Touring The Litchfield National Park

Located about 129 kilometres away from Darwin in the Australian Northern Territory lies this national park boasting of four main waterfalls that cascade into the so-called Tabletop Range, a vast plateau largely composed of sandstones. Its land area, approximately 143 square kilometers wide, showcases an intriguing collection of historical ruins, monsoon rainforests, bushwalking tracks, and magnetic termite hills.

Background

The park is none other than Litchfield, declared in 1986 as a public park of national stature, and named in honor of Frederick Henry Litchfield, a Finnish explorer who led the original European group that first examined the area. Prior to its discovery by Westerners, however, Litchfield was initially occupied by several Aboriginal people, including the Wagaits, the Koongurrrukuns, the Warays, and the Marranunggus who contributed to making the area generally habitable.

After that, Litchfield became a major mining town especially after copper was discovered in its midst. This went on for about 75 years, after which, the region became a vast pastoral land leased by Cap Creek, Tipperary, and Stapleton Stations.

In 1985, Stapleton Station and the others decided to surrender its pastoral lease and Litchfield consequently fell under the custody of the Conservation Land Corporation. Its efforts at preserving the area eventually led to its naming as the Litchfield National Park.

Today, Litchfield is considered a major Northern Territory tourist area, attracting over 250,000 visitors annually who are incessantly awed by the spectacle provided by the waters cascading down Buley Rockhole, Florence, Tolmer and Wangi, the four frequently-visited waterfalls of Litchfield, each one having its own set of unique features that ably satisfies the diverse interests of its visitors.

The Waterfalls

Of the four major Litchfield National Park waterfalls, Wangi is seen as the biggest and the most famous largely because of its easy access feature and year-round availability. Camping is quite popular in these parts since there is one campground here that offers several basic amenities like a toilet, a shower area and facilities for barbecue cooking. A vast grassy area found nearby is also often used as a suitable picnic ground.

Tolmer Falls, meanwhile, is equally spectacular since it features two high and steep slopes from where the waters cascade down into the deep pool below. However, what should interest many tourists visiting Tolmer is its bottom area as it is known as a popular breeding ground of several groups of rare and unique bats of the Ghost and Orange Horseshoe species.

Over at Florence Falls, tourists will be awed by its double waterfalls feature, with its waters eventually cascading into the waiting swimming hole that visitors can access via a staircase that is about 160-steps high. Swimming in these parts can be quite exciting as a lovely but mysterious tropical rainforest serves as a perfect backdrop.

Buley Rockhole, is famous for its plunge pools where swimmers and picnickers are known to regularly converge. Just like the three other park falls, the area boasts of a camping site that comes with the basic accommodations.

Nature and Wildlife

Apart from the falls, several other attractions found within Litchfield National Park make it a highly-preferred tourist spot. For instance, the tropical rainforest that surrounds the falls, particularly Florence, is undoubtedly a sight to catch as it is endowed with a rich set of wild flora, some of which are quite rare, including swamp bloodwoods, paperbarks, pandanus and ground orchids.

Wildlife is likewise thriving in these parts and tourists should not be surprised to see species like fawn antechinuns, brushtail possums, sugar gliders and antilopine wallaroos roaming freely across the forest landscape. Above, various bird species like black kites, sprangled drongos, yellow orioles, dollarbirds and rainbow bee-eaters are common sightings as the park also serves as a protective shelter for a diverse set of flying creatures.

Needless to say, Litchfield National Park is one popular Northern Territory tourist destination that Australian-bound sightseers will find truly worth visiting. Its varied attractions are genuinely unique but more than that, they offer tourists a good glimpse of the rich history of this park that has made it among the more colorful places in Australia.

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