Australia day 30 – Katherine, NT

A do-nothing-much day. The morning spent pottering around, enjoying the surroundings, having a swim, wandering the homestead grounds and generally relaxing after covering 1300km over the last week. In the afternoon we make a quick stop at the Low Level Nature Park on the banks of the Katherine River. This is another beauty spot popular for picnicking and swimming and there are two very inviting pools just below the weir in the eddy of the fast flowing current. But we resist the temptation to take a dip. There has been another report today of a 10-year-old being attacked by a croc while fishing somewhere in the Northern Territory, saved only by the quick thinking of his father who whacked it on the snout.

We spend some time looking around Katherine which has a sizeable town centre with a small shopping mall, a Woolies and various other shops including a campin’ and fishin’ which we browse around. Andy bought a cheap fishing rod a week or so ago and now buys some lures – live bait isn’t allowed . But when and where it will be safe to fish we’re not sure! We visit the library hoping to find some travel books on India as a cheaper option than research on the internet which is $2 for 15 minutes, but the library is small and has a poor selection of books and no travel section at all.

Like the rest of the Northern Territory indigenous people make up a high percentage of the population in Katherine and they are much in evidence as they spend much of their time outdoors usually sitting under the shade of trees or standing around the streets. We haven’t been able to determine how they make a living, if indeed they do.

After last night’s experience, we have rigged up a mozzie net outside with the table and chairs under it and we have a peaceful dinner while the flies swarm around outside, many clinging to the net. The flies only appear as dinner is being served and disappear just as suddenly when the last forkful has been consumed. Very strange!