Litchfield National Park is a haven for local Darwin residents and tourists. It boasts stunning waterfalls cascading off the Tabletop Range, gorgeous swimming holes, monsoon rainforests, magnetic termite mounds and fantastic 4WD tracks into some of the more remote parts of the Park. Swimming in Litchfield also poses less of a threat from Crocodiles than other parks in the Northern Territory which is a bit of a bonus.

Litchfield National Park lies approximately 130km's southwest of Darwin near the town of Batchelor and covers around 1,500 sq km's. The Park was established in 1986 and is a very popular destination being so close to Darwin with over a quarter of a million visitors a year. The Park was named after Frederick Henry Litchfield who was a member of the Finniss Expedition from South Australia that began in 1864 in a bid to set up a settlement at the mouth of the Adelaide River. He thought it offered great potential and ended up settling there.

The Park holds great significance to the Wagait Aboriginal people who lived in the area for thousands of years, the abundance of the area providing a steady source of food, shelter and medicine.

Many of the roads in the Park are sealed so a Litchfield tour can be done in a 2WD vehicle although a 4WD tour gets you to some of the more secluded spots like Sandy Creek (Tjaynera Falls), Surprise Falls and the Lost City.

So many gorgeous waterfalls and swimming holes

Litchfield National Park is blessed with a number of stunning waterfalls and plunge pools that provide perfect settings for swimming, rock climbing, hiking and picnicking. There are pockets of monsoonal rainforest below the escarpment and in deep gorges which survive because of the moisture laden air from the many falls close by.

Florence Falls has a spectacular double waterfall cascading into a large plunge pool which is set amongst a tropical rainforest. You'll have to descend down 160 steps if you want to have a swim but it is absolutely worth it. There's also a great viewing platform above affording an inspiring view down to the falls and surrounding terrain.

Wangi Falls boasts the biggest waterfall and plunge pool in the Park and is a great spot for a swim. It is a breathtaking sight in the wet season although swimming is not usually possible during this time.

A particular favourite for Litchfield tour groups is Buley Rockholes with its series of cascading waterfalls and plunge pools as you can usually find your own spot to swim and hang out in.

Another beautiful spot is at Tolmer Falls which is a delicate waterfall right at the head of a picturesque gorge. The base of the Falls is home to colonies of rare Ghost Bats and Orange Horseshoe Bats. Swimming here is not permitted. An easy and scenic 1.6km walk takes you to the Upper Tolmer Falls where you can go for a secluded swim as Wilderness 4WD Adventures is the only company with a permit to enter the area.

A 4WD tour will get you to Sandy Creek Falls (Tjaynera Falls) where a great return walk through open valleys littered with Paperbarks rewards you with a lovely and un-crowded plunge pool to refresh the senses. A walk further up the Falls offers some fantastic views where you can relax in privacy in the secluded waterfalls. Wilderness 4WD Adventures is the only company with access to this area.

Why are all those mounds facing the same way?

Within Litchfield National Park are hundreds of Magnetic Termite Mounds standing eerily like tombstones in a cemetery, some standing up to three meters high. The bizarre thing is that they all face north-south. These termite mounds are the only ones in the world which demonstrate this trait.

The reason behind this strange occurrence is in order to control the temperature, as the termites will expire much over 30˚ Celsius. By having the large flat sides facing east west they avoid the heat of the day. Termites in other parts of the world burrow underground to moderate their temperature but here in Litchfield the ground is sodden for much of the year so they have to go up.

The other interesting thing is that the worker termites that build these mounds are blind and don’t actually use the sun to gain their orientation. They are somehow tuned into the earth's magnetic field to get their bearings which is particularly stable in Australia.