Katherine Gorge

Upon our arrival in Katherine, we knew we were no longer in the desert – it stayed warm at night at we could wear shorts during the day. We immediately took off to find the famous hot springs. Having only been in Jacuzzis and hot tubs before, the natural thermal pools along the Katherine River were a huge delight. The water was sparkling clear and a comfortable 75^oF. We dug our feet into the sandy bottom and marvelled at the riparian vegetation, which included lush pandanus palms sending their roots into the water. A rocky ledge made a small (0.5 m high) waterfall that we stood beneath. The warm water pummelled our necks and shoulders giving us a natural massage while the bubbles, which fizzed like a carbonated beverage, cleansed and rejuvenated our skin. As we lay and floated on our backs and let the current take us along the length of the pool, there wasn’t any other place we would rather be. At the end of the pool was a mud slide which many kids enjoyed since it allowed them to enter the pool with a spectacular splash. As we towelled off and headed home, we knew we would soon be back.

The Katherine River is spectacular as it is the first permanently flowing water as one heads north from Alice Springs. Though it narrows to just 10’s of meters during the dry season it often swells to 100’s of meters and overtops its banks during the wet. As we walked along the river path we saw evidence of last year’s huge flood which required to city to evacuate. A foam mattress was lodged in a tree and sticks, grass and branches hung from the bridge. The riparian vegetation provides perfect fruit bat habitat. As the sun set hundreds of fruit bats took to the sky. Most followed the river above the tree canopy, but every now and then a bat broke off from the group and headed into town hoping to find some delicious treats.

An inland sea previously laid down sandstone in the Katherine region and over time water has eroded it, forming deep chasms. A portion of the Katherine River now flows through these chasms which form a series of 13 sandstone gorges. Each gorge is separated from the next by large boulders and rocks over which one must portage, or lift up the canoes and kayaks, in order to enter the next gorge.

As we paddled along we were surrounded by the rugged and sheer rock walls of Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Park. Occasionally the rock formed small overhangs above the river which appeared to be small caves. We paddled inside and were treated to a symphony of water droplets. Sandy beaches were located along slight bends in the river; however, most of these beaches were unable to be accessed since they were prime nesting habitat for freshwater crocodiles, which are not aggressive compared to their saltwater cousins. On a warm sunny day like today we expected to see lots of crocodiles basking on the beaches. But we only saw one freshie near the water line on our way back.

The dry season is an ideal time to swim, canoe, and kayak along the Katherine River because the water is relatively calm. However, in the wet season the river becomes a raging torrent of water. Trees that have managed to establish themselves on rocky islands in the middle of the river are bent at 45^o angles by the amazing power of the flowing river. On a day like today when there hasn’t been any rain for weeks or months we hardly detected any water current, making it difficult to determine if we were headed upstream or downstream. However, when we got to shallow portions of the river where it was necessary to portage the kayak the foaming, turbulent water cascading over rocks clearly let us know which way it was flowing. The slippery rocks covered in green algae along with the water sucking at our feet and legs made the portage a challenging task.

Around lunchtime we managed to find a beach that we didn’t have to share with crocodiles. We munched on our sandwiched while watching a waterfall on the opposite bank of the river. As a large motorboat disgorged a group of tourists near the waterfall, we were happy to have taken a less popular form of transport even though it meant a few minor frustrations. We could admire the gorges up close and at our own pace. We were impressed by the monsoon rainforests which grew in large chasms jutting off to the sides of the river. The side chasms fill with large amounts of water during the wet both from rover flow and runoff from the above sandstone plateaus. The vegetation on top of the plateau is adapted to a more arid environment and offered a vivid contrast to the lush rainforest vegetation. We were eager to hike the plateau and escarpment the following day.

Though the possibility of seeing several freshwater crocodiles was exciting, the most interesting wildlife we came across were tiny red insects about the size of a pin head. 100’s of these bugs coated various rocks near the water giving the rocks a bumpy, red appearance. But when we got close to the rocks and waved our hands a few inches above the bugs they would fly off the rock in a ripple of motion, apparently reacting to our motion or shadow.

We started up the sandstone escarpment occasionally stopping to look down at the river we had kayaked the day before. Back in the Dreamtime, before any humans were present on Earth, Bulong, the Rainbow Serpent, walked along a songline from the west coast of Australia to the interior. This Dreamtime ancestor carried with him two important possessions – a dilly bag full of water and two fire sticks. The Earth at this time was parched and dry, so if Bulong had not travelled with water collected from the sea he would have had nothing to drink. The firesticks provided him with heat and light and allowed him to cook his food. As he walked towards the interior the other ancestors became jealous at his source of water. But he was used to other’s jealousy and was able to outwit them. However, the mosquito ancestors were quite clever. As Bulong bent down to place his firesticks on the ground, the mosquitoes began to bite him and his dilly bag. Bulong tried his best to resist, but soon he lay dead and his dilly bag spilled open. The gushing water formed the Katherine River and the firesticks grew into the characteristic fire-adapted vegetation which grows on the sandstone plateau. Bulong’s spirit came to rest in the second gorge along the Katherine River. It is important not to swim in the deep water holes or make loud noises, or else you will disturb him.

Signs along the hiking trails repeatedly reminded us that temperatures on the escarpment are often 10 – 15 degrees higher than on the river below, which is why we started out in the cool morning, carried lots of water, and stopped to refill our bottles along the way. We immediately saw why the vegetation on top the escarpment differed so much from that alongside the river. The escarpment’s sandy soil does not hold many nutrients and any nutrients that are returned to the system are either quickly taken up by plants or leached out during the rainy season. Even though the escarpment gets quite a bit of rain, water quickly infiltrates and exits the soil. Frequent fire sweeps through the dry and hot escarpment, leaving only fire tolerant species to recover in its wake.

We followed the sandy and rocky trails to various look out points. As the air began to heat up we were happy for the bit of shade that was present. For lunch we descended into the gorge, not anticipating how difficult of a descent it would be. We soon found ourselves scrambling over huge boulders which shifted under our feet. We held onto the sides of the gorge and secure looking saplings. But the challenge was worth it as we were soon sitting near a relaxing pool and waterfall, resting in the shade.

As we reversed directions and headed back to the visitors center, I couldn’t help but admire the huge sandstone boulders flanking either side of the path. The angles at which they were pitched made me wonder what type of geologic activity they had been involved in. Part of me knew the terminology and scientific explanation, but another part wanted to see it unfold in time lapse photography before my very eyes.