Katherine is a town situated 320 kilometres (200 mi) southeast of Darwin in the "Top End" of Australia in the Northern Territory. It is the fourth largest settlement in the Territory after the capital Darwin, Palmerston and Alice Springs. Katherine had an urban population of 5,849 on the 2006 Census night.

Set in promising grazing and future agricultural country, the town's main economic source has often been gold, but this has lessened after the closing of the mine at Mount Todd. There is increasing tourism and the RAAF Base Tindal 17 km southeast of town is also contributing to the economy. The town has several churches, sporting clubs, parks, a well kept golf course, and a showground.

The well known and spectacular Katherine Gorge in the Nitmiluk National Park near the town has many ancient rock paintings. These often become flooded during "the wet season" as the river can rise 18 m in the narrow passage. In a particularly wet season, the paintings higher up can become flooded, damaging these ancient treasures.

The original inhabitants of the area belong to the Jawoyn, Dagoman and Wardaman language groups.

The town 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. The Katherine River, after which the town and the nearby 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 'Katherine', in honour of the second daughter of James Chambers Esq." 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 next stage of development of Katherine was the establishment of the Katherine Telegraph Station on 22 August 1872 and the completion of the Overland Telegraph Line later in 1872. It was not until 1923 that construction began on the Katherine railway bridge, with construction completed in 1926. All shops were then moved to the opposite side of the river, where the town of Katherine now sits. The first train crossed the bridge on 21 January 1926.

Construction began on a new rail line in July 2001. On 13 September 2003, the line was finished with a continuous track from Adelaide to Darwin. The Ghan passenger train commenced on 4 February 2004 and runs several times a week. It stops in Katherine on both the northbound and southbound journeys.

Dr. Clyde Fenton of Katherine became one of the first Flying Doctors in Australia when he raised £500 to buy a plane for his medical run. He soon earned himself the name of "Speed Gordon of the Territory Skies".

The Katherine River runs through the north of the town. The river has a history of flooding the town, with documented accounts in 1957, 1974, 1998 (on Australia Day), and 5–7 April 2006.

The 1998 flood devastated the town, and the area was declared a national disaster. The flood resulted from the 300–400 mm of rainwater brought by Cyclone Les that caused the already full Katherine River to rise an additional 21.3 metres. The floodwaters inundated the town and much of the surrounding region, requiring the evacuation of many residents.

The April 2006 floods placed parts of the town under water (including about 50 houses), caused millions of dollars of damage, and resulted in the declaration of a state of emergency on 7 April. However, there were no reports of the flooding causing structural damage. Town residents were given warning that the river might flood on 5 April, and the town centre was underwater before noon the next day. The floodwaters reached a peak of nearly 19 metres at the Katherine River bridge. Dozens of homes were inundated with up to 2 m of water, with many residents having time to escape with little more than the clothes they were wearing. Over the weekend of 8–9 April, more than 1,100 people went to the evacuation centres in the town. The state of emergency was lifted on 9 April.

Today Katherine is a key regional centre supporting the cattle, horticulture, agriculture and tourism industries. Located at the junction of major tourism drives, Central Arnhem Road, the Savannah Way and the Explorers Way, Katherine is an important visitor gateway for the Northern Territory.

Katherine is located 320 km south of Darwin and is situated on the banks of the Katherine River, which is part of the Daly River system. The upper reaches rise into the Arnhem Land escarpment and Kakadu to the north east.

The topography of the region is predominantly tropical savanna woodland. The township of Katherine is set amongst a Karst landscape of ancient limestone formations, outcrops, and subterranean caves. Other ecosystems include open eucalypt forest and rocky escarpment country and isolated pockets of monsoon rainforest/vine thickets.

 Climate
Katherine experiences a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw) with distinct wet and dry seasons. The annual rainfall is 1,132mm and daily temperatures normally range from 24° – 35°C, occasionally reaching 40°C with very high humidity at times during the build-up period to the wet season, when the region begins to receive some of the country's most spectacular electrical storms along with vigorous lightning displays. Dry season nights can get quite cool, regularly dropping to 7°C overnight in the middle of the dry season.

Low elevation and frequent rainfall, as well as the town's situation on the banks of a river, means that the area is prone to flooding. A flood on Australia Day in 1998 was particularly destructive. Ex-Tropical Cyclone Les produced between 300 and 400 millimetres of rainfall during a 48 hour period, causing the Katherine River to rise to 21.3 metres and claim the lives of three people.

Floods are not just the only threat the town faces every wet season. Severe thunderstorms and lightning are also familiar dangers every wet season. Large hail to 2,5 cm diameter has also been reported within the area. Katherine is also located in one of the most lightning struck areas in the southern hemisphere and caution should be heeded outdoors in the summer months.

Katherine town and surrounds provide plenty of park and garden areas. Dakota Park, Giles Park, Jurassic Cycad Gardens, Jukes Park and O’Shea Park are in the town. Tourist attractions include Nitmiluk National Park and Cutta Cutta Caves Nature Park, Kintore Caves Nature Park with its populations of endangered cycads, Low Level Nature Park, Springvale Homestead and Katherine Hot Springs.

Along Riverbank Drive on the Katherine River, Katherine Hot Springs provide swimming, shaded picnic tables and barbecue facilities set amongst monsoon forest and tall paperpark trees where you can sit back and relax or enjoy the abundant birds and wildlife.

Fishing for barramundi, tarpon and sooty grunter is also popular along the Katherine River. The low level Nature Reserve and the hot springs are regarded safe to swim. Both freshwater and saltwater crocodiles inhabit the river, always make sure you swim in recommended safe areas and avoid swimming in remote 'suspicious' waters.

..