With the moving homes flooding the streets right now it is easy to see how Katherine is the second most popular destination in the NT for grey nomads and young backpackers.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
According to a new report from the Department of Tourism, Sport and Culture, 31 per cent of visitors travel to Katherine.
Darwin topped the list with 45 per cent of visitors staying in the NT's major city, and Alice Springs came in at third place.
Almost one third (30 per cent) of all visits to the NT were made up of 'leisure drive tourists' most of which are those aged over 50, and better known as grey nomads.
Drawing on results from Tourism Research Australia's International and National Visitor Survey, which was conducted over three years, the report shows on average three out of 10 people driving the NT's wide open roads were from interstate.
German travellers topped the list of those from overseas, followed closely by people from France and the UK.
For grey nomads Glen McInnes, 62, and Graeme Fullarton, 83, travelling to Katherine is always a highlight of their trip.
Seasoned NT travellers, they have visited the remote town almost 15 times.
"It is our standard winter gig," they said.
The retirees make the trip from their cold NSW home to Broome every year, and while they vary the route for interests sake, they always visit Katherine.
"It is a terminal and a cross roads, so you have to pass through, but we love Katherine," Mr McInnes said.
"It is a great stop over to get the shopping done, refuel and look at some of the artwork.
"Fuel is very expensive, we roughly spend about $1500 on our trip to Broome, and Katherine is cheap compared to other places where we might spend more than $2."
Passing through Katherine today with their large caravan attached for the trip, they said they are less likely to visit Darwin, despite it topping the list as the number one destination.
"For people in other parts of Australia, Darwin seems to be a bucket list item, it is great for fishing and there are some good restaurants," Mr McInnes said.
"Whereas most people find Katherine by accident just by driving through. It is an intersection so you have to come through one way or another.
"But once they get here, I think they see there is so much to do, and it is all very close, and that is a very good reason to come back."
While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox each Friday at 6am from the Katherine Times. To make sure you're up to date with all the news, sign up here.
