The sun peeped its head over the outback, giving life and shape to the never ending darkness. The scenery continued to roll by, changing from rugged shrubs on flat plains to greener and lusher bushes as we approached Katherine.

We had booked a shuttle bus into Katherine’s centre for a chance to explore (also it was the cheapest of the Whistle Stop tours, apart from actually sitting on the train). After a quick chat to the lady at the Information Centre, we set off with a map of where to go, in our hands.

Quickly we realised that once you had walked down the Main Street, there wasn’t much else in Katherine to explore. The town’s main attraction was a Coffee Club that we later found out turned into a night club at night. As we walked through parks, broken glass crunched under our feet and a disturbing smell lingered in the air.

I was confronted by the number of people who simply seemed to be roaming the streets or sitting/sleeping in parks. I tried to ignore the fear building in my stomach as we were stared at and called out to. My experience in this outback town was one of discomfort.

Nevertheless, there were still a lot of positive features to explore. We entered one of the many Indigenous Art Galleries, Mimi, which offered a selection of Indigenous Artwork. All proceeds go straight back into the community. There is also a lot to do outside of Katherine- Katherine Gorge and Katherine River being the main two. I am glad however, that I didn’t take a Whistle Stop Tour to one of these places. This was partially because they were very expensive, but mostly because then I wouldn’t have seen Katherine for what it is, but rather as a glossy tourist attraction.

Steve gazes over the river from the old railway bridge

Back on the train again, we were on our way for our last few hours on the Ghan. The scenery became lusher and greener and the walls became moist with humidity. Wildlife in abundance was seen outside our window. We had entered the life-filled tropics of north Australia.

We were thankful that the heavens had not yet opened as we disembarked the train and boarded the shuttle bus to take us to the centre of Darwin. The room at the hostel we had booked left much to be desired and we were grateful that we only had two nights here before we were able to stay with my brother’s friend’s sister and her husband for the rest of our time in Darwin. After settling in, we headed off down the street to one of the many pubs to enjoy what you traditionally do in Darwin – have a beer.

The Darwin adventure had just begun!

Teen on a Train