Standing beside the Stuart Highway at the southern entrance to Katherine is the larger-than-life sculpture of a stockman and horse recognizing the contribution by rural and regional communities to Australia’s national identity. Sabu Peter Sing was the role model for the Katherine Icon, standing since 2002 and now one of the first sights the hundreds of caravanning holiday makers see as they park their caravans before stocking up on groceries at the nearby Woolworths.

The first inhabitants of the area were the Dagoman first nations people. Katherine was important meeting place for these tribes and remains a place of convergence. Today the Walpiri People from the Victoria River District and Tanami Desert areas also have dedicated communities in Katherine. Visitors from outlying communities often stay with relatives in town, however some chose to camp in the traditional way.

Katherine’s Railway Terrace, one block behind the main street (Stuart Highway), has a splendid display of murals celebrating the lives of its famous and notable residents.

Opting to stay a little out of town, we chose the Manbulloo Homestead Caravan Park, about 12 kilometres from the centre of Katherine. The caravan park, hosting approximately 200 campsites as well as cabins is situated beside the Katherine River. Manbulloo Station, now separate from the Caravan Park, was formerly part of the vast British Vestey Brothers holdings.

The Stuart Highway crosses the Katherine River nowadays via the “High Level” Bridge sitting above the twenty metre flood level.

Decades ago, when crocodile numbers were very low, local kids would swim, aided by the current, from the “High Level” Bridge to the “Low Level” Bridge a distance of a approximately two and a half kilometres.