Track into Litchfield National Park

Days 40, 41 and 42

 Sun 20^th, Monday 21^st and Tuesday 22^nd May 

We have really been looking forward to our visit to Litchfield National park, so it was with a certain amount of excitement we packed up and moved on from Katherine.

It really is not a good idea to presume or imagine what to expect.

A national Park for me, means an area of totally virgin growth, an area which is pristine and shows little impact from man.

Controlled Burn off in Litchfield National Park

I was unaware of the burn and control policy utilized in the tropical areas until this trip. May and June, the start of the “Dry” is the time for the practice of controlled burning to prevent fire storms in areas which are too remote for conventional fire fighting practices later in the Dry season.

The first impression of Litchfield park was of course a patchwork of blackened areas , interspersed with areas which were re-vegetating from last year’s controlled burn.

Fortunately first impressions can be radically changed and that occurred as soon as we began to explore the many special features offered by this National Park. I found the many waterfalls and their surrounding vegetation a refreshing and photogenic experience, so much so that if we weren’t photographing these features, we were probably swimming in them.

Florence Falls

165 steps later and we were at the bottom of the falls  which flowed off into this beautiful undergrowth

In complete contrast was the peaceful Tabletop Swamp which was bejeweled with exotic waterlilies.

 All plunge pools were guaranteed croc free so we indulged as the temperatures rose during the day. 

Buley's Rockholes a series of water holes which eventually flow into Florence Falls.

Wangi Falls, we camped at this waterfall and plunge pool and spent half each day swimming here.

We also took a 10Km 4WD trip to find the Lost City, although we did feel that it looked more like the “Burnt out City”

Lost City!!! We found at the end of winding 10Km bush track

We did enjoy the waterfalls and rockpools and found Litchfield National Park to be the home of some photogenic gems.