Katherine is a town in
Northern Territory, Australia. It is situated on the
Katherine River (after which it is named) below the "
Top End", southeast of
Darwin. It is the fourth largest settlement in the Territory. Katherine had an urban population of 6,094 on the 2011 Census night. Katherine is also the closest major town to
RAAF Base Tindal located 17 km southeast and provides education, health, local government services and employment opportunities for the families of Defence personnel stationed there. At the 2011 Census, the base had a residential population of 742, with 27.6% of the workforce engaged in employment outside of defence, the majority commuting to work in Katherine.