Katherine, Northern Territory
Katherine (14°28′S 132°16′E / 14.467°S 132.267°E) is a town with a population of around 10,000 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.
Prologue
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 27 km south east 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" 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 train line 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.
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.
| 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: | ||||||||||||||
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, Barroloola, Douglas and Daly Rivers and Timber Creek.
The Royal Australian Air Force (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 now is 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 and 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. The Katherine Gorge in Nitmiluk National Park attracts large numbers of visitors each year (232,000 in 2004-05).[1] 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. And all shops were then moved to the opposite side of the river, where the town of Katherine sits now. The first train crossed the bridge on 21 January 1926.
Construction began on a new rail line in July 2001. On September 13, 2003, the line was finished and there was a continuous track from Adelaide to Darwin. The Ghan passenger train commenced in February 4 2004 and runs several times a week. It stops in Katherine on both the north 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.[2]
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.[3]
National government
The Katherine Region elects one member in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly. There is one elected member of the Federal Parliament House of Representatives for the area outside of Darwin, the Electoral District of Lingiari. There are two elected Federal Parliament Senators for the Northern Territory.
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.[4]
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.[5]
Transport
Rail
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The Alice Springs to Darwin rail line was completed in 2003, linking Darwin to Adelaide and other capitals. The Ghan passenger train service from Adelaide via Alice Springs and Katherine runs two to three times per week depending on the season.
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.
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 and the teaching staff are considered "very good" though some will prefix this with "mostly". 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 as well as chess and other board games which can be played at lunch when it is always open.
Society and culture
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.[6]
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. [1] However, there was no reports of structural damage due to the flooding. [2] 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. [3] 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
- ^ Tourism NTTourism NT (www.tourismnt.com.au)
- ^ Tourism NTTourism NT (www.tourismnt.com.au)
- ^ NT Government NT Government (www.nt.gov.au)
- ^ NT Government NT Government (www.nt.gov.au)
- ^ NT Government NT Government (www.nt.gov.au)
- ^ Katherine Country Music Muster Katherine Country Music Muster (www.kcmm.com.au)