KATHERINE via MATARANKA NT

  Leaving Daly Waters we made our way to the next major Town of Katherine where we will shop, refuel and use the Internet. The trip is of about 280 kms so an overnight at the unexciting King River rest stop was needed.
  Mataranka, encountered along the way, appears to be a predominately Aboriginal town with a population of about 400 and pleasant enough. The area is the setting for Jeannie Gunn's autobiographical account of the year 1902, "We of the Never Never".Indeed the town calls itself the Capital of the Never Never. The most impressive thing that I saw was the magnificent huge tree that I think is some sort of fig, that dominated the local park. Diesel here was also relatively cheap at $1.75 / L so as I have been paying between $1.95 - $2.00 of late I took the opportunity to top up.

  And so another 110 kms on to Katherine, the third largest town in the top end and the fourth largest in the territory. 320 kms from Darwin it is a place that we must revisit on our return from that city since it lies at the junction of the Victoria Hwy which leads west. Although the population is a healthy 11000, the town centre seemed small for that size. It is an RV friendly place with plenty of dedicated parking for Motorhomes and Caravans close to the Supermarket but don't buy gas there as it was a ripoff at more than $9 per kg.
 The first European to visit the district was Ludwig Leichhardt in 1844 but it was John McDouall Stuart who in 1862 named the Katherine River. European settlement arrived along when the Overland Telegraph Station and after moving twice, Katherine finally become established at the current site in 1926.  A cattle industry grew from the first cattle station established in the area in 1878 and today cattle rearing remains the areas most important resource. There was a time during WW2  when Katherine became a major supply and maintenance centre for the war effort and by 1941 it was under military command. The Katherine River that flows through the town, often floods in the wet season and is the first permanent water supply for travellers to the north from Port Augusta. A most pleasant climate at this time of year made the look see at Katherine all the more enjoyable.
  Our next planned stop over is at Edith Falls  in the Nitmiluk National Park about 45 kms to the north.
(Click on a Photo to enlarge)

Mataranka

The Road Trains are BIG in the Top End  up to 53 metres long and yes they do overtake