And Reporting from K-Town

After a couple of possible lifts evaporated, some other avenues opened up, and it looks like we are probably heading out to the community tomorrow.

It's been fun to be in Katherine again. The weather is gorgeous: days in the upper 70s to mid-80s I think and nights mostly in the 50s (I'm talking Fahrenheit degrees, of course). The skies are clear blue, except for occasional firesmoke, the night skies full of stars. The town is full of families from outlying communities, and tourists from all over. It's school holidays, so kids are on break, and next week is the Katherine Show, so there's extra hustle and bustle around that.

We visited the Hot Springs, which you may remember from our first visit here as misnomered tepid waters. We also went swimming yesterday at the Low-Level Crossing of the Katherine River, a place where there could theoretically be crocs but where it's unlikely this time of year particularly. We swam in the shallow, swift-moving area, just to be sure.

It's been interesting seeing which businesses are still, mysteriously, open, and which have closed. A few new businesses have sprung up, and others have simply changed hands.

We've been staying with our friend R and he has swept us right back into the whirlwind of the Katherine social scene. That is, barbecues and dinner parties and general hanging out much more frequently than our maybe-once-a-week social life back home! It's been really good seeing old friends and also meeting new people. This funny little town, which certainly has its prickly side, seems to have welcomed us back with open arms.

I'm looking forward to getting out to the community tomorrow and seeing what is in store for us next.

I probably won't blog again for at least three weeks, but do check back in August!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

you may not see this for a couple of weeks, but is the Drive-Thru liquor shop still open? It sounds as tho there may be a LOT more of Katherine in your future! Swimming?-- well at least you are reporting that you swam rather than planning on going!!
Bill

bulanjdjan said...

Yay! Back in the Katherine groove!! Hope everything goes well out bush!!

Anonymous said...

what about the little cafe in the arcade? what about barra cafe? the fish and chips shop at the corner? the internet cafe on the other corner?

Maggie

Catalin said...

Drive-thru liquor still there, though now officially called the Bottle-O, which is what Aussies call a liquor store.

Mags: Arcade Cafe still there, Barra cafe too, no fish and chips, didj internet cafe still there. No Starvin', no Terrace Tapes. Remember Russell from the backpackers lodge? Not doing that anymore, but now owns the outdoor store near the corner of the Vic Highway. Library has moved and expanded, upstairs, nice facility. Not a lot of other changes.