Akubras And Couture
Sun Herald
Sunday May 20, 2007
In Katherine, the locals aren't always as they seem, Erin O'Dwyer writes.
FOR KATHERINE, we were pretty dressed up. We'd been on the road in the Top End for a week, camping and chowing down on snags and salads. Tonight though we had chosen to pamper ourselves. We pulled in at a cheap motel and decided to splurge on a pub meal.It was an all-you-can-eat buffet and we dressed accordingly downmarket - Tanya and I in cotton skirts and thongs, Nadine in trademark T-shirt and jeans, and Andy in the same cargos he had worn all week.We ordered schooners ("not much of a wine list here, love") and sat down to wait for our new friends.Silvija and Rob Majetic were the parents of six small children and proprietors of the iconic local takeaway, the Bucking Bull Burger Bar. We had met them that morning - Silvija looking tired and greasy after her 5am start on the grill - and they were joining us for a rare night on the town.Life in remote Australia does different things to different people. Some turn to drink, others to gambling. In Silvija's case, she had turned to fashion.Shortly after 8pm, a beautiful woman swept into the beer garden. It was Silvija dressed to the nines in a baby doll dress by Salvatore Ferragamo and designer knee-length boots in cherry leather. Lace lingerie peeked from her plunging neckline and on one finger was a Paspaley pearl. On her arm was an Olga Berg handbag.Rob came in behind her, clearly upstaged. But he looked every bit the Country Road model in his slouchy jeans and crisp paisley shirt. I looked at the tomato sauce smudge on my top and sighed. Even on a road trip I could feel daggy.The boys having gone to get drinks, Silvija confided that she would rather be running a boutique than a burger bar.Not that there was much of a market in Katherine. She bought online and over the phone, ringing up TV stations if she saw something she liked or ordering from magazine listings."Rob doesn't know how much I buy," she whispered. "I have boxes and boxes of shoes in my wardrobe. I just don't have anywhere to wear them."It was a memorable night in a memorable town. Before long we were on the dance floor - me in my thongs, Silvija in her Salvatore, and alongside us some young bucks in moleskins and Akubras.We felt so welcome that on the two-week road trip from Darwin to the Kimberley, Katherine became our accidental base.Our friend Nadine had met Silvija years earlier but when our camp-weary foursome sauntered into the shop she greeted us like family. Silvija's generosity made us feel at home in a part of Australia that can be overwhelming in its awesome beauty. Her humble shop provided us with rare and surprising insights into Katherine daily life.We ate breakfast there most days and were often the only whitefellas in the shop. The shop ran mostly on a book-up system - sometimes controversial because it's used by Aboriginal people in remote areas to buy now and pay later. Businesses hold bank cards and pin numbers. Critics also say that it continues the welfare dependency or handout mentality that has long plagued the Aboriginal community.But, said Silvija, she supported the scheme because she felt it was helping the community. Her food was wholesome and fresh, and always available. The fact that Bucking Bull had government approval as well as being a favourite among local lawyers and journalists stood it in good stead.Over our time there, we saw the same faces coming and going. There was the tall proud cattleman in his pristine moleskins and boots. (The shift from horses to motorbikes and helicopters in cattle mustering had seen him out of a job.) Then there was the mother and her brood of children, scrambling over soft drinks in the fridge. And the young men who came in to watch TV.Many customers were long grassers - people who came into town to eat, then returned to the rough camps to drink. It was devastating to see people so ravaged by alcohol.Tourism in the Top End has given some hope to the Aboriginal community. Nitmiluk National Park, which attracts thousands of people each year, is owned by the Jawoyn Aboriginal people and jointly managed with the Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission. There is good camping in the national park, but we used Katherine as a base for exploring it. The highlight was Leliyn (Edith Falls), half an hour north-east from Katherine. We spent half a day there, exploring the walking tracks and swimming holes. The upper pools are fringed with rocks and sandy beaches, and the natural current provided us with hours of fun.An hour south-east are the hot springs of Mataranka. Fed by spring water from the Daly and Georgina basins, the springs are sheltered by native palms and the water sits at a constant 34 degrees. We swam 100 metres upstream, then floated back on the current, watching the fish below and the birds above.On our return to Katherine we visited historic Pine Creek - the only original goldmining town still surviving in the Top End. The National Trust Museum building is the oldest prefabricated structure in the Northern Territory and definitely worth a look. We also explored the old Pine Creek Railway - the initial terminus of an uncompleted 19th-century transcontinental railway system.The jewel in the crown is Katherine Gorge, also part of the Nitmiluk National Park. Thirteen spectacular gorges make up the attraction, about 20 minutes drive from town. During the dry season (April to October), the gorge is perfect for swimming and canoeing.We hired canoes and paddled around, stopping to look for the harmless freshwater crocodiles, take in rock art and swim. We would have loved to do the five-day walk from Edith Falls to Katherine Gorge, but time forced us onward to the Kimberley.From there it should have been straight back to Darwin. But the promise of a Bucking Bull burger drew us back to Katherine. Silvija was thrilled and tried to tempt us out on the town. Nadine succumbed but Tanya, Andy and I declined. After two weeks on the road we had nothing to wear.Instead we sat around camp, sifting through our memories and looking forward to coming back.TRIP NOTES* Katherine is 330 kilometres south of Darwin. Hire four-wheel-drive vehicles from $50 per day. Phone 1300 794 344 or see www.budget.com.au. * Qantas and Virgin Blue fly regularly to Darwin. See www.qantas.com.au, www.virginblue.com.au.* For sightseeing information, contact Katherine Region Tourist Association. Phone 1800 653 142 or see www.krta.com.au.* Bucking Bull Burger Bar, 16 Second Street, Katherine. Phone (08) 8971 1139.
© 2007 Sun Herald
