Retirees Enjoying Travel: Exploring Katherine and Surrounds in the NT

A visit to the Northern Territory is not complete

without visiting Katherine and the incredibly beautiful surrounding areas.

Explore the famous Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Park,

Leliyn (Edith Falls), the Cutta Cutta Caves, and more.

As retirees enjoying travelling Australia, we were very happy to pull into Katherine. Firstly, we have travelled some massive kilometers in the Northern Territory, so we were rather tired. Secondly, Katherine has always been high on our bucket list.

Greg visited Katherine many years ago, and was very keen to return. Top of Greg’s list of things to do was to take me on a cruise of the Katherine Gorge. We were keen to see what else was on offer in Katherine and the surrounding area. Let us tell you, we weren’t disappointed. Here’s what we found:

 About Katherine

We found Katherine to be a tidy, modern town. There are lovely green lawns in parkland around the town. This is such a nice change after being in the dry and dusty outback.

The population of Katherine is approximately 11,000. It is the fourth largest town in the Northern Territory.

Distance from Darwin to Katherine is 317 km, to the South

The Katherine River flows through the town. Signs along the river bank warn about the danger of crocodiles, reminding people that they are now in crocodile country.

Katherine Hot Springs

Katherine Hot Springs are natural thermal springs on the Katherine River. There are a number of crystal clear pools of thermal water, all with a constant temperature of 32 degrees. There are steps and handrails to assist people enter the pools. The pools are surrounded by lovely shady trees.

The Katherine Hot Pools are located in Katherine. Access is from Victoria Highway or Riverbank Drive and entry is free. It’s the perfect place for travelling retirees, like us, to relax any aching muscles they may have from sitting in a car too long, or from all those long bush walks.

Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge)National Park

In the Nitmiluk National Park  is the famous Katherine Gorge system, the beautiful Leliyn (Edith Falls), and wonderful bush walks to enjoy.

Southern Walks – Windolf Walk

In the early morning we travelled out from Katherine to the Nitmiluk Visitors Centre. There are numerous walks to do in the park. We decided to do the Windolf Walk, one of the Southern Walks in Nitmiluk National Park. We chose this walk as we wanted to go to the Southern Rock Pool. This is an 8.4 km return walk. This gorge walk is a grade 3 – moderate.

Our plan was to walk early in the morning, to try and beat the heat of the day.

The natural beauty, flora and fauna in the park are simply stunning.

We found the last section of the walk, down to the waterhole, quite difficult, as we had to clamber over large boulders. We were not the only ones to find this section of the walk difficult.  And, we think we did pretty well, given we are retirees of the baby boomer generation.

Yet, we were so glad we persevered. The swim in the Southern Rock Pool was just glorious. And have a guess what? We were the only people over 50 plus down there. Everyone else was at least twenty years younger!

Towering sandstone cliffs surround the water hole. It was magical swimming with the waterfall falling gently into the pool beside you.

The waterfall is seasonal, so we were lucky to see it flowing.

If you prefer, you can walk a short distance to the Gorge and return by a ferry. The return ferry ride costs $15 per person. Unfortunately, we didn’t know of this option. So, it was a very hot return walk for us.

The Windolf Walk took us 3.5 hours (including a half hour swim).

Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge System

The Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Park is located 30 km from Katherine. The road is sealed.

Over millions of years the Katherine River has carved 13 gorges along it’s route.

We enjoyed a “NitNit Dreaming 2 Gorge Cruise”. This tour was a two hour cruise. Throughout the cruise we enjoyed commentary from the tour guides. We were informed about the cultural significance of the gorges to the traditional land owners, the Jawoyn People. We heard stories about the Jawoyn People’s beliefs and traditions. In addition, information was shared about the gorge system and how it changes in the wet and dry seasons.

To see the two gorges, we had to get off one boat, walk a short distance to the second gorge, and get onto another boat.  One couple had to remain on boat one, as they were unable to negotiate the short walk to the second boat. However, this tour would be accessible to most baby boomers travelling the outback.

On the cruise we enjoyed seeing the beauty of the tall sandstone cliffs along the Katherine River.

