Day 102
Tuesday 16th June 2015, warm

Katherine

Well surprise of all surprises today we did nothing, went nowhere and caught our breath. It’s one of those nice parks where you can just put your feet up and enjoy the surroundings.

Every night here we are entertained by a most impressive air show put on by the RAAF from Tindal Air Base. Just after dark the big jets swoop overhead at such tremendous speed you don’t know where to look for them in the sky.

Accom: $40.50

Travelling Kms: 0

Day 103

Wednesday 17th June 2015, humid and hot

Katherine

The Katherine museum is a little beaut. We learn about the World War Two bombings, the 1998 twenty metre flood (when even the high level crossing was under water), pastoralists, explorers, the stolen generation and native title. Three things were a stand out to me. 1. The statue of a stockman on his horse at the entrance to town honours all stockmen and is the local legend Sabu Peter Sing part Chinese part Aboriginal. To me that typifies most Australians as we are a mixed bag. 2. The Planetarium built by a man known as ‘Galloping Jack’ who was an inventor, a bit of a bush artist and loved sardines. Among other things he built a planetarium out of sardine cans and you’ve got to see it to believe it. 3. Dr Clyde Fenton the local flying doctor and free spirit who was rejected by the fledgling RFDS as the rule was that the doctor was not to pilot the plane. Clyde was one to flout the aviation rules regularly and was known to throw flour bags out of the plane for a laugh. He even taxied the plane up to the pub to shout a mate a beer, luckily the local copper knew of no offence of which to charge him with. If those three people are anything to go by the people of Katherine must be a good bunch and by the way, they named a school after Clyde Fenton.

We dipped our toes in the Katherine River at Knott’s Crossing the very first river crossing here where the town once stood. Woody keeps calling it Knott’s Landing but that’s the power of television for you.

Our caravan club mates El & Elle Prado arrive from Darwin on their way west. As you can imagine we spend the evening swapping stories about all the great spots up the Stuart and down the West Coast.

Accom: $40.50

Travelling Kms: 0