Rich culture, fascinating history and indulgence in abundance: a day in Katherine and Nitmiluk National Park

From relaxing in natural springs to picking up outback skills and learning about Aboriginal culture, Simon Calder shares an enriching day in Australia’s Northern Territory

An essential component of any road trip in the Northern Territory is the joy of exploring the settlements along the way. Pine Creek is the point where the Kakadu Highway and the Stuart Highway converge, about 225km southeast of Darwin.

In the early 1870s, the men who were building the Overseas Telegraph line across central Australia discovered gold here at Pine Creek. A Gold Rush was on – luring people from right across Australia, plus 2000 workers of Chinese origin.

Before I set off, Jared Archibald of the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory told me more. “People came from all over Australia but also from overseas. Many, many Chinese came, and it became this huge bustling town that had a railway built to it, and you can see the men here who were working on it. After about 30 years that gold ran out. So it’s still an amazing little town, but it has never got to the size of something like Darwin did.”

Amazing it certainly is: with carefully preserved artefacts to an age of abundance. Today, if you keep going south, you enter an age of indulgence.

Katherine is where the tropics meet the Outback. And it’s time for me to indulge in three Northern Territory rituals – starting at  the town’s free-to-enter hot springs. If you have been to Center Parcs in the UK, this is the natural version of a subtropical swimming paradise, only warmer, less crowded and costing not a cent.

For my second indulgence, I headed for Top Didj to be immersed in Aboriginal culture. Australia’s first nations people have much to share with the world.

An Aboriginal Elder, Manuel Pamkal, taught me about some skills that have sustained the world’s oldest continuous living culture.

He started with that most elemental of human needs: creating fire, an important element of Aboriginal culture. Unbelievably Manuel can create it from a couple of pieces of wood, a bit of sand and some dried grass.

Next, time for a musical interlude: the “didj” in Top Didj is short for didgeridoo, and I learnt that it’s all about the resonance.

Hunting is another fundamental for Aboriginal people, and an inspired design involving a hooked piece of wood and a spear provides an excellent way of hitting your target (a picture of an echidna, a local animal). I was lucky first time.

For my third and final experience in the area, I followed the Katherine River to Nitmiluk Gorge. The story of the landscape here began over a billion and a half years ago, when layers of sandstone were laid down to form the Arnhemland Plateau. A geological upheaval in the ever-restless earth around 20 million or more years ago shattered this sandstone shield. Water began to fill the fracture lines and slow, quiet erosion completed the 16km Nitmiluk Gorge system.

The national park has a network of well-marked trails: if the climb doesn’t take your breath away, the view from Baruwei Lookout probably will. It’s a 45-minute round trip, and of course you need water and a hat.

Seeing the gorge from water level provides a whole new dimension to the natural beauty. Cliffs come to life in the changing light, shifting their shapes and shadows. Nitmiluk is the name given by the Jawoyn people; the Europeans called it Katherine Gorge. To round off an unforgettable day, take the Nabilill sunset cruise – with dinner. It’s gastronomy on the go: you dine on freshly cooked local produce as you glide through spectacular scenery towards the setting sun. Celebrate your good fortune with the other lucky guests – or just let yourself be smitten by the natural beauty. The deeper you venture into the Northern Territory, the richer the experience becomes.

From rich culture and history to stunning landscapes and wildlife, a holiday in the Northern Territory is an experience like no other. For ideas on what to do, where to stay or to start planning a trip, visit Freedom Destinations, the Territory travel experts.

Explore the Tropical Top End to the Red Centre on this Icons of the Outback tour.

For more travel inspo visit Northern Territory