On Tuesday 2^nd August we drove out to Katherine Gorge to take our Gorge Cruise, which was to begin at 9.00am. This was a 4hr 3 Gorge cruise; it also involved getting on and off 3 boats.

Arriving at the jetty here the boat was to launch was an experience in itself. As we were walking down the path we could hear this loud screeching noise, thinking it was birds we looked up to see that the trees around us were covered with bats, 100’s of them covering nearly every tree in the area.

Our guide for this tour was an indigenous man who told us stories of how Katherine Gorge was created and about the different plants that grew there and their multi- purpose uses. He was also quite humorous; giving an account off a walk in the area that some travellers choose to take that can take up to 6 days to complete. Some have done it in 3 days, but he holds the record of doing it in one day. He gets in his car and drives from one starting place and ends at the other. These and other stories kept us entertained throughout the journey.

When we got off at the end of the first Gorge there was a short walk past some rock art that was painted there many years ago and were quite interesting.

Into the second gorge the scenery was again spectacular, just as the post card pictures show it to be. We went through one of the most photographed places in Australia and were not disappointed. From this point it was a quick hop skip and a jump onto the our last boat, not quite as long as the first two but still amazing. We were able to get out at the end of this gorge and have a clamber over some rock to enjoy the views beyond this third gorge.

The highlight of this trip was on the way back, before we were to board the second boat back to the start, we were able to have a dip in a safe not too cool part of the river, with morning tea thrown in.

There are 13 Gorges in total at Katherine Gorge and you are able to view all of them, either by walking, plane, and helicopter or by boat, which is how we enjoyed our visit to Katherine Gorge.