Wet and wild - escape the tropical heat in the plunge pools of Litchfield National Park!

If you love waterfalls and lush surroundings, then prepare for heaven. Litchfield National Park is one of the hidden secrets of the Top End. Open eucalyptus woodland, dense tropical rainforest and gigantic termite mounds are found in Litchfield National Park, which is just 130 km south west of Darwin. In just one relatively small area you can find a little bit of everything that makes the Top End of Australia one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country – wetlands and lily-covered billabongs, thundering waterfalls, prolific birdlife, weird and fantastic sandstone formations, rough and ready four-wheel-driving and an abundance of that Top End rarity, crocodile-free swimming holes. In the dry season you can easily get to most of the waterfalls that plunge from the rocky escarpment of the Table Top Range that plunge into refreshing pools.

Litchfield National Park was originally the home of the Wagait people. The Finniss exploration was the first European connection within the area and a member of that expedition, Frederick Henry Litchfield, has been remembered in the National Park's name. For almost 75 years until 1955, the area was subject to tin and copper mining and then fell under pastoral leases until the Park became a reality. This 143 square kilometre area was scarcely known until it was proclaimed a national park in 1986.

Things to see:

The first attraction in the park is also its most popular:
Wangi Falls. Here, two waterfalls cascade into a very large plunge pool set amidst rainforest. It is the most accessible of the swimming holes, and includes wheelchair access into the water, although the swimming is sometimes closed during and after heavy rain due to powerful currents in the plunge pool. An interpretive nature trail leads from the camping and shady barbecue area to the top of the falls and back down to the car park. There is a kiosk here as well, although the best place to eat is at Monsoon Café, just before you hit the park boundary, where you can enjoy freshly brewed coffee, light snacks, lunch and dinner on the verandah or in the shady garden.
If you can tear yourself away from the pool at Wangi, continue on the loop through the park, stopping at Tolmer Falls, where a short walk leads to a viewing platform looking out over the very steep waterfall.

The Tolmer Falls, one of the most dramatic of Litchfield's falls, this long narrow waterfall puts on a spectacular display in the wet season. There are good walking tracks and viewing platforms. The caves at the base of the falls house several colonies of rare Ghost Bats and Orange Horseshoe Bats, so this area is out of bounds.

Florence Falls & Buley Rockhole: This double waterfall cascades into a swimming hole surrounded by monsoon forest. Check out the panoramic views from the edge of the escarpment, just a short walk from the main carpark. A steep trail with staircases leads down to the pool at the base of the falls. The pool, open year round, is perfect for swimming. Nearby Buley Rockhole, a series of waterfalls and rock holes, is also a good spot to swim and relax.

If you have a four-wheel-drive take the turn-off to the Lost City, a group of fantastically-shaped sandstone pillars, formed by thousands of years of wind and rain erosion, suggesting the ruins of a long forgotten civilisation. The 10km track into this section is extremely rocky and rough. Only people experienced in handling four wheel drive vehicles should attempt the journey to the Lost City.

Watch for the distinctive termite mounds, standing up to two metres high, at this small boardwalk, 17 km from the eastern boundary of the Park. The mounds' thin edges point north-south while their broad backs and fronts face east-west. It's really a built-in temperature control mechanism, allowing only the smallest possible area to ever be exposed to the sun.