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You are here: Home Contact DHAInformation about Katherine

Information about Katherine

Area Code: 08
Time Zone: EST minus 30 minutes
Population: 10 000

Introduction

Katherine is the third largest town in the Northern Territory, partly due to the 2,400 strong community of RAAF members and their families. The region's natural wonders, tourism, agriculture and mining are strong industries and swell the full-time population of the town to 10,000 residents.

Situated at the junction of the Stuart and Victoria highways, Katherine is often used as the gateway into Kakadu National Park and to Western Australia. Katherine is a rural town with a difference. It is a lively and modern regional hub with a lot of facilities not usually available in outback Australia.

Katherine is also located at the heart of an agricultural district. The area boasts the NT's largest mango plantations, one of the biggest dairy farms in Australia and over 24 million hectares worth of cattle, crop and fruit and vegetable production.

There is a strong sense of community within Katherine, particularly amongst the Defence families.

Housing

Due to the amount of space available in Katherine, the vast majority of housing are one-story freestanding dwellings with front and backyards. Some of the houses are elevated and others are at ground level.

DHA manages just over 550 properties in the area, including those on and off base.

Katherine is divided into Katherine, Katherine North, Katherine East and Katherine South. The majority of Service Residences are located at Katherine East and are close to schools and local shopping facilities.

Most properties provide tropical, lush gardens on larger sized blocks and are close to various playgrounds and sporting associations.

All DHA houses are fitted with air-conditioning facilities. If you do have fans, it is still recommended to bring them with you to give you added cooling flexibility in summer. It is not necessary to bring heaters.

Defence Locations

The RAAF Tindal base is a 15 minute drive from the centre of town. Another Defence location in the area is the Army's Katherine Training area, which is 27 km from Katherine. There is also a small outpost in Alice Springs.

Katherine Services

Although Katherine has a relatively small population, it is well supplied with community and social services.

The Katherine Hospital and Katherine Community Care Centre are the main health facilities. These are complemented by dentists, private medical specialists and an aerial medical service. There is no bulk billing medical facility unless you are the holder of a health card. A variety of government sponsored services also exist for children, families, the aged and the disabled.

Katherine has a range of restaurants, specialty shops and a supermarket complex. However, the Woolworths supermarket and Country Target are not large. Sport is a major social activity, with nearly 35 sporting clubs offering a range of opportunities. There are also well run childcare facilities, although childcare centre/family day care is limited.

Climate

Katherine has two distinct seasons, the wet and the dry, with the wet occurring between October and April, Due to the variance of climate, you will need some winter clothing for June and July, and light clothes and bedding for summer. The area's climate is best described as "tropical savannah". The wet season can be hot, sticky and uncomfortable during the build up, typically 24C min and 40C max. The dry season can be described as perfect, with 10C min and 30C max.

Education

Katherine region students have access to good quality pre-school, primary, secondary and tertiary education through a total of 20 remote and 6 local schools and higher education facilities.

Although Defence families will not need to use the Katherine School of the Air, it is interesting to know that children living in remote areas of the top end are still able to receive an education.

In Katherine, children aged four attend a half day preschool, transition classes are a full day and begin at the age of five, with primary school covering Years 1 -7. High school is for Years 8-12. St Joseph's College is for students in Years 1 - 9.

Schools holidays consist of a 4 week break in June/July, 1 week in March/April and Sept/Oct plus 6 weeks in Dec/Jan.

High school students wishing to continue their education at a university will need to sit the Northern Territory Certificate of Education (NTCE). A TAFE campus is located in Katherine.

Local Community and its People

Katherine is a transient town. Most people who live here only stay for a short to medium term. There are numerous tourists, itinerant workers, backpackers etc who travel through town and only stay for a very short time. Like any community with a high transient population caution should be exercised after hours.

The aboriginal culture is ancient and diverse. In many instances the Aboriginal people choose to live with the wider community. There are twelve major Aboriginal language groups and eight minor Aboriginal language groups. The traditional owners of the surrounding lands belong to the Jawoyn People, who have a long association the RAAF Base and the Australian Defences Forces. When RAAF Base Tindal was built Jawoyn Elders carried sacred site clearance work and to this day RAAF Tindal has fenced off sacred dreaming sites.

Since the closing of the local mine and abattoir there is unemployment amongst the local community. As with any community with employment issues, there are at times social problems, such as alcohol abuse.

As with any culturally diverse community new comers should show tolerance and acceptance of others, and respect their differences. Take time to enjoy the first hand experience of other cultures.

Tindal HMC

The Tindal HMC is located on Katherine Terrace and is your point of contact for housing allocations, rent assistance, and house maintenance.