• Trips
    • Central Asia on Bicycle
      • Preparation
      • Iran
      • Turkmenistan
      • Uzbekistan
      • Tajikistan
      • Kyrgyzstan
    • Malaysia
    • Singapore
    • Borneo
    • Australia
    • New Zealand
    • Thailand
    • Cambodia
    • Laos
    • Vietnam
    • Japan
  • Equipment
    • Trekking Bike
    • Electronics
  • About Me
Daniel's TravelsDaniel's Travels
  • Trips
    • Central Asia on Bicycle
      • Preparation
      • Iran
      • Turkmenistan
      • Uzbekistan
      • Tajikistan
      • Kyrgyzstan
    • Malaysia
    • Singapore
    • Borneo
    • Australia
    • New Zealand
    • Thailand
    • Cambodia
    • Laos
    • Vietnam
    • Japan
  • Equipment
    • Trekking Bike
    • Electronics
  • About Me
Florence Falls in Litchfield National Park
Florence Falls

Natural Pools at Litchfield National Park

October 13, 2017 Posted by Daniel Moser Australia, Journals

A one hour drive away from Darwin is Litchfield National Park that is famous for its waterfalls and, in the tropical heat most importantly, many natural freshwater pools that invite for a swim under the waterfalls.

Climate at Litchfield National Park

We planned our visit to the Northern Territory in October so we would not be there during the wet season where streets may be impassable due to the high water levels. October is the last month of the dry season and also the hottest month. In Darwin at the cost there were already temperatures of up to 34°C. Inland at Litchfield National Park temperatures were even higher, but the climate was also drier.

 

The heat and drought were on the one hand to our advantage as all park roads were easily accessible and all the natural pools were open for swimming. Some of the natural pools are closed in wet season due to strong currents coming from the waterfalls and the risk of saltwater crocodiles entering them. On the other hand, walking around at temperatures above 35°C in the sun is very exhausting and the dried out forests and savanna-like environment is definitely less appealing than everything being green.

Litchfield National Park Entrance
Entrance
Typical Road in Litchfield National Park
Typical Road
Drought at Litchfield National Park
Drought

The waterfalls at Litchfield National Park

The first and also most beautiful waterfalls we visited were Florence Falls. Two waterfalls drop into a big natural pool, embedded in beautiful forest. As we arrived there early in the day we had the pool almost to ourselves. The water in the pool was very clear, and everything was set for our first refreshment of the day. Ilinca and I had a beautiful swim and shower under the waterfalls, and thanks to a German tourist who told me in advance to bring my goggles, I could see the pool also from the fish perspective, incl. some medium-sized fish. This was especially beautiful because the morning sunrays enter the water in a flat angle and illuminate half of the pool, while the water in the shadow side of the pool was still dark. Too bad my Sony Camera is not waterproof…

Florence Falls in Litchfield National Park
Florence Falls
Florence Falls in Litchfield National Park
Florence Falls

A bit upriver from Florence Falls is a place called Buley Rockhole. A sequence of small waterfalls followed by small pools, some of them several meters deep. Of course I had to explore all of these pools, given the temperatures again a pleasant refreshment.

Buley Rockhole at Litchfield National Park
Buley Rockhole
Buley Rockhole at Litchfield National Park
Buley Rockhole

After a short drive, we then reached Tolmer Falls. This waterfall is beautifully embedded into a gorge and also drops into a large pool, however, swimming there was not allowed to preserve the rare bats that live in the walls of the gorge there. Nevertheless, it was also beautiful to only look at the pool and enjoy the view over the flatland.

Tolmer Falls at Litchfield National Park
Tolmer Falls
Tolmer Falls at Litchfield National Park
Tolmer Falls
Tolmer Falls at Litchfield National Park
Tolmer Falls

Our last refreshment we enjoyed at Wangi Falls, which seemed to be the most popular ones in the park. Due to the dry season there was unfortunately not much water coming down from the cliffs and the water in the huge natural pool below the two waterfalls was not very clear. Nevertheless, it was still a good refreshment to join the dozens of other tourists that were already swimming in the pool.

Wangi Falls at Litchfield National Park
Wangi Falls

Wildlife at Litchfield National Park

In theory there is lots of wildlife in Litchfield National Park incl. freshwater and saltwater crocodiles. In reality however we did not encounter too many animals. We saw some kangaroos (or wallabies, I don’t know for sure), some pretty fish in the nature pools, and the usual such as big spiders, frogs, birds, and termites. Some of the termite mounds were really high, up to 6m. Amazing for an animal to build a structure that high while it is only 0.5 cm long.

Termite Mound at Litchfield National Park
Termite Mound
Termite Mounds at Litchfield National Park
Termite Mounds

Share this:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook

Related

Tags: AustraliaLitchfield National ParkNorthern Territory
Share
1

You also might be interested in

Great Barrier Reef from above
Reef from above

Learning to Dive at the Great Barrier Reef

Nov 7, 2017

After a rather disappointing visit to Cairns two weeks ago[...]

City Center of Darwin
City Center of Darwin

The City of Darwin

Oct 12, 2017

We did not perform to much planning upfront when we[...]

Cape Byron at Byron Bay
Cape Byron

Beaches and Surfing in Byron Bay

Oct 26, 2017

After three days of city in Brisbane, we headed south[...]

Search Page

Facebook Page

Recent Posts

  • Three Day Trekking in Swiss Alps
  • Spring Feelings in Japan
  • Hot Summer in Ho-Chi-Minh-City
  • Historical Old Town of Hoi An
  • The Citadel, Tombs and a Pagoda of Huế
  • Jungle Trekking and Caving on Tu Lan Expedition
  • One Night Cruise in Halong Bay
  • Cool Winter Climate in Hanoi
  • In the Heat of Vientiane
  • Exploring Caves and the Mountains in Vang Vieng

Social Networks

Contact Us

We're currently offline. Send us an email and we'll get back to you, asap.

Send Message

© 2025 · Daniel's Travels

Prev Next