| By Gabrielle & William Beams |
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Gorgeous Katherine
The peaceful settlement of Adelaide River lies 111 kilometres south of Darwin and was once the overnight stop over for the gold miners seeking their fortunes at Pine Creek. The town was an important military centre during the Second World War and was subsequently bombed by the Japanese during this conflict.
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Now the serene Adelaide River War Cemetery honours those servicemen and civilians killed in the Northern Territory and surrounding islands during the air raids. Nearly 500 war dead are buried here, including the 7 civilians who died during the bombing of the Darwin Post office in 1942. A quiet walk through the beautifully maintained war cemetery reinforces the futility of this conflict and the bravery of our service men and women.
The gold mining town of Pine Creek oozes history in its old timber and corrugated iron buildings. Remnants of the early local Chinatown can still be seen and the former Overland Telegraph Repeater Station is now an interesting museum.
Travelling 91 kilometres south of Pine Creek, you come to the Northern Territory’s 4th largest town, the thriving settlement of Katherine. This is the gateway to the spectacular Nitmiluk National Park which features the beautiful Katherine Gorge. We decided to unhitch our caravan at the Low Level Caravan Park- an excellent location just 5 kilometres out of the town. The area is surrounded by a cycle and walking path and is close to the Katherine River.
The 300,000 hectare Nitmiluk National Park is characterized by the many cliffs and river valleys that were carved out by the Katherine River over 25 million years ago. The spectacular Katherine Gorge consists of 13 canyons that are cut into the sandstone plateau to a depth of 60 metres. During the dry season, boats weave through 5 of these calm gorges with cruises of 2, 4 or 5 hour duration. Beautiful rugged sheer cliffs surround the canyons and precious aboriginal paintings, some of which are 7000 years old, can be found in the shelter of the multi-coloured overhanging rocks, which are also the home of some local birds. In 1955, the famous director, Charles Chauvel filmed the beautiful and tragic story of “Jedda” in this part of the Northern Territory. It was from a rock atop the magnificent towering walls of the Katherine Gorge the Jedda threw herself to her death. Now the rock known as the “Suicide Rock” attracts tourists throughout the year. Nitmiluk Tours runs cruises through Katherine Gorge and they also hire out canoes for the adventurous tourists who want to appreciate the beauty of this natural wonder while paddling the peaceful waters. During the wet season, the Katherine River becomes a raging torrent with waves up to 2 metres high. There is a caravan Park at the entrance to the National Park and the Nitmiluk Centre features a restaurant, souvenir shop and informative displays of the flora and fauna in the area.
The Springvale Homestead was built in the 1870’s and is reputed to be the oldest cattle station in the Northern Territory. Springvale was managed for many years by Alfred Giles, the explorer who, in 1878, made the treacherous overland journey from Adelaide to the Northern Territory. Now the Homestead is open to visitors and it is fascinating to wander through the many rooms with their soaring ceilings and the adjoining barn. The buildings are surrounded by large shady trees and caravanners and campers can take advantage of the powered and unpowered sites available in the grounds.
The world famous “Ghan” train stops at Katherine for a few hours, on its way to Darwin to allow passengers to see both the town and the Gorge. It crosses the Katherine River close to the Springvale Homestead, so we took the opportunity to see this iconic form of transport while on our way to the Homestead.
The Victoria Highway runs 500 kilometres west from Katherine to the Western Australian town of Kununurra in the heart of the Kimberleys. We decided to take a flight from here to enjoy the fascinating mountains in the Purnululu National Park, more commonly known as the Bungle Bungle Range. Discovered in the early 1980’s, these sandstone “beehive like” striped mounds are formed by the outer layers of orange silica and black lichen. The fragile rocks, which are over 350 million years old, rise 300 metres above the surrounding plain. The aerial views of this distinctive mountain range show the extraordinary formations and give you the opportunity to appreciate the scale and beauty of this stunning natural wonder.
Lake Argyle is the largest body of inland water in Australia and lies north of the Bungle Bungle Range on the mighty Ord River. This provides the huge irrigation system for the massive food bowl, also cotton and rice plantations that flourish in this remote area of Western Australia. The Ord River Dam wall rises 68 metres above the river and holds back the huge volume of water that is nine times the size of Sydney Harbour.
Diamonds were discovered in the Kimberleys in 1979 and the open cut Argyle Diamond Mine was opened in 1985. Today this mine produces one third of the world’s natural diamonds.
The small town of Kununurra was established in 1960 as a centre for the Ord River irrigation scheme. Built around the lush tropical “Lily Lake Lagoon”, the town offers accommodation, good caravan parks and several eateries to tempt welcome tourists. Fascinating samples of the unique local banded sandstone are available at the Kununurra Visitors Information centre, as well as brochures on tours and activities around the area. A worthwhile destination to complete our journey to gorgeous Katherine and the Kimberley Ranges.
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