Litchfield National Park
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One of the park’s main features is the presence of huge termite mounds. In addition, the park is an ideal day trip from Darwin; it is only about an hour-and-a-half by car. However, it is better to stay for a few days and explore the park some more. There is a lot to see and do.
The park’s central sandstone plateau provides a home to a wide variety of plants, such as Banksias, Darwin Woollybutts, and Darwin Stringybarks. In the valleys below lush pockets of rainforest thrive. The waterfalls, plunge pools, and waterholes in the national park are the ideal habitat for Orchids, Lilies, Pandanus, and Paperbarks.
Various habitats provide refuges to numerous animal species. The most common animals are Kangaroos, Wallabies, Possums, Dingoes, and Flying Foxes. A few caves are home to two rare bat species. Bird life in Litchfield National Park is abundant, to say the least. The park is home to hundreds of bird species. Examples of birds that could be spotted during a visit are Kites, Orioles, Dollarbirds, Bee-eaters, and Figbirds. There are many other animals, such as nocturnal mammals, lizards, snakes, etc. The national park also has a fairly large population of huge saltwater crocodiles. A major tourist attraction is the so-called magnetic termite mounds, built by large colonies of termites and aligned in a north-south direction.
History
The Litchfield National Park area has been home to the Wagait Aboriginal people for many thousands of years. Many of them still live there. The first Europeans who visited the region were members of the Finniss expedition who traveled there in 1864 all the way from South Australia. One of those expedition members was Frederick Henry Litchfield
. It was him who, with a small group of
explorers, first set foot in what is now Litchfield National Park in 1865. The area was a center for copper and tin
mining from the 1880s until it became pastoral land in the mid-20th century.Pastoral activities lasted until 1985 when Litchfield National Park was officially declared.
Things to Do
There are hundreds of two-meter-high termite mounds to be found throughout the park. They are the result of the work of thousands of termites and are north-south-oriented for maximum temperature control.
The Florence, Tolmer and Wangi Falls are the main waterfalls in Litchfield National Park. All of them are easily reached along the paved road. Florence Falls is located in lush rainforest and has a plunge pool that offers great and refreshing swimming opportunities. There is a viewing platform at the top of the falls. Tolmer Falls also has a lookout platform, but access to the bottom of the waterfalls is limited because of the presence of rare bats in the caves. The most popular falls are Wangi Falls. There is a café and art center, a pleasant walk to the top of the falls, and campground with toilets, barbecues, and showers. These three waterfalls are accessible all year round.
Another popular attraction is Rockhole, a series of waterholes and waterfalls. There is a basic campground and excellent swimming.
Litchfield National Park also has numerous fantastic hiking trails, historic homesteads, 4WD tracks, picnic sites, etc.
How to Get There
Litchfield National Park can be accessed on three roads. The main route to the park from Darwin runs for about 100 kilometers along the paved Stuart Highway and through the gateway village of Batchelor. This paved road makes the park accessible all year round. The two other roads are unpaved. One runs to Darwin via Berry Springs; the other south to Daly River. To access the park on these roads a 4WD is necessary. The dirt roads are usually closed during the wet season.Similar Landmarks
Kakadu National Park is located relatively nearby and is one of the largest national parks in the world. It also consists of waterfalls, sandstone formations and waterholes. Further south in the Northern Territory lie West MacDonnell National Park, Finke Gorge National Park; Watarrka National Park, and Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. To the west, in Western Australia, lies magnificent Purnululu National Park.Do you see any omissions, errors or want to add information to this page? Sign up.
Author: bramreusen. Last updated: Jan 10, 2015
Pictures of Litchfield National Park
