Larimah is 180 kilometres south of Katherine along the Stuart Highway.

The original site of the township was at Birdum Creek, about 5 kilometres away. Settlement there began in the late 1880s, and the majority of activity revolved around the cattle stations in the area.

During World War II the town of Birdum was used as a base for the American Army, and the Birdum Hotel was used as the Army Headquarters.

In the early 1940s, it was decided that if Birdum was to develop any further, a new site for the settlement would need to be found. The existing township was subject to flooding from the nearby creek, and it was too far from any major thoroughfare to develop into a service centre.

Sites were scouted, and eventually the area around Larrimah was chosen. During the war Larrimah (then known as DOMF Siding) was home to almost 3000 servicemen, with the town acting as a troop staging camp and supply base. After the war the Birdum Hotel was physically moved to Larrimah, and Birdum itself was abandoned and is now a ghost town.

Larrimah was originally the terminus of the North Australia Railway, but in 1976 the railway closed, due to a lack of government funding for its maintenance and development. What was once the Railway Station is now the Roadhouse for the town.

Larrimah is set in a tropical environment, and is an appealing town with a very important and interesting past. It caters well for tourists, with accommodation, general stores, souvenirs, takeaway food, and fuel and mechanical services. There area also a number of picnic and barbecue areas to choose from.



Museums

The Larrimah Museum has plenty of interesting information about the railway during the War with displays and photographs, and goes on to explain the development of the transport industry in the years since. The museum is located on Mahoney Street and is open every day from 9 am until 6 pm.

About 10 kilometres north of Larrimah is the Gorrie Airfield, which was built during World War II, and which is the longest airstrip in the world. It is no longer used, but there are remains of many of the wartime aircraft scattered around the field. During the war itself the Airfield was often visited by US General Douglas McArthur, and it was from here that a number of key wartime decisions were made. The Airfield is an interesting place to wander around, absorbing the history.

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