Kayaking the Katherine River

 

AS I SIP ON MY morning coffee and pore over the day’s headlines, a menacing photograph grabs my eye. A large saltwater croc is lunging from the cover of the NT News. Its enormous mouth is open wide, revealing sharp teeth that hint at the crushing power of mighty jaws. Alongside the image, the ­Darwin-based newspaper’s cover line reads: “Kids use live dogs for croc bait”. I suddenly feel a bit sick. I’m about to embark on a three-day kayaking trip down the Katherine River: was this a sensible decision?

Under normal circumstances, such an image would send me packing. Instead, I rationalise that the ­Katherine is a freshwater river so there won’t be any salties lurking in its depths. Right? I tell myself this again, later in the morning, as I board a coach headed for a popular kayaking spot on the outskirts of Katherine township, about 320km south-east
of Darwin.

Three and a half hours later, after a drive through the lush savannah woodlands of the Top End, I’m met by tour guide Collin Jerram. Clad in ...more