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KATHERINE is a very young town in the terms of white Australia and it has a wonderful Indigenous history that spans at least 40,000 years. 

Katherine is a town with a colourful story full of legend and crazy characters and over the coming months I will endeavour to bring you some of these stories.

How Katherine got its name?

The Katherine River after which the town and the Gorge are named, was named by John McDouall Stuart when he passed through the area in 1862 on his sixth successful journey across the continent.

On 4 July 1862, Stuart crossed the Katherine River and recorded in his diary: “Came upon another large creek, having a running stream to the south of west and coming from the north of east.

This I have named ‘Catherine’, in honour of the second daughter of James Chambers Esq.”

The South Australian Pastoralist James Chambers was Stuart’s best friend and sponsor of five of his northern expeditions.

There is some conjecture over Stuart’s accuracy.

Chambers’s wife's name was Katherine but according to most sources his daughter’s name was Catherine.

The older locals still to this day call Katherine, Kath - ryne, and the younger generation call her by its quirky name, ‘K Town’.

Katherine has had several locations since its settlement by John McDouall Stuart, and the present site was gazetted on 15 July 1926.

The original post office and the Overland Telegraph station were set just above Knott’s Crossing and next to the Sportsman’s Arms Hotel that had quarters for the station master at the Overland Telegraph station and a single room police station.

Chambers Drive is also named in honour of Catherine Chambers.