, Katherine sustained its only air raid during World War II. One man was killed when a Japanese aircraft bombed the town.

Flooding

The town of Katherine has a history of flooding with documented accounts in 1957, 1974 and the 1998 Australia Day flood. The 1998 flood devastated the town and the area was declared a National Disaster. The flood was as a result of the 300-400 mm of rainwater brought by Cyclone Les that brought the already full Katherine River up an additional 21.3 metres. The floodwaters inundated the town and much of the surrounding region requiring the evacuation of many residents.
Katherine suffered another serious flood in April 2006 with the floodwaters peaking at 19 metres. Damage, however was not extensive and the town quickly recovered.

Indigenous History

Katherine was an important meeting place to the local Aboriginal people. It was the point
where the traditional lands of the Jawoyan (sometimes spelt Djauan), Walpiri, Dagaman and Wardiman converged.

Modern city

Today Katherine is a key regional centre supporting the cattle and tourism industries. Located at the junction of
major tourism drives, the Savannah Way and the Explorers Way , Katherine is an important visitor gateway for the
Northern Territory.^[3]

Government

Local government

The local government is comprised of five aldermen, a mayor and a deputy mayor and there are an additional ten local
community councils that administer the region. The ten local councils primarily service the Indigenous people of the
region.^[5] The town's current mayor is Anne Shepherd.

National government

The Katherine electorate, which covers the town and its suburbs, elects one member to the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly. At federal level, the town, as with all parts of the Northern Territory outside Darwin, is located within the Division of Lingiari. Katherine is a solid base for the centre-right Country Liberal Party.

Economy

The Pastoral industry, mining, defence (RAAF Tindal) and tourism all play a major part in the economy of Katherine. In 2003-04, the estimated total value of agriculture production from the Katherine region was $75M; $52M from cattle, $16.5M from fruit and vegetables and $7M from hay and other field crops. Production from mining in the region was estimated at $201M in 2003-04, or 13% of NT mining and energy production. Major commodities included lead, zinc, barites, limestone and gravel.^[6]

Demographics

The population of the town of Katherine was 8,437 in 2004 and the total regional population was 17,212 of which, 29%
identify themselves as Indigenous. Tourist visitor numbers were 280,000 in the same year.^[6]

Transport

Rail

Katherine has been accessible by train since the opening of the Alice Springs to Darwin railway in 2004. The Ghan[1], run by Great Southern Railway between Adelaide and Darwin arrives twice weekly in each direction and has a scheduled stop in the town.^[8]

The Ghan
Darwin	↔	'Katherine'	↔	Tennant Creek

Air

Katherine airport is 7km south of the town centre. No commercial flights are available to Katherine; however, charter flights can be arranged, and the town is only three hours' drive from Darwin.

Road

Katherine is at the crossroads of the Savannah Way that runs east-west from Cairns to Broome and the Explorer’s Way that runs north-south from Darwin to Adelaide through Alice Springs. Savannah Way runs along the Victoria Highway at Katherine and Explorer’s Way runs along Stuart Highway.

Society and culture

Katherine High School

Katherine High School is the only public secondary and middle years school in the town and supports good academic,
sporting, and scientific learning oppourtunities for its students. The current principal is Ken Barnes. The music department is run by Louise Doyle and Micheal Dalvean and recently came very close to winning the concert band Eisteddfod run in Darwin.
The school library has a wide range of written and computer resources.

Leisure and entertainment

Leisure and entertainment activities in Katherine are mostly nature-based. Katherine Hot Springs, Mataranka Hot
Springs, canoeing in Nitmiluk Gorge on the Katherine River, fishing on the Victoria, Daly, Roper or Katherine Rivers
are all popular leisure activities.

Literature and film

The Katherine Region was popularised by the novel ‘We of the Never Never by Jeannie Gunn who was the wife of a
pioneering pastoralist in the late 1800s. The feature film Jedda was partially filmed at Katherine Gorge, however,
the last roll of negatives was destroyed in a plane crash on its way for developing in England and the scenes were
re-shot at Kanangra Falls in the Blue Mountains.

Music

The Katherine Country Music Muster Association was formed after the Katherine 1998 floods to raise money for the
Katherine Historical Society Inc. Over the years, the Muster has hosted emerging local and national country music
artists, such as Kasey Chambers.^[9]

Sport

The Katherine Town Council manages the Sports Ground Complex which houses a Swimming Pool, Tennis Club, four Ovals,
Cricket pitch, a BMX Track, a Basketball court and Football and Soccer fields. The Katherine Showgrounds Complex
hosts equestrian sports and Australian Rules Football as well as the Katherine and District Show Society.

Floods

The Katherine River runs through the north of the town, which it badly flooded in 1998 and 5-7 April 2006. The April 2006 floods placed parts of the town under water including about 50 houses, caused millions of dollars worth of damage, and caused the declaration of a state of emergency in the area on 7th April. ^[10] However, there was no reports of structural damage due to the flooding. ^[11] The town residents were given warning that the river might flood on Wednesday 5th April, and the town centre was underwater before noon the next day. ^[12] The floodwaters reached a peak of nearly 19 metres at the Katherine River bridge. Dozens of homes were inundated with up to 2m of water, with many residents having time to escape with little more than the clothes they were wearing. Over the weekend of the 8th-9th there were over 1100 people who went to the evacuation centres in the town. The state of emergency was lifted on the 9th of April.
More Information at www.google.com.au

References

1.
2. Katherine Town Council - Town of Katherine/Floods
3. Tourism NT''Tourism NT (www.tourismnt.com.au)''
4. Tourism NT''Tourism NT (www.tourismnt.com.au)''
5. NT Government ''NT Government (www.nt.gov.au)''
6. NT Government ''NT Government (www.nt.gov.au)''
7. NT Government ''NT Government (www.nt.gov.au)''
8. Australian Railmaps, ''"RAIL MAP - PERTH to ADELAIDE, CENTRAL AND NORTHERN AUSTRALIA"''. Accessed 12 June, 2007.
9. Katherine Country Music Muster ''Katherine Country Music Muster (www.kcmm.com.au)''
10. The Age''The Age (www.theage.com.au)''
11. ABC News''ABC News (www.abc.net.au)''
12. ABC News ''ABC News (www.abc.net.au)''

External links

★ Katherine Town Council

★ Official Tourism Information Site

★ The Katherine Regional Tourist Association

★ Collection of photographs of Katherine in 1996, National Library of Australia