Katherine was home base for Dr Clyde Fenton, ca 1934-1939. He was a one man band medico/pilot in his succession of DH Moths, for Clyde had a great propensity for walking away from crashes, immediately resuming the fund raising for his next one. Clyde's "Flying Doctor" is one of the funniest books of it's kind ever published. One time on a stinking hot day he took off from DN for KT. In the front was the KT hospital matron. After an hour or so bouncing around Clyde was concerned to see her head and shoulders moving round vigorously. No voice tube and no radio needless to say.
Clyde hands her a note "You alright?"
Back comes matron's note. "Yes. I am now thank you. Now that I've got my blessed corsets off."
Hard book to come by. The Central Australian Air Museum in ASP had a few copies recently. Contact Perry Morey. (He, incidentally, is an authority on the life of the late Clyde. Has an unpublished bio.)
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Regarding the airport at Daly Waters - Peter 'Rocket' Wilson was a QF LAME based DN in 1049 days. He tells the story of EA-something bound DN-SY (ca. 1955) making an emergency landing at Daly Waters missing a section of cowl that's fallen off. Rocket hared down the highway with a set of steps (none in Daly Waters) on a trailor. Sized up the job then hunted round for some sheet metal. Ended up cutting a section off the sides of the steps to fashion a temporary repair.
Rocket also tells one about an Anglo Indian LAME working for QF in Karachi. Some dirty bastard has crapped in the wash basin of a 1049 staging through. Note in log says "Urinal used as arsinal". Said gent signs off item with "rectumfied."
And you won't read that little one in any footnotes to any QF history. Huddie would turn in his grave.