29.05.2026

We are now in the fourth of six administrative districts of Australia, traveling in the 'Northern Territory'. This morning, we quickly glanced out of our hotel window at the city beach: very well-maintained, with an extra pool, water playground, sun loungers, and lifeguards. The sun rose around 6:30 AM. With 345 km ahead of us and a booking at 2 PM, we set off early. Before that, we stocked up on food again, as you never know what the supplies will be like, and it's amazing how much food accumulates for 7 days. Refueling was not an issue yet since our Toyota was still well-filled. We headed south towards 'Nitmiluk NP'. Along the way, we noticed several changes compared to the west coast: The land is much greener, with less bushland, but many tall trees are growing - of course, there are also many eucalyptus trees. The termite mounds are made of yellow or gray sand, have different shapes, and are much taller (about 4m in the pictures, but they can reach 5m-6m). The rivers are flowing, and there are more waterholes, allowing farms with cattle and goats to appear again. More frequently, there are memorial sites from World War II. Katherine, our destination, was bombed back in 1942, alongside Darwin, which by the way was hit harder than Pearl Harbor. We arrived at the motel under plenty of sunshine, were able to drop off our luggage, and then had a nice Chinese meal in the city center. At midday, the place felt deserted. Then we headed to the booked boat tour, about 25 km from Katherine. The 'Nitmiluk NP' is pure nature again! On the 'Katherine' River, we floated leisurely through the canyon. At the dock, we spotted many warning signs again! This is actually typical throughout the country. And... we saw three freshwater crocodiles lying on the sandbanks by the shore in the sun during the trip. The rocks shimmered in different shades of yellow, red, and black, depending on the position of the sun. Originally, this tour also included a guided hike, but those paths are currently closed for safety reasons. However, it was still impressive what nature has created. The park offers much more and could be explored further. But with temperatures above 30 °C, one is also looking forward to an air-conditioned room and a cold drink!