There are a number of different cruise options. Canoeing is another option, but was not available when we visited the gorge.

We visited Katherine Gorge in early May 2017. We saw our first ever fresh water crocodiles in the wild. There was a number of crocodiles sitting on the river bank.

The tour director slowed the boat nearby the crocodiles to enable good photo opportunities. However, the crocodiles can be difficult to see as meld into the environment.

We were told by the tour guides there was one salt water crocodile in the gorge. They were attempting to trap and remove this crocodile from the area.

Another option to see the Katherine Gorges is to take a helicopter flight.

There are a number of Nitmiluk National Park accommodation options to choose from, if you want to stay at the park.

Leliyn (Edith Falls)

Leliyn (Edith Falls) is also in the Nitmiluk National Park. Leliyn (Edith Falls) is 46 km north of Katherine. Access is from the Stuart Highway, and then another 20 km along a sealed road.

The Plunge Pool was closed to swimmers when we visited (early May 2017), due to the risk of crocodiles.

We enjoyed walking the Leliyn Trail. This is a 2.6 km round trip walk.

We climbed to the top of the escarpment. It was hot, and the path was difficult to walk in spots.  Even walking down to the upper pools we had to be careful, as some rocks were slippery.

We enjoyed fabulous views over the waterfalls and beyond.

There was a strong current flowing along the Edith River and over the waterfalls.

Swimming is allowed in the upper pool area at Edith Falls. We loved cooling off in the crystal clear water.

There is an 8.6 km return walk to Sweetwater Pool. This is another swimming hole on the Edith River. We did not do this walk. While we are retirees who enjoy bush walking, we decided we had done enough , given the heat.

Camp sites are available at Leliyn. After a long day bush walking it is a nice option to stay overnight, rather than travel back into Katherine. And remember, Leliyn is north of Katherine. So, another choice is to continue onto Pine Creek after visiting Leliyn.

Cutta Cutta Caves Nature Park

The Cutta Cutta Caves Nature Park is 27 km south of Katherine, just a short distance off the Stuart Highway.

The main feature of the Nature Park is the Cutta Cutta Caves. The Park is generally open March to December. Closure of the Park may occur when there is flooding.

A number of guided tours of one cave are available daily.

Our tour guide provided information along the tropical woodland walk, pointing out the flora and fauna along the path to the caves. We saw a tiny rock wallaby at the cave entrance.

The Cutta Cutta Cave that is open for inspection is not huge, or very deep. But, it is well worth visiting.

We found the Cutta Cutta Cave the least physically demanding cave we have ever visited. It was only a short, easy walk from the Visitor Centre and Kiosk. Entering the cave was only down a short number of steps. Inside the cave we found a metal path, which made walking very easy. There were a couple of places where we had to squeeze through between the cave walls. Otherwise, the cave is easy to negotiate for most travelling retirees.

The tour guide pointed out snake skins hanging in the cave. We were told the skin belonged to a harmless brown tree snake. The tour guide kept a good look out for the snake, hoping to point one out to us. I wasn’t sorry she didn’t spot one.

We also saw a number of rare Ghost Bats in the cave. These are small, light coloured bats.

Where did we stay?

We stayed in our caravan at Manbulloo Homestead Caravan Park. As travelling retirees we enjoy a quiet, shady park. This caravan park was about 10 km from Katherine. It is also a working cattle property. This is only one of many Katherine accommodation options.

If you do a road trip in the Northern Territory than you will visit Katherine, particularly if you are travelling on the Stuart Highway towards Darwin. However, don’t just stop over. Make sure you dedicate enough time to explore Katherine and surrounds.

Katherine definitely lived up to our expectations. We understand why Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Park has the reputation it has as a world class destination. The natural beauty of the sandstone cliffs in the gorge system is breathtaking. And, the Southern Rock Pool and Leliyn (Edith Falls) were both stunning.

If you haven’t been to Katherine and surrounds in the Northern Territory, start planning now. You won’t be sorry.

If you have visited Katherine, what is you favourite thing to do? What would you recommend others do in and around Katherine?

Please leave a comment, as we appreciate any feedback.

Safe travels from Estelle and Greg – Retirees Enjoying Travel.