Litchfield National Park National Park

Address: Litchfield National Park, Northern Territory, Australia

Website: https://nt.gov.au/leisure/parks-reserves/find-a-park-to-visit/litchfield-national-park

Hours: Park open 24 hours; visitor centres and facilities have seasonal hours (check park website)

Admission: Free (park entry); camping and some facilities may charge fees

Litchfield National Park is a protected park in the Northern Territory of Australia noted for its waterfalls, plunge pools, and unique termite-mound fields. The park is a popular regional destination for swimming, short walks and scenic viewpoints.

Visitors come for multiple accessible waterfalls with swim-ready plunge pools such as Wangi Falls and Florence Falls, the terraced rock pools at Buley Rockhole, and the distinctive magnetic termite mounds. The park also contains sandstone escarpments, monsoon forest pockets and seasonal creeks.

The area is part of the Top End’s sandstone and laterite landscape and has long been used by Indigenous Australians; it is now managed as a national park with marked day-use sites and short walks. Facilities at main sites include carparks, picnic areas and toilets, with more limited services within the park interior.

Litchfield National Park sits inland from the northern Australian coastline in the Northern Territory, within driving distance of Darwin and forming part of the tropical Top End landscape.

• Seasonal access and swimming safety: Best visited in the dry season for easier access and safer swimming; some pools are closed to swimming after heavy rains for safety and water quality.
• Proximity and access: Many major attractions are accessible by short walks from carparks, making the park suitable for day visits from Darwin, roughly 100 km away by road.

What to See#

• Wangi Falls: Wangi Falls with a sizeable plunge pool and formed cliffs popular for swimming; the falls are accessible from a short sealed walk and parking area.
• Florence Falls and Buley Rockhole: Florence Falls and the nearby plunge pools connected by short walks and viewing platforms, often combined with visits to the Buley Rockhole plunge pools downstream.
• Magnetic termite mounds (termite fields): Magnetic termite mounds - tall, parallel-built termite structures occurring in large grouped fields near visitor roads and picnic areas.

Litchfield National Park is approximately 100-150 km southwest of Darwin, typically a 1.5-2 hour drive. From Darwin, follow the Stuart Highway south to the Batchelor turnoff, then follow sealed and unsealed park access roads (signposted) to the main attractions. Many car- and camper-based visitors make it a day trip from Darwin; check road conditions in the wet season.

• Visit early in the dry season (May-June) to enjoy lower humidity and clearer trails.
• Bring insect repellent for the wet-dry transition months (March-May) when sandflies and mosquitoes are most active.
• Swim only at designated pools and heed crocodile warning signs - in the Top End, signage exists for a reason.