It's already one of the Northern Territory's best-loved national parks, now Litchfield has a whole lot more to love. In July the territory government announced the park would expand by 20 per cent – or 30,000 hectares – following the purchase of a cattle station on Litchfield's south-east border near Adelaide River. The $7.5 million and grab opens up to the public new waterfalls, gorges, campgrounds, four-wheel drive tracks and hot springs – all within about 90 minutes of Darwin.

Among the attractions newly incorporated in the national park is Robin Falls – an off-the-beaten track free camp that's set to become a whole lot more popular with Top End travellers. The falls, about an hour south of the park's eastern entrance, offer serene bush camping along a crystal-clear creek downstream from the falls. There are shaded waterfront sites amongst the trees, and a large gravel area suitable for big rigs near the entrance  off Dorat Road. While bins are provided, campers need to be self-contained. However, facilities will no doubt be enhanced under the Litchfield expansion.

While Robin Falls doesn't have the wow factor of the park's more iconic cascades, it's a quieter campsite that rewards the more adventurous. At the end of the gravel road, a 500-metre trail leads through monsoon forest to a three-tiered waterfall where the creek bursts over  a sandstone escarpment. You can swim in the two small plunge pools and – for the brave-hearted – scale the rockface to a small upper pool at the top of the cascades.

Next year marks 40 years since Litchfield was declared a national park. All the more reason to put this natural wonder on your 2026 hit list. Here are the park highlights you won't want to miss.

Water Falls and Plunge Pools

Litchfield is home to countless waterfalls and swimming holes. The most popular are Florence and Wangi falls. Wangi is the largest and easily the most developed and accessible, boasting a large plunge pool in an idyllic setting, a short hop from the carpark. Think shaded lawns almost tickling the water's edge, and two falls – one a slender chute, the other mighty and boisterous – casting long white reflections on the surface.

Florence requires a little more exertion. It's accessed via a paved pathway and 160 steps that lead down to an inviting swimming hole beneath twin cascades that tumble down from the plateau. Both waterfalls have long-vehicle parking, campgrounds and toilets, and Wangi even has a café where you can grab a bite to eat or cool down with an ice-cream.

Just south of Florence Falls, you'll find Buley Rockhole, a string of cascades that gush and swirl down a series of sandstone terraces into a handful of deep plunge pools. Find a quiet nook to luxuriate in nature's spa bath and sprawl on the sun-baked rocks afterwards to dry off. For a swim away from the crowds, which can be feverish in the peak dry season, visit one of the less-popular sites such as Walker Creek, the Cascades or Tjaetaba Falls, which boasts a natural infinity pool overlooking savannah woodland. If you have a four-wheel drive with a snorkel, Tjaynera (Sandy Creek) Falls (not caravan accessible) is a secluded swimming hole you might just have all to yourself. It's a 1.7-kilometre walk from the campground and day use area but definitely worth the effort.

Nature's Quirks

Don't reinflate the tyres just yet, the Lost City is calling. You'll find this mesmerising labyrinth of sandstone pillars, domes and passageways at the end of an 11 kilometre corrugated track. Here, eons of wind and rain have eroded 500-million-year-old rock into something resembling an Incan ruin. Another intriguing natural landmark is the Magnetic Termite Mounds, a graveyard of slender tombstone-like nests standing up to two metres tall and reverently worshipping the sun. Larger still is the Cathedral Termite Mound next door. This colossal 50-year-old mound stands four metres tall, with a viewing platform circling its girth just east of the park entrance.
For curiosities of human making, visit the Bamboo Creek Tin Mine, where you can wander around the ruins of the old mine shaft, mill and miner's quarters. Also take a detour to Blythe Homestead (four-wheel drive required), for a window into remote living conditions more than a century ago.

Stay

Bookable campsites are available at Florence and Wangi falls. Both are suitable for RVs and have toilets and showers and allow campfires, but you will have to take your rubbish with you. Wangi also has barbecues and a café on site. If the campgrounds are booked out or you need power and water, Litchfield Safari Camp is an excellent bush caravan park, with a large lagoon pool, kiosk and stylish new glamping tents (for your non-RV companions). The park is located at the park's western entrance and is close to the Cascades, where you can visit at dawn for a secluded sunrise swim. For a discount stay, try the CMCA RV Park Sundance Farm at Batchelor, the gateway town to the national park. This pet-friendly park has sites for self-contained RVs, a dump point and potable water. Don't forget you need a parks pass to enter the national park.

Category: Features
Written: Sat 01 Nov 2025
Printed: January, 2025
Published By: