Your Guide to Litchfield

In this video (and accompanying text), you’ll find lots of helpful information to learn more about Litchfield National Park; shared by one of our expert Northern Territory tour guides.

Can you swim in Litchfield?

Yes. Although, you know, there are times of the year when you may not be able to enter the water. Seasonal conditions and so forth. But yeah, there are lots of places you can swim, particularly in the dry season. So from mid-year… June, most of the park will actually be open and you’ll be able to access those beautiful waterfalls. Beautiful waterholes.

 

Are there designated swimming areas in Litchfield?

Oh, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. And that’s the only place you want to swim. So if you’re going into any of the national parks, that’s the only place you want to swim, is those designated swimming areas.

 

How will I know the designated swim areas?

They are specific locations and pretty much the roads lead you to them. And there’s some big names or common names. Buley, Florence… Wangai Falls. They’re very easy to access places like that. But if they’re sort of on the map, such as Green Ant Creek, Cascade Falls. There’s two levels to Cascades. The lower section and the upper section. The upper section is more commonly open. So once again seasonal down in the lower parts. But it’ll tell you before you even get there ‘open for swimming’.

 

What types of aquatic life are in the swim areas in Litchfield?

There’s a variety obviously you’re going to get a few of the native fish within the water itself. But around those swimming areas, yeah, you never know you might see a few water monitors hanging around, things like that.

 

Are there any risks associated with swimming in Litchfield?

Doesn’t matter where you go, there’s always going to be an element of risk with swimming. As guides, you know… so we’re quite informative on the individual locations and what those risks might be like, slippery rocks and stuff like that. Okay, be careful entering the water. Some waterholes might be a little bit cooler than others. So, you know, if you just go stepping straight into it, you might get a cold shock or something like that. So just be wary of that.

 

 

Best time of the year to go swimming in Litchfield?

Any time of the year. Cooler during what would be the winter months in Australia. Summer up here if you like. Beautiful Summer up here. The tropical Summer wet season, there are locations that will be closed, but yet there are still some locations that are open. They do get closed for like a day. It all depends on the rainfall, the seasonal conditions once again. So Parks will manage those. They’ll have a sign up, you know, turbulent water.. so please don’t enter water, that sort of thing. But yeah, you can still check that out. You can actually go to the government website if you’re coming into the region that time of the year. So the N.T government website, Parks website and they’ll be able to tell you as well. You know have a quick look… ‘Litchfield National Park is it open’. Florence, Buley… they’re sort of the main two. Upper Cascades will more than likely be open as well. But check it out before you go there.

 

Are there changing facilities for swimmers in Litchfield?

Pretty much everywhere you sort of stop within the park at these individual locations and there’ll be toilet facilities and change rooms.

 

Are there any guided swim tours to Litchfield?

There’s, there’s lots of guided tours… we do a day trip down into Litchfield. Um, yeah, absolutely.

 

Where’s the safest place to swim in Litchfield?

In the designated swimming areas. There are once again seasonal conditions. There will be parts of Litchfield closed… water holes closed due to the water levels being up. So you got those current risks and stuff like that. Flooding, flash flooding. Then of course during the, the tropical summer, you’ve got crocodiles. It’s breeding season for the estuarine crocodiles. Typically when we talk about crocodiles, we are referring to the estuarine crocodile. The little freshwater crocodiles they are relatively friendly. Just leave them alone. They’re okay. But the estuarine crocodile, it’ll be breeding through that time of the year. So with the water levels higher, they’ll get access up through creeks and stuff like that. Hence areas being closed off because of crocodiles being a risk as well.

 

Which is better swimming in Wangai or Florence?

I think you just got to try both. Every waterhole offers something different. They’re all quite spectacular, but they all offer something different.

Our guides share more on Litchfield - Watch the videos