The Katherine, Australia reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Katherine, Australia

Katherine, with a population of around 7,500 is 320 kilometres south east of the city of Darwin in the federal Northern Territory in Australia.

Set in promising grazing and future agricultural country, the towns main economic source is currently gold from the minings at Mt Todd, with increasing tourism and the Tindal RAAF airbase 27 kilometeres south east of town also adding to the economy.

The Katherine River runs through the north of the town which has a church, several parks, a fine golf course and several sporting clubs including a showground.

The spectacular Katherine Gorge near to town has many caves full of ancient rock paintings. These caves often become flooded during "the wet" as the river can rise 18 meteres in the narrow passage. In a particularly wet season, the caves higher up become flooded, damaging these ancient treasures forever.

The town was given its name after the daughter of one of the sponsors of John McDouall Stuart who first saw the area in 1862.

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