Your guide to Litchfield National Park - Part One

If you’ve considered heading to Australia’s stunning top end, chances are you’ve researched Litchfield National Park. A mere 85 kilometres south of Darwin, Litchfield National Park can easily be experienced via a day visit or you can spend your time adventuring by camping in one of the sites within the park. As with my morning coffee, I like to draw out the things I love to make them last longer and thus I chose the latter, spending 4 nights in Litchfield National Park.

Here’s part one of how I’d recommend you tackle this amazing park filled with waterfalls, termite mounds, swimming holes and stunning lookouts.

First things first, where can you swim?

It’s both hot and humid up here in the top end, so naturally most travellers make a B-line to the swimming spots in an attempt to cool off and relax. Thankfully everything within Litchfield National Park is reasonably close together so you can spend a day hopping from one waterfall to the next and take a dip in each pool to decide which is your favourite.

Wangi Falls

If you’re asking my personal opinion, Wangi Falls is up there as a favourite of mine. Although the water is deep in the middle and a little dark, this is one of the bigger water holes allowing you to get away from the crowds. There’s nothing worse than being grouped with a heap of strangers, accidentally kicking each other under the water and being subject to the splashed and water spray of kids jumping off of rocks.

wangi falls litchfield national park

It’s only a very short walk from the carpark, making it ideal for families and those with prams.

There are two entrances to the water at Wangi Falls and the steps are submerged, which is great if you’re apprehensive of swimming but still want to keep cool. If you’re game enough to paddle to the waterfall, many people choose to scale the rocks a little to a rockpool the size of a spa that you can sit and relax in. Personally, I can’t conquer the battle with my mind to head that far across given my fear of lurking crocs, but I did witness many brave people head over there to reap the rewards.

wangi falls litchfield national park northern territory

Hot tip: bring an inflatable donut or a noodle to swim with. That way you can float out onto the water and you won’t need to tread when you’re in a deep spot.

Florence Falls

If you’re heading to Florence Falls you’ve got two options from the carpark: a staircase down to the falls that promises to be 160 steps or a one kilometre walk down a path. If you have mobility issues or are heading down with a pram, I’d suggest you take the path.

Once you reach the falls there’s ample space for you to drop your belongings and plunge straight into the refreshing water. This water hole is a bit smaller so like all tourist hot spots, if you get there around lunch time you may be swimming on top of others. If you want this spot to yourself I’d suggest heading there first thing in the morning before the crowds and bus loads of tourists arrive.

There are large rocks throughout the water hole that you can stop and stand on to give yourself a break from swimming and a running waterfall to submerge yourself in, if that’s something you’re into!

Buley Rockhole

Like Wangi Falls, this swim spot is very close to the car park. Unlike Florence Falls and Wangi Falls, this spot is more for lounging in shallow water as the water runs down the rocks. If I didn’t know any better I’d think it was a man-made water feature as the scenery is as picturesque as the water is refreshing.

If you want to have a bit more of a swim there are some plunge pools at the very bottom of the rapid flowing streams. Just be careful getting in and out as the rocks are quite slippery - you’re better off jumping in!

buley rock litchfield national park

buley rock pools litchfield national park northern territory

Cascades

If you want to get away from the crowds and you’re a keen bush walker, you may want to head to Cascades. Divided into an upper and a lower section, Cascades is a much quieter and less visited spot as both sections require a longer walk than the previously mentioned water holes. To get to the upper section, which is more of a natural spa with shallow rock pools, you’re looking at a 3.3 kilometre loop in the dry season. The lower section is a 2.6 kilometre return and features deeper rock pools and waterfalls.

It’s worth noting that these walks are along rugged bushland that is exposed to the sun. It’s recommended you approach these at a cooler time of the day, bring along drinking water, wear appropriate footwear and practice sun safety with a hat and sunscreen.

The walks are graded moderate to difficult and are more suited to fit adults and older children.

Surprise Creek Falls

If you’ve got a 4WD for the track that leads in, you may want to head to Surprise Creek Falls. This one is considered a tucked away gem within Litchfield National Park as it’s surrounded by lush greenery and located on the Reynolds 4WD Track (which we’ll get to in part two of this guide!)

Once you hit the carpark you’ve got a very short walk ahead of you through the bush before you reach the bottom of the three pools - the top two being the rockpools. To access the top two you’ll need to climb up the rockface and many enjoy jumping into the water from the top of the second hole.

Surprise Creek Falls is the most southern fall on this 4WD track to Daly River Road, meaning it sees far less traffic than the falls located in Litchfield’s sealed roads. So you have more of a chance of having this one to yourself or at least only sharing with a handful of people, which was the case when I visited. There is a small campground nearby if you want to stay the night rather than make the trek back on the 4WD track.

If you’re all swum out or you just want to check out some of the other features of Litchfield National Park, you’ll have to stay tuned for part two of this guide.

Spoiler alert, I’ll share what time of the year you should visit, the 4WD adventure track that needs no introduction and of course where to camp while you’re there.