Lichfield NP is approx 130km from Darwin so locals as well as visitors use this great NP. The positive is that the park has great accessibility and facilities to the walks and sights. I guess the negative is lots of people, but as we always get up early we were not bothered.
On 23/07/2021 we drove along Highway 1 towards Darwin to visit Lichfield NP. Easy drive and easy setup ready for 2 days of visiting the NP.
On 24/07/2021 we woke up to fog and a really heavy dew. It was a real surprise as we have had no moisture for months. By the time we had arrived for our first walk at Greenant Creek the fog had cleared. We walked along the creek in a ‘monsoon’ forest which then gave away to ‘savannah’ woodland once we started walking up to Tjaetaba Falls. At the top of the falls is a waterhole where we went for a refreshing dip (strangely enough it wasn’t that cold) and then back down in our wet swimmers to keep cool.
We then drove onto Wangi Falls which are really spectacular. We went on a circular walk which goes up the side, along the top and back down the other side. It was steep but worth it for the views. Unfortunately swimming is no longer permitted (they have trouble clearing the crocs) which I think is a real shame.
Lastly we headed to Tolmer Falls for our picnic lunch and a short walk to view the falls and the beautifully clear pond below. The falls are home to colonies of rare and protected bats so not open to the public. A very active day, finished off with a swim in the CP pool as it was 34c in mid winter up here so close to Darwin.
On 25/07/2021 we again travelled into Litchfield NP, this time to Bluey Rockholes where we walked to Florence Falls for a morning swim. Florence Falls are not as spectacular as Wangi but swimming is allowed. After the swim we continued the walk around Florence Falls back to Bluey Rockholes for another swim in one of the many cascading pools. Another active day finished off with a swim in the CP pool as it is another hot one.
On 26/07/2021 we head back to Katherine staying nearer Katherine Gorge with an overnight stop at the Lazy Lizard Tavern (a night off cooking!).
