There are some places on a road trip that feel like simple overnight stops, and then there are places that turn into highlights of the entire journey.
Katherine was definitely the latter.
After a fantastic stay at Hideaway Litchfield, it was time to pack the Toyota Prado once again and continue south through the Northern Territory. The destination for the day was Katherine, but the real reason for heading there was something I’d been looking forward to for a long time — cruising through Nitmiluk, or Katherine Gorge.
Leaving Litchfield Behind
Pulling away from Hideaway Litchfield was a little bittersweet.
The secluded cabin, the bush setting and the days spent exploring waterfalls and swimming holes had delivered exactly what I wanted from this part of the trip. But one of the best things about a road trip through the Territory is knowing there is always something completely different waiting further down the highway.
We headed back towards the Stuart Highway and pointed the Prado south.
The kilometres out here have a different feel to driving at home. There’s less traffic, fewer distractions and huge stretches of open country. It’s the sort of driving where you settle into the journey rather than just concentrating on the destination.
Coffee Stop at Adelaide River
Before getting too far down the road, there was an important matter to take care of.
Coffee.
And, just as importantly on a road trip, a toilet stop.
Adelaide River made the perfect break.
It’s one of those small Territory towns where you can pull in, stretch your legs, grab a coffee and slow things down for a while before continuing south.
Nothing complicated. Nothing particularly glamorous.
But these little stops become part of the story of a road trip. Sometimes it’s not just the major attractions you remember — it’s the coffee shops, roadhouses and small towns you discover between them. not to mention Jock the Croc, a 5 metre Salty that used to inhabit these waters.
With caffeine taken care of, we were back on the Stuart Highway and heading for Katherine.
Arriving in Katherine
Katherine sits roughly 315 kilometres south of Darwin and is one of the major centres of the Northern Territory’s Big Rivers region.
For us, though, Katherine was primarily going to be the base for exploring nearby Nitmiluk National Park.
We checked into Discovery Parks – Katherine, located on Gorge Road, which made it a convenient base for heading out towards the gorge. Discovery Parks
And the accommodation turned out to be a pleasant surprise.
A Modern Cabin at Discovery Parks Katherine
Holiday park cabins can sometimes be a bit of a lucky dip.
Some feel like they haven’t changed since the 1990s.
This one certainly didn't.
Our cabin felt modern, clean and comfortable — exactly what you want after spending a few hours on the road.
Discovery Parks Katherine has a mix of accommodation ranging from powered caravan sites through to studio and deluxe cabins, including some of the newer modern cabin options around the park. Discovery Parks
The newer cabins offer the things that make travelling considerably easier: air-conditioning, your own bathroom, kitchenette facilities and an outdoor deck area. Discovery Parks
After unloading the car and getting settled, however, there wasn't much time for lounging around.
The main event was waiting.
Katherine Gorge — Or Nitmiluk Gorge
About half an hour from Katherine township is Nitmiluk National Park, home to the spectacular Nitmiluk Gorge.
Many of us still know it simply as Katherine Gorge, but Nitmiluk is the traditional Jawoyn name for the area.
The landscape is spectacular even before you get onto the water.
Towering sandstone cliffs rise either side of the Katherine River, creating a series of gorges that wind their way through the ancient landscape.
There are places you visit where photographs give you a fairly good idea of what to expect.
Nitmiluk isn't really one of them.
You need to be down on the river to appreciate the scale.
The Two-Gorge Cruise
We booked the two-hour cruise through the first two sections of Nitmiluk Gorge. Nitmiluk Tours
And if you only have a limited amount of time in Katherine, this would be very high on my list of things to do.
The first boat takes you slowly along the Katherine River through the first gorge, with huge sandstone walls towering above the water.
It’s incredibly peaceful.
Apart from the sound of the boat and the occasional bird, there isn't much to break the silence.
Our guide explained more about the landscape, wildlife and the connection the Jawoyn people have with this country — something that adds considerably more meaning to what you're looking at.
At the end of the first gorge, everyone leaves the boat.
Because the individual gorges are separated by natural rock barriers, you can't simply cruise straight through.
Instead, there's a short walk of around 400 metres across rocky and uneven terrain to reach another boat waiting in the second gorge. Nitmiluk Tours
It actually makes the experience better.
Getting off the boat allows you to stop and look around properly, appreciate the rock formations and get a completely different perspective of the landscape.
Then it's onto boat number two.
Into the Second Gorge
If the first gorge is impressive, the second somehow feels even more dramatic.
The cliffs close in around you and the scale of the place becomes increasingly difficult to comprehend.
Every bend reveals another enormous sandstone wall, another reflection across the water and another reminder of just how old this landscape is.
This is not an attraction that's been created for tourists.
You're simply being allowed to pass through it.
And that is a very different feeling.
The NitNit Dreaming cruise also introduces visitors to Jawoyn culture, Dreaming stories, plants, animals and the changing landscape of the gorge. Nitmiluk Tours
Sitting quietly on the boat listening to those stories while travelling between the cliffs was easily one of the more memorable experiences of our Northern Territory trip.
More Than Just Another Stop
Before travelling through the NT, Katherine was one of those names I'd always known.
But I don't think I really understood what was there.
I certainly didn't expect Nitmiluk Gorge to leave such an impression.
There is something about travelling slowly through that landscape by boat that forces you to stop looking for the next thing and simply appreciate where you are.
No rushing.
No phone notifications.
No traffic.
Just sandstone, water and a landscape that's been there for an incomprehensible amount of time.
And perhaps that's one of the things I'm enjoying most about travelling these days.
I'm less interested in ticking off as many attractions as possible and much more interested in experiences that actually make me stop for a while.
Nitmiluk did exactly that.
Back to Katherine
After the cruise, it was back to Discovery Parks Katherine and the comfort of our cabin.
Air-conditioning suddenly feels like one of civilisation's greatest achievements after a day exploring the Top End.
It had been a fairly straightforward travel day on paper: leave Litchfield, stop for coffee, drive to Katherine, check into a cabin and take a boat cruise.
But that's the beauty of road trips.
Some of the best days aren't particularly complicated.
A good stretch of road.
A decent coffee.
Comfortable accommodation.
And one genuinely extraordinary experience waiting at the other end.
Katherine and Nitmiluk Gorge delivered all of that.
And once again, it was a reminder of the whole reason behind Plenty Left.
There are still places I haven't seen.
Roads I haven't driven.
Experiences I haven't had.
And thankfully, there's still plenty left.
