Vegetation: Grevilleas, Banksia Flowers and Gum Trees
Litchfield National Park lies on a sandstone plateau covered by
tropical woodlands with banksias,
grevilleas, Darwin Stringybark (Eucalyptus tetrodonata)
and
Darwin Wollybutt (Eucalyptus miniata). Floodplains
support many
plant species and in the gorges created by waterfalls grow monsoon
rainforests.
Wangi Falls by Trevor_Page via Flickr.com
Animals and Birds in Litchfield National Park
Animals that are found in the park include agile wallabies,
northern brushtail possums,
sugar gliders, dingos
and black flying
foxes. Litchfield also has a rich birdlife
with many species of parrots,
cockatoos
and honeyeaters, dollarbirds, rainbow
bee-eaters, jabirus
and magpie geese.
Magnetic termite mounds. by loop_oh via
Flickr.com
Cathedral and Magnetic Termite Mounds
Magnetic termites build their mounds
thin and facing roughly
east-west, to avoid exposure to the hot midday sun, and cathedral
termites build them huge, up to 6m high. There is a field of magnetic
termite mounds about 17km drive from the park entrance.
Termite mounds by mikecogh via Flickr.com
Florence Falls and Buley Rockhole
Further sout heast along the main drive is the turnoff to Florence
Falls
and Buley Rockhole, both nice swimming spots. There is a short 3km
walk (Florence Creek Walk) between them, if you want to walk it, it is
recommended that you park at Florence Falls as parking is restricted at
Buley. Another, shorter walk – the 1km Shady Creek Walk that
starts at Florence Falls picnic area takes you to the tropical woodland
and cool monsoon forests. You can camp both at Florence Falls and Buley
Rockhole.
Florence Falls. by Trevor_Page via
Flickr.com
Tolmer Falls and Greenant Creek
Further south-east is Tolmer Falls, and the 1.6km Tolmer
Falls Walk which goes along the Tolmer Creek to the sandstone
country
typical to the Top End. Because of a rare species of bats living here,
swimming is not permitted. South-east from Tolmer Falls is Greenant
Creek and a 2.7km walk that climbs up to Tjaetaba Falls
Lookout. There is no camping at Tolmer Falls or
Greenant Creek.
Buley Rockholes. by brewbooks via Flickr.com
Wangi Falls and Walker Creek
North-east from here are Wangi Falls, and
a 1.6km walking track which takes you through monsoon forests to a
viewing platform at the base of the falls and then to the top of
the escarpment above the falls. North of Wangi Falls, along the same
drive,
is a 3.5km walk up to Walker Creek, great
for a cool
swim. There are camping sites both at Wangi Falls and Walker Creek.
Wangi Falls. Poster by AllPosters. Click on
thumbnail to
buy.
Lost City, Sandy Creek and Surprise Creek
The rest of the places in the Litchfield National Park are reached by
unsealed roads. In the southern parts of the park, gravel roads take
you to the
Lost City, Sandy Creek and Surprise Creek. At the Sandy
Creek there is a 3.4hrs walking track that passes a hillside with cycads
before it goes to a pool nice for a swim. The Lost City
consists of eroded sandstone pillars - some of Australia's strange
rock formations.
The Lost City. by SplaTT via
Flickr.com
Tours and Where to Stay in Litchfield National Park
There are one day tours that take you here from Darwin, as well as four day tours that combine Litchfield, Kakadu National Park and
Katherine. A place to stay is the Latitude 1308 Safari Tents and Cabins
north of Wangi Falls. You can also camp in the bush but all bushcamping
has to be booked with
Parks and Wildlife Commission of
the Northern Territory. If you want to walk the 39-km Circuit
Tabletop Track, you may want to get the map and more
information from the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern
Territory.
The Lost City. by SplaTT via Flickr.com
Here's a map of Litchfield National Park,
where I
have tagged the places that I mentioned on this web page. You can click
on the tags to see what places they are, and double-click anywhere on
the map to zoom it in and see the places closer. Drag the map to move
around, and if you want to see the satellite image with Google Earth,
click on "Sat" in the top right hand corner.
Note:
This site uses
British English, which is the English we use in Australia. You will
find words like "traveller", "harbour" and "realise", and they are all
correct in the language used in Australia.
Disclaimer: Although
best efforts have been made to ensure
that all the information on this site is correct,
gondwananet.com is not to be blamed should there be a mistake.
Copyright notice:
All contents of this website are strictly protected
by the Law of Copyright. What
does that mean?