LITCHFIELD TOUR ADVENTURE

Welcome to our alternative tour of Litchfield. It is an experience for experienced walkers, energetic people who love the adventure. We leave Darwin very early in the morning, we want to enjoy the day from the first sunlight to the last one.  We are going to drive straight to Litchfield, 1.5 hours drive to our first stop for Breakfast, the hike and the swim.  Cascades is a selection of 6 plunge pools with a beautiful walk of 1-1.5km between each set of falls. For those after a walk through the incredible Australian outback, with a dip in a natural spring along the way, this Litchfield National Park gem is the one for you.  It is a hidden gem of Litchy, we won't find big crowds in here. The water is crystal clear, and you can breathe peace and calm.  

The upper cascades walk is classified as a moderate walk as there is quite a bit of steady uphill climbing. The surface is loose and uneven most of the way up through the rock escarpment with natural rock steps in some places.

The walk starts off flat with some viewing platforms over what I can only assume is a seasonal flood plain and then you slowly start to climb up through a small patch of Monsoon forest. It gets surprisingly humid in these areas because despite the shade there is not a breathe of air but it is pretty and green to walk through.  

From here the walk becomes a steady uphill climb with lots of loose rocks most of the rest of the way. Once you gain enough height there are lookouts on to the vast green lowlands of Litchfield, with the contrasting blue and greens of sky and land quite spectacular in the bright sun. 

There is very little shade for much of the walk (about 1 km in each direction) as the vegetation up on the escarpment is open, so make sure to pack a hat and bring plenty of water.

Finally you start to hear the sound of water falling over rocks and after crossing a natural creek line the track starts its short decent down to the cascades.

The track runs straight an area of land which has flattened out to a little gully with a series of cascades. To the left is a tessellated section of rocks flowing down to the lower cascades further downstream at the bottom of the escarpment (not a swimming area).

The pools are shallow and clear, with some deep enough to swim while others are the perfect depth to enjoy sitting around on the shallow base. Second Stop of the day will be Wangi Falls. We are just going to stop for a photo. On this tour we are going to give more time to the hidden gems of the National Park.  It is time for a real 4wd on the Reynold Track to Sandy creek falls. 

Tjaynera Falls (Sandy Creek Falls) is one of Litchfield National Park’s more elusive waterfalls primarily because it involved driving a pretty hard 4wd road to reach.

That makes it a little off the beaten path compared to the park’s other main waterfalls.

 From the car park at the Sandy Creek Falls, we will go for a pretty straightforward track that skirted a monsoonal rainforest supported by Sandy Creek while clinging to an escarpment ledge within a small canyon.  

The scenery lasts for the better part of the first half of the hike, but then the scenery starts to widen a bit as the surface got sandier alongside the banks of Sandy Creek.

Shortly after the sandy stretch, the track passes through another well-vegetated area where we are going to cross a side creek (unbridged) and then continues along the northern banks of Sandy Creek for the final stretch to the falls.  

The final stretch of about 300m or so, the track eventually descendes to the plunge pool fronting Tjaynera Falls.

Right at the end of the track, there are flat rocks to make it easier to wade into the water before committing to the swim.

Overall, this 3.4km return hike will take us a little as an hour (closer to 45 minutes) though we also spend another 20 minutes just chilling out and enjoying the plunge pool before Tjaynera Falls. Time to be back to the car for our next adventure: Greenant falls.  

The Greenant Creek Walk is a moderate return walk in Litchfield National Park with the rewarding swim in the Tjaetaba Falls plunge pool.

Starting at the bridge across Greenant Creek, this shady 2.7km walk follows the creek upstream then climbs steeply to Tjaetaba Falls Lookout. The walk is graded as moderate, but has some steep inclines, so allow about 1.5 hours to complete it.

The creeks and springs around this region have a constant supply of water, and therefore an abundance of remarkable flora and fauna. Along the walk you can see tall Carpentaria palms, fig trees and weeping paperbark trees, and along the forest floor you can spot geckos, lizards and frogs.

Visit early in the morning or at dusk, and you may spot the mob of Common Wallaroos that live in the area as they pop in for a drink.

Once you reach the top, catch your breath at the lookout at Tjaetaba Falls plunge pool and admire this Aboriginal sacred site and the creek below.

The custodians request that visitors only swim above the falls, so continue to the rock pools a bit further on. Back to the car for our last 4wd adventure to the Lost City.

The Lost City is a series of large sandstone outcrops that evoke the remains of an ancient civilisation.

A spectacular sight, this landmark is located in a remote and hard to access area in Litchfield National Park, just over an hour’s drive from Darwin.

Experienced four-wheel drivers will have their skills tested on the 10km track into The Lost City. Marvel at this natural structure formed by thousands of years of wind and rain erosion, whose walls, narrow passages and domes give the impression that they were man made. Be astounded at the extensive nature of this formation, the complex freestanding sandstone block and pillar formations of the Lost City are spread over an area the size of a small town, and look like the ruins of a city with a maze of narrow alleys. Lay your hand against a sandstone wall that is estimated to be over 500 million years old.

The final 4WD track in to The Lost City is extremely rocky and rough, and closed in the wet season. Only people experienced in handling four-wheel drive vehicles should attempt the journey to The Lost City – caravans are not permitted. The initial approach is a formed sealed road.

After the Lost City just a quick stop to Florence Falls, Buley Rockhole and the Termite Mounds (if the time allows us!), those places are not a priority on this adventure/hike tour.

Late in the evening we will be back to Darwin Through Batchelor. Approx. 7.30 PM.