Litchfield National Park and Howard Springs Nature Park



On the last day of our tour, we bade farewell to Kakadu and visited Litchfield National Park and Howard Springs Nature Park.  It was another scorching hot day in the Territory, so I was pleased that we were going to be near water.  Even better, we were promised a swim in the rock pools if we desired it - hooray!

Our first stop in Litchfield National Park was at the Magnetic Termite Mounds and Cathedral Termite Mounds.  The Magnetic Termite Mounds are so called because they are aligned north to south, and there are heaps of them  on display in a large field.  There are many more than in this photo:


Here's a close up of one of the mounds:


Just across the way from the Magnetic Termite Mounds are the Cathedral Termite Mounds, so called because of their towering structure:



This mound is over four metres tall.  It is hard to believe that something as small as termites could build such a magnificent structure.

Having seen the termite mounds, we headed to Florence Falls to escape the heat.  Here is a view of the falls on the way down to the rock pool:


More of the falls:


The falls run down towards a very large pool, surrounded on all sides by cliff face:


Once you have negotiated the stairs down to the rock pool, you can go for a swim in the water, which was a blessed experience on such a hot day (even if I scored an ear infection out of it):


Some people swam right up under the falls, but the current was quite strong there, so I didn't bother.  Also note that because of crocodiles, this rock pool is one of the only natural waterways where you can safely swim in the Top End.

After drying off, we headed out to Wangi Falls:


We were not permitted to swim there (although you sometimes can) because crocodiles were in the area:


We pushed on to Tolmer Falls, where there is a lookout to view the surrounding landscape:


Here is Tolmer Falls, which cascades down to a deep waterhole:


It was outrageously hot outside, and I was troubled by a splitting headache, despite wearing a hat and drinking plenty of water.  I was pleased to go back to our airconditioned bus, whence we drove back towards Darwin.  

On the way, we visited the Howard Springs Nature Park, where our tour guide fed the barramundi so that we could get a glimpse of them:


The barramundi in the park are protected, but the Northern Territory is renowned for its barramundi to eat.

Once back at the hotel, we witnessed this glorious golden sunset to closeout our day in the Top End:


Sending best wishes to the people of the Top End, who are at present (in March 2019) in cyclone season and are being hit by Cyclones Trevor and Veronica at once.  There is a mass evacuation underway from Darwin to protect the people from the force of the cyclones. 



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