The first comment I must make about our Katherine visit is that we did not explore the town, other than for shopping and other practical forays, nor did I take photos. To be frank, we had both been there before and neither of us are enamoured.....a bit 'dog in the manger' I must admit, but by now I was becoming increasingly aware of just how far behind I was slipping with these blogs...something had to give. It was Katherine.
The other reason for this change of practice lies in the fact that our stay here was highlighted by some serous socialising (as I shall share later) and this all takes time!
But, as is my want, I did give our park the once over. Why it is called the 'Riverview' remains a mystery. The Katherine hot (?) springs were only a short walk away, but this was hardly a river and we had no views of it. Oh dear, picky, picky!
On arrival I dutifully hove to at the stop sign whilst herself did the business in the office.
The camp kitchen with its outdoor settings is almost opposite the office,
as is the park pool. We made no use of either, other than to join many in the park on our second night in at a 'country' concert around the camp kitchen area where we lasted for about twenty minutes.....the performances were less than sparkling!
As we made our way down the main park roadway towards our row at the back of the park, we passed several rows of cabins which are all set in delightful garden surrounds. We did visit one of these later that evening as you will see.
This is a big park, and it was busy. Row
after row of sites were fully occupied. This was high season in Katherine and yet again our practice of always booking ahead was vindicated....we did see others who had not done so being turned away.
We had actually just squeaked in ourselves (our length can be a problem) and found that we had been plonked right in the back corner of the park, where our shade was limited to the mid to late afternoon, but here we soon discovered we had more space around us than just about anyone else in the park including plenty of room for the Cruiser.
As I probably boringly repeat, this life on the road is all about compromise, and we were soon well set up for the next few days. The air conditioner and shade cloth were more than adequate defences against the morning and early afternoon heat.
And believe it or not, in the gardens immediately behind our site another Bowerbird had built its temple of love. If we had thought those at Lake Argyle were active, this one put them to shame. It's constant scratching, rearranging, chirping and scolding was at a level bordering on demented.....and, in the course of our stay, unsuccessful, despite a few female callers. What incredible efforts these birds go to to have something call them 'dad'.
Given the size of this park, there are several ablution blocks,
two of which were in close proximity to us. Rather oddly, this smaller facility housed a camp BBQ right next to it. An odd placement I thought, but there you are....very convenient (?) for those caught short whilst sizzling a snag.
A short distance along our row from our corner site was the gateway to the path to the Katherine Hot Springs. We did wander down to take the plunge and returned shortly thereafter very disappointed. Hot they were not, crowded they were. Our planned stopover at Mataranka in a few days time took on a new priority!
One of the real assets of this park is the fact that immediately next to it is the 'Barra Cafe' which can be accessed directly from the camp. We put this to very good use.
Whilst they had been doing a quick flit through the west, our very good Darwin based friends Cate and David (erstwhile neighbours from Oleander Street many, many moons ago) had joined us for a few fun-filled days in Bremer Bay.
During the course of one of several sessions, it was agreed that they would drive down from Darwin and spend a few days with us in Katherine. As it transpired the planned 'few days' became impossible, but they did come down for dinner....I mean what's a return trip of 600 kms for one night with friends to those in NT??
Hence my previous mention of the park cabins, in which they stayed. We were tasked with choosing the Friday night dinner venue. The utter convenience of the Barra Cafe was a very strong selling point (no driving involved) and I had been assured by the park staff that the meals were excellent. After a quick recce, when I found that this was far more than a 'cafe', the decision was taken and the booking made.
What an evening we had. The wall murals in this real surprise packet of a diner are just lovely,
the service was first class, and on top of this, the Barra Cafe is BYO with no corkage! After so long in WA, where corkage is seen as just another method by which to gouge unwary patrons and force them into buying stocked wines at ridiculously inflated prices, I was in a state of shock.
But how was the meal, I hear you cry. After all this is why you were here. Absolutely outstanding!
The Northern Territory is the only place in Australia where barramundi can be ordered with the complete confidence that what appears on the plate will indeed be the fine tasting wild barra, not that horrid stuff which is farmed in fresh water.
The Barra Cafe is no exception. A huge serve of delicious barra, very good chips, and a good mixed home style salad (not just six different types of leaves and a dob of balsamic) made for one of the best meals we had eaten in many a month. With a fine selection of SA wines in our esky and great company, this became a night to remember.
And whilst on the subject of the wines, you may recall I noted the 'Welcome to Katherine' sign had an additional cautionary note about alcohol consumption in public places. Well believe me, it went much further than that.
As we wandered into one of Katherine's bottle shops on a quest for our dinner wines, I was confronted by a young NT policewoman who asked to see my driver's licence and asked where we planned to consume our purchases.
You an probably imagine my reaction! After several polite but decidedly sharp questions as to what business of hers all this was, a youngish Sergeant joined the fray. By this time I was beginning to feel sorry for the young policewoman who was clearly unused to being challenged, and after I explained my background, the conversation became more directed towards what this was all about.
It turned out that the NT's finest were in the middle of a massive 'clean up Katherine' campaign, one instituted as a result of the success of a similar exercise in Alice Springs some time ago (the positive results of which we had noted when last there). The reason for the request for the licence was to preclude any challenge of racial bias.....I'll leave it to you to read between the lines (all these bottle shop entrances were under video surveillance) and the questions regarding the proposed place of consumption were designed to provide cautionary advice to visitors who may have been planning a tipple or two in a public park etc.
Once all this was explained I was a much calmer person. Indeed, I applauded the initiative (but did suggest some explanations to accompany the questions would be very useful in blunting the reactions of grumpy old men like your scribe).
And, in another of those extraordinary coincidental meetings on the road, it transpired that the bright and very personable young Sergeant had just completed his NCO course with Zac Winkworth, the son of John Winkworth, a previous colleague of mine (and great mate) from my last job in Adelaide. It is indeed a small world.
But I digress. After our fine meal at the Barra Cafe we felt obliged to repair to Cate and David's cabin for the odd nightcap or two (or three), and what better time for a spot of really serious conversation......there are many problems in the world to be solved. I'm not quite sure how well we did, but Cate and I did give it our best shot!
We did feel somewhat (but not too much!) for our ex-pat Brit mates as they departed the next morning for the 300 kms return drive to Darwin, but as they had assured us, they are dyed in the wool Territorians by now.....and at the allowed 130 kph on the Stuart, this was but a doddle. In any event, Liz and I were delighted they had made the effort. We can only hope that by the time we return to Kurrimine Beach next July, they will be retired and cosily installed in their newly acquired home in South Mission Beach (which has more than enough room for our van!!)
In our next, we visit Edith Falls and kick our heals up yet again in Katherine, this time with another group of travelling mates.
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