Katherine is the Northern Territory town where the Stuart Highway finally starts to feel tropical. It sits on the Katherine River, south of Darwin and north of the red centre, with heat, paperbarks, pandanus, and long roads pulling in every direction.
The town itself is practical rather than pretty, but the country around it is outstanding. Nitmiluk Gorge is the clear reason to come, with sandstone cliffs, canoe trips, cruises, walks, and Jawoyn country all packed into one river system.
Katherine passes the spare-day test easily if you are anywhere in the Top End. Add Leliyn / Edith Falls, Cutta Cutta Caves, the hot springs, and local museums, and it becomes much more than a fuel stop between Darwin and Alice Springs.