Katherine

Naturally I have heard about Katherine Gorge before and that was one of the reasons that I planned to stay here for a while, but when I arrived on Friday afternoon I went to the tourist information office to see what else there is on offer. A very friendly lady marked several attractions on a local map for me, including the Katherine Museum, which talks about the history of the town, including some information about the recent major floods, and Top Didj, an Aboriginal Art Gallery that holds 2 hour cultural sessions where they show you how to paint, how to make fire using sticks and how to throw a spear. Unfortunately both of these were closed whenever I called in, so I stuck to the open air pursuits.

On the Friday afternoon I went for a short walk in the local Low Level Reserve, along the Katherine River. The reserve is a very pleasant park by the river and a short walk up river are the Katherine Hot Springs. These are thermal springs that have been turned into a local recreation area, where you can go for a swim for free. I didn't feel that the water was exceptionally hot, but then it was 40 degrees air temperature; however the water came out of the ground crystal clear and there were plenty of people enjoying a bit of a dip.

The Katherine River at Low Level Reserve

People enjoying the Katherine Hot Springs

Where the water wells out of the ground crystal clear

On Saturday I drove out to the Katherine Gorge, or Nitmiluk National Park to call it by its traditional name. I planned to take a hike in the morning and then maybe hire a canoe in the afternoon. I set out on my walk just before 9 am, and it was already over 30 degrees hot. The walk I selected is called Butterfly Gorge walk and is 12 km return. Given my normal walking speed I figured that I would be back sometime before 1 pm. The walk leads from the Nitmiluk Centre up onto the escarpment above the gorge and heads south. There are various turn offs to different access points in the gorge. Butterfly Gorge walk veered off the main track about 4 km after leaving the car park. The going was quite tough because the tracks are covered in big pebbles, akin to a dry river bed, so you really have to watch your footing. While it was very hot up on the escarpment, it got a lot more pleasant once I entered Butterfly Gorge, which is covered in rain forest. It has quite a moist ground and it really lives up to its name, there are hundreds of butterflies and other insects. I couldn't really capture the may butterflies on a photo, so I recorded a short video.

At the end of the Butterfly Gorge the walk exits the rain forest onto a very narrow rock ledge above a deep water hole of the second Nitmiluk Gorge. There was no-one else around and I had the whole place to myself, which I took advantage of by taking a refreshing swim. Because I didn't bring any bathing gear I then sat on a rock for a little while to dry out naturally. I watched the small fish in the clear water and after a little while they were joined by a turtle. It was probably just a bit larger than one of my hands with outstretched fingers. Unfortunately the water was too reflective for me to get a picture of it.

2nd Gorge from the place where I sat to dry after my swim

The view back towards where the track came from

After I dried out I set off on the return walk. By the time I was back on the escarpment it was just after 11 AM and the temperature had reached 42 degrees and there was not a breath of wind. I have never experienced this type of heat before, so had to walk fairly slowly and keep up my water intake. I was glad that I took 3 litres, even on this relatively short walk, I certainly went through it alright. Instead of returning the same way that I headed out, I took a little detour to include a loop walk that promised views of the first gorge. It took me up to a lookout and then descended steeply into the gorge itself, leading back to the visitor centre and carpark. I did call in at the canoe hire and was told that half day hires are from 8 to 12 or from 12 to 4. Because it was already after one o'clock, and because I was buggered from walking in the heat of the day, I decided to postpone the canoeing to Sunday.

View of the first gorge from up on the escarpment

On Sunday morning I headed back out to the gorge at 7.30 AM, so that I could start canoeing as soon as they opened at eight. Half day canoe hire is $53 for a single and full day hire $66. I was also told that half day hire is limited to the first gorge, only the full day hire can access the second and third gorges, so I opted for the full day. I set off up the first gorge at 8 am and got to the end of it at about 8.45. There was a sunrise cruise boat returning, plus one other canoe on a half day hire. At the end of the first gorge you have to beach your yellow canoe, take your paddle and gear and walk across a rocky barrier to the second gorge, where you can grab a green canoe and keep going. I had the second gorge entirely to myself. It is slightly shorter than the first gorge, but a lot more dramatic, flanked by sheer cliffs on either side. It did paddle past the bay where I had a swim the day before and into the narrow channel. There was complete silence, until I glided past close to a cave in the cliff and startled a big bird into taking off, which scared the living daylight out of me. It then flew ahead of me and posed on a rock for a photograph before heading off again.

To where I walked the day before

The bird that scared me (twice)

After I took that picture I had to put the camera back into the watertight drum in the canoe. When I unscrewed the lid of the drum it fell off into the canoe and made an almighty racket. This was caused by the narrow gorge, which sent the sound waves back and forth a few times. 

I proceeded further up the narrow gorge in complete silence until suddenly an bone chilling growl came through it "Grroooahhhh!" and then about every 15 seconds "Grroooahhhh!". I wasn't sure what it was, but it had to be some beast of extraordinary strength and viciousness, so I kept going with all my senses very alert, every muscle in my body ready to speed off back to safety, as soon as I spotted it. After all, there was nobody else around who could help me, or at least report my demise at the teeth of some massive crocodile. And then I saw it!! It was the same bloody bird again, stretching its neck inside a cave in the cliff and emitting the noise, which was amplified by the steep cliffs into some truly horrific roar. I am sure it was laughing internally for scaring me twice. 

The narrow gorge with excellent acoustics

At the end of the narrow gorge I reached a rock barrier, behind which the third gorge starts. There is no canoe exchange here and to keep going I would have had to carry all my gear, including the canoe across the boulders. I think if I was with someone else I would have kept going, but by myself it looked like too much hard work, so I turned around and took the return trip very slowly, with several stops for a swim and a lunch break back in the first gorge.

The rock barrier between second and third gorge

Along the cliff on the way home

Lunch and swim break in the first gorge

On my return trip I paddled very slowly, close along the shore and entered every bay and hole that presented itself, all with the purpose of being able to present you with a shot of a freshwater crocodile, but to no avail, and believe me, I tried hard. When I got back to the hire place and returned my canoe, I had a chat with a family, who had two young girls with them. They told me that the girls were frightened of crocodiles and didn't want to see any, but as soon as they set off they apparently had one swimming straight towards them. It just shows that you don't always get what you want...
Tomorrow I'll head off toward Kununarra and Lake Argyle, to see what else the Outback has to offer.