Litchfield National Park

September 14, 2018

Litchfield National Park

For me, I prefer Litchfield over Kakadu. Mostly for the waterfalls' close proximity too each other, you can easily do a few different waterfalls in the same day. There are also many more swimming options in Litchfield. Kakadu is great if you have a week or so to get around, but we usually head to Litchfield for a weekend, only 90mins from Darwin - much more appealing.

For camping:
We love Florence Falls, it has vibrant red dirt and each campsite has a fire pit. The falls themselves can get very busy, about a 10 minute walk from the campsite. Best to go swimming early mornings, or late arvos when the day visitors have gone home.
Wangi Falls is also good, - smaller campgrounds, close to the waterfall, good facilities. Similar to Florence - if you get up early enough, you can have the whole waterfall to yourself - which is rare for Wangi, or in the evenings if you stay long enough. Lots of wallabies. Wangi can get very busy with coaches full of tourists.
Walker Creek is a little campsite that only has 10 spots. You have to arrive pretty early to secure one, its a locals secret, there isn't much signage at the turn off. When you arrive you have to mark your name down on the chalk board to reserve the spot and specify how many nights you are staying. Some of the campsite are a bit of a walk from the car park, so not ideal when you are taking lots of equipment. All the campsites have a private plunge pool that run along the creek. Get in early!
Sandy Creek - 4WD only. Great camping spot - lots of space. Although it is about 1.7kms to the waterfall.

For swimming:
Florence Falls is the first waterfall you will pass, so its usually the busiest, if you don't like crowds maybe give this one a miss. There is a nice viewing platform at the top of the falls if you want to jump out of the car for a look and then head onto the other swimming spots. Usually open all year around, no crocs.
Wangi Falls is another very busy one, a lot of coaches bring big groups of tourist here. It's such a large area though you can find your own space. Only open for swimming in the dry, but it is impressive to visit in the wet too.
Buley Rockhole is beautiful, try to go in the evening when its less busy, we take an esky (cans no bottles). If you don't like swimming in the larger pools (for fear of crocs like me), Buley is for you. It is a series of cascading rockholes, some of them deep enough to dive into.
Upper Cascades is a bit of a hike to get too, but it means there are not too many people there. It is mostly uphill, and makes the swim feel very much deserved. It's also a series of cascading rockholes, that you can wonder through. Lower Cascades remains closed for most of the year, even when Upper is open, it's a bit eery for me.
Sandy Creek is a 4WD only track - it is actually a great road if you want to do a quick river crossing and a bit of off roading. There is a camp ground at the end of the road, but then it is a 1.7km hike to the swimming holes. Well worth it once you get there - usually empty.
Green Ant a good little hike to a swimming hole, less people around. Not much signage on this one, so don't miss the turn off!