Planning a Trip

Getting There

Greyhound Australia (tel. 13 14 99 in Australia) buses stop in Katherine on their Darwin-Alice Springs routes. From Darwin, it's about a 4 1/2-hour trip costing A$76 (US$61/UK£30). From Alice, with departures once a day, it's about a 15-hour journey, for which the fare is A$225 (US$180/UK£90). Greyhound also runs to Katherine daily from Broome via Kununurra, a journey of about 23 hours costing A$290 (US$232/UK£116).

Visitors to Katherine can hop aboard the Ghan in Adelaide or Alice Springs and hop off in Katherine. The train leaves Adelaide on Sundays and Wednesdays at 12:20pm and Alice Springs on Sundays and Thursdays at 6pm. The trip from Alice takes about 15 hours. One-way fares are A$355 (US$284/UK£142) for a "day-nighter" seat or A$740 to A$1,095 (US$592-US$876/UK£296-UK£428) for a sleeper from Alice. Contact Great Southern Railways (tel. 13 21 47 in Australia; www.trainways.com.au) for details on connections from Sydney and Melbourne.

At press time, there were currently no airlines operating flights into Katherine.

Katherine is on the Stuart Highway, which links Darwin and Alice Springs. From Alice Springs, allow a good 2 days to make the drive. The Victoria Highway links Katherine with Kununurra to the west. There is no direct route from the east; from, say, Cairns, you need to go via Townsville, Mount Isa, and Tennant Creek, a long, dull journey.

Visitor Information

The Katherine Visitor Information Centre, Lindsay Street at Katherine Terrace, Katherine, NT 0850 (tel. 1800/653 142 or 08/8972 2650; www.krta.com.au), has information on things to see -- not only all around Katherine, but as far afield as Kakadu National Park and the Kimberley. It's open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 6pm and weekends from 10am to 3pm in the Dry season; in the Wet it's open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm.

The Nitmiluk Visitor Centre, on the Gorge Road, 32km (20 miles) from town (tel. 08/8972 1886), dispenses information on the Nitmiluk National Park and sells tickets for gorge cruises, which depart outside. The center has maps; displays on the park's plant life, birds, geology, and Aboriginal history; a gift shop; and a cafe. It's open daily from 7am to 7pm, sometimes closing a little earlier in the Wet. Entry to the park is free.

Getting Around

Hertz (tel. 08/8971 1111), Europcar (tel. 08/8971 2777), and Thrifty (tel. 08/8972 3183) have outlets in Katherine.

Travel North (tel. 1800/089 103 in Australia, or 08/8971 9999) makes transfers from Katherine hotels to the cruise, canoe, and helicopter departure points at the Nitmiluk Visitor Centre three times a day. Round-trip fares are A$24 (US$19/UK£10) for adults and A$12 (US$10/UK£4.80) for children. Most Katherine activities and attractions can be booked through Travel North. The company runs many tours and activities, such as horseback cattle musters, visits to an old homestead, half-day trips to Mataranka Thermal Pools , and tours of up to 5 days taking in Katherine, Darwin, Litchfield and Kakadu national parks, and outlying Aboriginal communities.

For personalized tours both off the beaten path and around town, contact Far Out Adventures (tel. 0427/152 288 mobile).