Guide to Litchfield National Park, NT
LITCHFIELD NATIONAL PARK, one of 15 National Parks in the Northern Territory, is located an hour-and-a-half drive (114km) south-west from the states capital, Darwin. The 1500km2 park was established in 1986 and has become a popular tourist destination, attracting more than 250,000 visitors a year.
The closest town to the park is Batchelor, 18km away, where there are a number of accommodation venues available if you don’t want to camp in the park or the nearby Litchfield Tourist Park.
Litchfield NP is at its best during the dry season (May – October), as The Wet can cause the closure of many attractions – but it’s also when the waterfalls are at their most spectacular.
The adventurous can lace up their boots and view the varied landscapes of this impeccable park on foot. The Tabletop Track is an outstanding 39km circuit that will take you three to five days to complete through woodlands, along creek lines and past numerous pristine waterfalls.
For those limited by time, the experience can be sampled with many shorter tracks available such as the 1.6 km Wangi Falls Walk.
Litchfield landscape shaped by water
Litchfield’s landscape was shaped by water and as such the park contains a number of spectacular waterfalls including Wangi Falls, one of the park’s most popular swimming and picnicking spots or Buley Rockhole, located just 80m from the car park.
One of the more peculiar sites is the hundreds of magnetic termite mounds, found just beyond the entrance. The 2m-high mounds are aligned on the north-south axis as a way to maintain climate conditions inside the mound.
Magnetic termites aren’t the only termites you can see on the park: there are also Cathedral termites which and can build their complex mounds up to 6m high.
It should be noted that four-wheel drive vehicles are necessary to access some of the features, such as the historic Blyth homestead. You can hire one in Darwin. Alternatively, there are several tour options available that depart and drop off in Darwin if you’re after a more organised experience.
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