Established in the early 1870s, the original township consisted of a shanty pub and the Overland Telegraph Line Repeater Station. By 1888, the township had grown to include a hotel, general store and police station as well as the Overland Telegraph Line Repeater Station.
In 1916, under government policy of restricting the supply of liquor in the NT, the hotel at Knott’s Crossing lost its licence and the general store granted a ‘gallon licence’. The Gallon Licence Store operated until 1942 when Katherine was bombed during World War II. A bomb fell in the vicinity and killed one person. Its crater remains today.
The Crossing was named after Frederick George Knott and his wife Kate who were the first people to farm the north side of the river. They ran the Gallon Licence Store from 1927 until 1935. After George’s death, Kate ran the store from 1935 until 1948.
Three boab trees, which are over 100 years old, were planted by Tom Pearce with seeds from Bradshaw’s Run. This site has the primary heritage value and the associated physical elements contribute to make this place of major social significance to the Katherine region and the Northern Territory generally.
