Litchfield

While not agreeing that Litchfield is better than Kakadu – a proposition that was put to us by a number of locals - it is certainly different. It’s all about water: it’s filled with dramatic waterfalls in deeply cut canyons, tiny creeks and waterholes shaded by palms and trees. Lots of walks for the energetic too. While Wangi Falls and Pool is the biggest and most visited spot in Litchfield, we liked some others better. It’s hot! so jump in the water…oops! Make sure it’s a designated swimming spot – there are croc warnings at quite a few places. One of our favourite spots was “The Lost City” – an immense collection of rock formations that have some resemblance to a ruined ancient city. I would love to know the Aboriginal name for this place and its story as, I suspect, they have a far more interesting narrative about some of their dreamtime heros and their journey through here when they created these formations. You need a 4wd to visit it and the best time to see it is late afternoon and sunset when it is filled with shadows and very spookey. It was spookey enough when we wandered through it in mid-afternoon! Green Ant Creek is another best pick. Aboriginal owners request that there is no swimming in the creek which is very shallow and narrow. It’s smothered in vegetation along its banks, but can be viewed from the narrow footbridge, where a quiet ‘other world’ feeling is created by the deep greens, shadows, pandanus leaves and golden spots of sunlight highlighting submerged river stones. Several picnic tables are nearby in the shady bush closer to the carpark. Litchfield is also about rock formations, savanna woodlands and ‘jump ups’ - small escarpments of ancient rocks,100+ millions of years old, that were thrust up from ancient sea beds when the continent was wandering around the planet while plate tectonics were moving the major landmasses about. Check out this book for a good introduction to the geological-fauna- flora changes in this ancient continent : Australia: Land Beyond Time, The four- billion –year Journey of a Continent, Reg Morrison, 2002. Consider driving back to Darwin along the Berry Springs road. There are long stretches of well compacted dirt road but you can catch the Walker Creek swimming spot – shallow but with spa-type soak area, Bamboo Creek and the Finnis River, swimming NOT recommended here, It brings the big salties up into Litchfield. And remember, the best mango cheesecake is found at Latitude 1308 and the best value home cooked dinners at the licensed café at Litchfield Tourist & Van Park. But beware, these recommendations depend on the chef in the kitchen, and these people move around a lot.