Litchfield National Park

Litchfield is some 90 kms from Darwin along the famous Stuart Highway. There is a road which actually crosses the park and NT have made a brilliant job of making many of the park's attractions very accessible and so very enjoyable.

It was difficult to know what to expect. The ground is very dry and there is scrub growth in the form of small palms and thin eucalypts.We thought that the advertised waterfalls and natural ponds would be all dried up as it is nearly the end of the dry season for the Top End as it is called. The other interesting factor is the considerable swathes of the forest which were burnt. In some parts we could see the smoke still rising from the logs. We were not sure if these were controlled fires allowing the forest to regenerate or fires out of control. It brought an uncomfortable vulnerability to driving through these areas and of course made me think actively about the 70 or so bush fires in Queensland burning people's houses and forests just in our backyard unfolding with catastrophic effect this very day. 

 

Our first stop was Buley RockHole and we could really have stayed there all day. A river which flows through the National Park has water all year round and it is able to do so because of the sandstone rocks which absorb the water in the wet season and then slowly release it in the dry. We decided to walk to Florence Falls. Everywhere in the national park are beautiful laid paths, sometimes with the pink local rock which makes walking easy and comfortable. It is largely flat. The heat was intense as we walked to the Falls because the forest is thin and quite low. There is no canopy to speak of but on the plus side we could see clearly ahead, we could spot birds and flowers in the bright sunlight and we could take our clothes off and cool off in one of many beautiful fresh water pools. 

The waters were beautiful and cool and the setting was almost fairy like. The river meandered down and the pools are deep along the way. Florence Falls gave us a double waterfall coming off the mountain and a much bigger pool which was more popular. 

 Cooler, we headed to a swamp ( now largely dry) where we spotted a Black Cockatoo and from there to Tolmer Falls. A deep, deep crevasse and a water fall but with a big cave underneath which is home to rare and protected Ghost bats and Horseshoe bats. 

Our final stop for the day was  Wangi Falls the biggest and most beautiful of the freshwater pools. There was a notice to say that Wangi was closed in the wet season, ( so we were lucky to be there now as we could swim) because the crocodiles move in !!

Aussie Awesomeness at its best complete with crocs and fires. We survived and loved every minute.