G’day from Fabulous Journeys! I hope you enjoyed the last post on Darwin. I had a fantastic time there, and I love the laid-back feel of the city. It was all the more made special by the company of my great friends who showed me around and gave me a taste of the local lifestyle!

Litchfield Or Kakadu?

While I was in Darwin, I had been meaning to go and see Kakadu National Park. I’ve heard a lot of great things about the place from the media and other people that I thought it would just be fantastic to make a trip there. However, my friend Trixie told me that Litchfield National Park is much better than Kakadu, and is more accessible from Darwin itself. I thought about it, and decided that perhaps I should just do Litchfield National Park, as I only had a day to go outside Darwin on my schedule (which I only fitted in between my internet marketing sessions). I was in a dilemma on where to go, but I did consider Trixie’s recommendations, as Litchfield can be more manageable as a day trip than Kakadu, just because of the distance and size of the place. Kakadu is a much bigger place, and people recommend that you spend a few days exploring the area instead of just taking a day trip.

Trixie’s Tours

I was going to go with my friend Sharon on a tour bus from Darwin, and the day before we were supposed to go, we started inquiring about tour prices and availability. We completely ignored the fact that it was dry season in the Top End, and that it was tourist season! We tried one after another, but to no avail. There were no available seats for us on the tour bus! Our friend Trixie, who was our host, kindly offered to take us all the way there! It was a very generous offer from her, as we didn’t think she wanted to go. She was more concerned about her car getting through the unsealed road ahead! Well, the guy at the tour desk told us a lie about Litchfield Road being sealed all the way through, and we only found out when we got there! Well, lesson learnt, take your 4WD on Litchfield Road as part of it is still not sealed. So, that’s how Trixie’s Tours came about (featuring Steve, Trixie’s husband, as the coach driver.. LOL)!

So, on to the topic of Litchfield National Park. Here are some of the great things you can see in the National Park:

Termite Mounds

There are numerous termite mounds in the area, some small, but some are really massive! There is a specific type of termite mound that is unique in the area, and they’re called the Magnetic Termite Mounds. These mounds look more like tombstones of a graveyard. They’re flat and they have a roundish end. The reason they’re called magnetic is because of the way the termites designed these mounds. They all align from north to south! It seems like they have some sort of compass that makes them build these structures in that direction! It’s just fascinating how these creatures can build such structures, and they’re unique to the Northern Territory!

Buley Rockhole

The Buley Rockhole is a series of rock pools on the Florence Creek that cascade down like springs. It is spring-fed and has a good flow all year long. People can swim in the various pools on the different levels. This is one area that is croc-free and jellyfish-free, so people can enjoy them! I didn’t bring my swimming gear when I went there, as I didn’t think it would be tempting to go swimming. The water felt cool and refreshing, and  on a nice hot sunny day in the Top End, it’s worth jumping in!

Florence Falls

Florence Falls is one of the biggest falls in Litchfield National Park. You can walk 1.7kms from the Buley Rockhole to get to this waterfalls, or you can drive and park, and the lookout point for the falls is a few meters from the car park. The lookout point offers the best views of the falls. If you want to get closer and swim in the falls, you can take the 135-step staircase down to the lagoon and enjoy the falls itself. The view is not that great from below, unless you go and swim in the lagoon (which we didn’t).

Tolmer Falls

Tolmer Falls is another one of the 3 major falls on the Tabletop Range in Litchfield National Park. The lookout to the falls is also a few meter from the car park, and you can enjoy great views of the outback further afield. The rock formations and the gorge looks stunning. If you have more time, there is a walk you can take to Tolmer Creek.

Finniss River

One of the major rivers near Litchfield National Park is the Finniss River. You will come across it when you travel through the gravel road from Litchfield Road. It’s not one of the places that the tour buses stop, but we found a nice spot to stop and have a look at a typical river in the Northern Territory. It is known to be croc-infested, but at the time we stopped, no crocodiles were in sight. It was just nice to see the pandanus trees on the river and some native birds around.

Berry Springs

This is technically just outside Litchfield National Park, but was on our way back to Darwin from Litchfield National Park. Berry Springs is a series of springs that have been developed into a recreation park and is ideal for swimming. There are a couple of pools in the area that you can swim on, and it’s all natural pools, with some fish swimming along in the water. When we arrived at Berry Springs, there were already a few people swimming, but it was so calm and peaceful in the area. There’s also a small exhibit on how Berry Springs used to be, and where the source of the water is. One interesting display they have there is an original dunny, which is quite common in the remote regions in Australia.

Litchfield National Park is only an hour and a half’s drive from Darwin, and is much closer to Darwin than Kakadu. Kakadu, while it is be bigger, takes more than 2 hours from Darwin, and some people recommend that we see it from the air, as it is more spectacular that way. I’m planning to visit Kakadu next time when I have more time to spare in the Top End, and just do a 2 to 3 day tour there. I enjoyed my trip to Litchfield National Park, and I’m glad I took this option over Kakadu for a day trip.. You can cover more attractions to see in and near Litchfield, especially if you only have a day to spare.

Til the next Fabulous Journeys!

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