Katherine Town Council has secured $1,607,918 through the Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program to design a multi-purpose regional sports, recreation, and community precinct linking the Katherine Aquatic Centre with surrounding sporting facilities. The Council will lead the project in partnership with the Northern Territory Government, Katherine-based NGOs, Indigenous organisations, and local sporting and community groups to create a modern, all-weather destination for sport, recreation, community gatherings, and significant events.
Katherine Town Council CEO Ingrid Stonhill described the funding as the first major step toward developing a facility that will serve the entire Big Rivers region. She highlighted that the investment enables collaboration with partners to design a precinct promoting healthy lifestyles, community connection, and year-round economic activity.
Central to the project is the NT Government-owned Henry Scott Recreation Centre, which will be replaced with a modern indoor sports and community facility. The upgraded centre will offer competition-standard indoor courts for sports like netball, basketball, and hockey, as well as change rooms, public amenities, office space for allied health and community services, and an air-conditioned venue for social functions, conferences, and community events. The building will also function as an evacuation centre during severe weather, providing space for NGOs to deliver essential support services.
The new facility will be physically linked to the Katherine Aquatic Centre and other planned sporting developments, enhancing connectivity, parking, and pedestrian access across the 29-hectare Katherine Sports Ground. Already the hub of sporting and active recreation in the community, the precinct attracts more than 240,000 visits annually and offers easy access from the CBD and Katherine East via cycling and walking paths.
The Katherine Sports Ground Masterplan 2018–2027 identified the need for a year-round indoor facility to address seasonal heat and wet-season rainfall that limit outdoor sport and recreation. The secured funding will support shovel-ready designs and documentation to make that vision a reality.
Ms. Stonhill emphasized that the project will improve community health and wellbeing, attract regional competitions, conferences, and events, and boost tourism and the local economy. She concluded that the investment represents a long-term commitment to Katherine’s future, creating a precinct that unites the community, celebrates sporting culture, and strengthens the region’s role as the heart of the Big Rivers area.
