Katherine, Northern Territory

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Katherine Katherrain (Australian Kriol) Northern Territory
Katherine Main street (Stuart Highway / Katherine Terrace)
Katherine
Coordinates	14°28′0″S 132°16′0″E / 14.46667°S 132.26667°E / -14.46667; 132.26667
Population	5,980 (2021 census)
Established	1926
Postcode(s)	0850, 0852
Elevation	108 m (354 ft)
Location	318 km (198 mi) S of Darwin 1,185 km (736 mi) N of Alice Springs 516 km (321 mi) E of Kununurra (WA) 273 km (170 mi) N of Daly Waters
LGA(s)	Town of Katherine
Territory electorate(s)	Katherine
Federal division(s)	Lingiari
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 34.2 °C 94 °F 20.2 °C 68 °F 1,112.5 mm 43.8 in

Katherine is a town in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is situated on the Katherine River, after which it is named, 320 kilometres (200 mi) southeast of Darwin. The fourth largest settlement in the Territory, it is known as the place where "The outback meets the tropics". Katherine had an urban population of 5,980 at the 2021 Australia Census.^[1]

Katherine is also the closest major town to RAAF Base Tindal, located 17 km (11 mi) southeast, and provides education, health, local government services and employment opportunities for the families of Defence personnel stationed there. In the 2016 census, the base had a residential population of 857, with only around 20% of the workforce engaged in employment outside of defence,^[2] the majority commuting to work in Katherine. Katherine is also the central hub of the great "Savannah Way" which stretches from Cairns in north Queensland to Broome in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.^[3]

Beginning as an outpost established with the Australian Overland Telegraph Line on the north–south transport route between Darwin and Adelaide, Katherine has grown with the development of transport and local industries including mining – particularly gold mining; a strategic military function with RAAF Base Tindal; also as a tourism gateway to the attractions of nearby Nitmiluk National Park, particularly Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge and its many ancient rock paintings. The region floods heavily during the wet season.