Thomas Family Road Trip: Katherine (20/4/12

Monday 23 April 2012

Katherine (20/4/12 - 22/4/12)

A 100 kilometre drive north and we were in Katherine. Katherine has a population of about 11,000, a large proportion of which is indigenous. Ben made us all laugh when he asked why there were so many "Aboriginal people from China" in Katherine. Chloe quickly set him straight, by explaining that Aboriginals are actually Australians!

We stayed at a great caravan park about 6 kilometres from town. It had huge, grassy sites and was very quiet. It was very HOT in Katherine and the humidity was almost unbearable at times. No wonder it was so quiet. Thank goodness for the pool.

We all enjoyed a tour through the Cutta Cutta Caves, 23kms south of Katherine. The Cutta Cutta Caves are a limestone formation of stalactites and stalagmites. Cutta is the aboriginal word for stars, so Cutta Cutta refers to many stars. The stars refer to the many crystal formations that are found in the cave that look like stars. The caves are home to five species of bats, including the rare ghost and horseshoe bats. The kids were fascinated by the crystals and the two ghost bats that flew through the cave while we were there. We were hoping that the caves would provide some relief from the heat, but discovered that these caves are in fact very humid and not cool like most caves!

We enjoyed a swim in the Katherine Hot Springs, although we all agreed we still preferred Bitter Springs at Mataranka.

The highlight of our time in Katherine was the two hour boat cruise through Katherine Gorge. Katherine Gorge is located 29kms east of Katherine in Nitmiluk National Park. The gorge consists of 13 natural gorges carved through sandstone by the Katherine River, with rocks and boulders separating each gorge. The cruise we did went through the first two gorges. At the end of the first gorge we had to walk 500m around to the second gorge and hop onto another boat. Katherine Canyon in gorge two was spectacular, as was the sheer rock face of Jada Rock. We saw two fresh water crocodiles and went into a cave with a small waterfall. The scenery was absolutely stunning. Poor Ben did not cope so well with the heat, so he was very glad when we were back and in the air conditioned car.

Katherine Gorge is home to freshwater crocodiles year round and saltwater crocodiles during the wet season when water levels rise. When the water recedes in the dry season, many saltwater crocodiles get stuck so they are trapped and removed - supposedly!

The Nitmiluk National Park belongs to the Jawolyn aboriginal people. It was interesting to learn about their culture, their uses for various trees and plants and their beliefs. Our Jawolyn tour guide, Chris was great. He explained how he makes didgeridoo (from salmon gum tree branches that are eaten hollow by white ants) and gave us a demo, which was wonderful. Apparently he sells his didgeridoos for $1500! He informed us that he has caught crocodiles before, but does not eat them (he thinks they smell) and his meat of choice is "any meat from Woolworths!"

After the cruise we headed back into Katherine and then north to Kakadu. Simon and Donna were very excited about Kakadu - one of the places we both really want to see and experience. The plan was to stay at some of the campgrounds in Kakadu and free camp. However, our plans changed when we tried to run our fridge on gas while doing the gorge cruise. The gas would not light! This meant no power for our fridge. So....caravan parks it will be!

Until Kakadu...