The 10 Best Things to do in Katherine, Northern Territory

Top Didj & Art Gallery offers a genuine Aboriginal Cultural Experience. Manual Pamkal, the winner of the Tourism NT Brolga award in 2013 for outstanding interpretive guide, is happy to pass on his traditions from Aboriginal contemporary life after playing a traditional welcoming tune on the didgeridoo. Manual will teach you the fine art of Rarrk Painting and give you the chance to paint your own masterpiece using a special brush made from a reed called Julk. This fantastic 2 1/2 hour interpretive experience will provide many hands-on activities such as: Learning about indigenous culture and art Paint your own Rarrk painting using a reed brush Light a fire using two special sticks. Learn how to throw a spear using a woomera. Get to hold or feed baby wallabies. View and purchase some of the best Aboriginal art and didgeridoos in the Northern Territory. Bookings for Cultural Experience Essential.

The national award-winning Katherine Outback Experience was awarded Best Tourism Attraction in the NT in 2018 and 2019. We offer a number of Experiences including our Outback Show, Horse Rides and Live Music Events. The show is renown for being raw and real. If you have ever wanted to ride a horse in the outback or learn how horses and dogs are trained to muster cattle, then this is the place for you! Prepare to be captivated as multiple Golden Guitar winner and horseman extraordinaire, Tom Curtain, provides real life horse-starting and working dog demonstrations, highlighting life on the land on outback Australian cattle stations. Without giving too much away, this outback show is truly an authentic and hands-on experience, entwined with humorous station tales. The show is in a constant state of evolution, it is an experience not to be missed! BOOKINGS ARE ESSENTIAL! Shows are seasonal. Horse Riding is available all year either permitting. See website for specific show times.

Located on the lands of the Jawoyn people, Nitmiluk National Park draws travellers from all over the world to experience its majestic beauty and sheer size of Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge). Ancient rock art sites dot the park and the dreaming stories told by Jawoyn people bring the silent gorge walls to life.

These natural thermal springs are located just outside of Katherine Township and comprise of a series of clear pools framed by native vegetation. These bubbly springs have a constant temperature of approximately 25 - 30 degrees Celsius.

Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge is a deep gorge carved through ancient sandstone by the Katherine River. Situated within the Jawoyn-owned Nitmiluk National Park, characterised by its sandstone country features above the gorge, lush rainforest gullies in the gorge walls, and broad valleys meandering through both the high and the low country. Enjoy a boat tour, helicopter flight, various walks, camping and canoeing.

Leliyn/ Edith Falls is located within the pristine Nitmiluk National Park (Katherine Gorge). Enjoy swimming in the paperbark and pandanus fringed natural pool at the base of the falls most of the year, or check out the upper pools via a moderate uphill walk. The area is great for bushwalking with numerous trails surrounding.

Discover the unique history of the Katherine region at the Katherine Museum & Gardens. Start at the McNamara Cottage and gift shop, visit the Clyde Fenton Gallery, the Overland Telegraph Line building and Wallie’s Shed to see diverse displays of people, place and culture. Through outdoor and indoor displays, the museum showcases the resilience, resourcefulness and adventurous spirit of the people of the Katherine region. From town icon and Wardaman stockman, Sabu Singh, Galloping Jack and Russian Peanut Farmers to the Daisy Cutter bombs that fell during World War Two, Katherine’s strong military ties and the Katherine Floods, find out how and where it happened. Have a picnic or take a walk in the beautiful community gardens.

Cutta Cutta Caves Nature Park is located 27km south of Katherine and is easily accessible from the Stuart Highway. The park covers 1499 hectares of limestone landscape, and is home to five species of bats, including the rare Ghost and Horseshoe bats. About 170 species of birds have been recorded within the park, including the Hooded Parrot and the endangered Gouldian Finch. Tropical cave systems like those in Cutta Cutta Caves Nature Park are limited in Australia and are therefore of scientific and conservation interest and are the primary season the area has been declared an official Nature Park.

Known as the ‘Crossroads of the North,’ the Katherine Visitor Centre offers customised travel itineraries, tour and accommodation bookings including information on all there is to see and do in and around the NT region. Contact our friendly team today to plan your unforgettable experience.