Litchfield National Park

About 100kms south of Darwin, you’ll find Litchfield NP. Things were starting to get a lot greener now, and Litchfield offered easy access to multiple waterfalls and waterholes where you could swim safely, away from the threat of salt water crocs. It was so pretty, and after checking out Walker Creek in particular, where most tourists don’t bother to go, it became another spot Elliot and I wanted to return to with more time up our sleeves. So basically, for us, Litchfield was all about waterfalls and waterholes!

But before we get into those, here’s a bit about the mighty termite! Now, I’d never spent much time pondering what I’d previously believed to be ‘pesky little creatures’, but after seeing their mounds, and reading a little about them, I was quite flabbergasted about how amazing they are. And even worse, I left the site where we stopped and read about them, with more questions than answers about termites! Particularly about the ant/termite warfare that goes on! I left the site wondering why I was wondering about them so much!! Anyway, if you couldn’t care less about termites, skip this next section! For the curious among you, get this…

Not far inside Litchfield NP, there was a site with mounds from both Magnetic termites, and Cathedral termites; apparently quite rare to find these two in the same vicinity. Both design their mounds with the weather/climate/conditions in mind, to regulate the internal temperature of their home. First, the Magnetic Termite: Their mounds are relatively ‘flat’ looking, and they always build on seasonally flooded black soil plains. Now, most termites burrow underground, but due to the seasonal flooding, these little guys can’t. So they’re faced with a number of problems – how to keep food storage areas well ventilated and free of bacteria and fungi;, how to keep above the water table in the wet; and how to escape extreme temperatures of soaring heat in the day, and very cold at night. What they need is a mound that regulates temperature. So, their mounds are always aligned north-south, which means one side will always be in the shade, and therefore there’s always somewhere in the mound that’s ‘just right’. Scientists experimented by changing the alignment of mounds, and found the temperature rose significantly. They also artificially changed the direction of the magnetic field using magnets, and found the termites built repairs to their mounds in accordance with the artificial magnetic field, and not to the Earth’s magnetic field. It is suspected then, particularly as they are blind and cannot use the sun to orientate, that they have an internal compass (and hence, their ‘Magnetic’ name). Clever little buggers eh? (the termites I mean!). Well, I guess there has been thousands of years’ of adaptation going on, so not that awesome really…(NOT!!)

Their mounds were everywhere, for much of our drive through the NT. Seeing so many here, I thought they looked a bit like headstones. Quite eerie!

And here’s a Magnetic Termite mound.

Now, the Cathedral Termites. Their mounds are incredibly tall, often over 5 metres. Quite a feat of engineering for a 5mm grass eating insect! They build on well drained soil, unlike the Magnetic bunch. This one is believed to be about 50 years old!

And these tall ones were the ones where the daily battle between ants and termites was really apparent. Ants are vicious, and termites quite defenceless. It’s just their sheer numbers that keep them going I think! I actually felt sorry for them! What was happening to me??! But, there’s more!! There’s a point in their lifecycle, where they take to the wing in massive numbers. Most of them are eaten by birds, reptiles, fish and mammals, and in the morning, all that’s left are their wings, blowing in the breeze. What scientists have worked out is that the whole ecosystem has been waiting for this event, and many native animals launch their own reproductive processes to coincide with it. The humble termite is believed to be critical to the survival of the tropical ecosystem. Who woulda thought eh? Oh, and lastly, their mounds are used as a safe haven for many animals, such as quolls, snakes, goannas and rats during fires. Beat that, ‘clever humans’!!!

Ok, now the watery stuff. I haven’t got any amazing scientific facts to share here, but we snorkelled in about 5 of the various waterholes and pools over the course of the day, and were in awe of the micro underwater worlds we saw. Types of fish only found in these rivers, feisty little freshwater prawns who’d have a go at your finder, despite being the size of your fingernail, and weed that was so bright green it looked fake. Kind of like emerald green fairy floss! The water was so clean, clear and warm, it was quite magic. The walk up Walker Creek had 8 waterfalls and waterholes as you ascended, and each one had a bush campsite right next to it. This is where Elliot and I wished we’d had more time – we’d have loved to spend one night camped in the tent under the stars, right next to a bubbling waterfall. Oh well, next time! 

Elliot snorkelling

One waterfall emptying into a beautiful pool, then tumbling into another shortly after. 

Litchfield NP was the first time I can remember being in tropical rain forest – I was so excited!!

These rock shelves are totally covered with torrents of water in the wet season. 

This is a ‘Turkey Bush’ in bloom. Such a pretty colour. (Tjaynera Falls in the background). 

Perfect pools for swimming. Just gorgeous. And no people around!

Buley Rock Holes – a heap of waterfalls and waterholes strung together. Elliot loved it, as there were so many to explore. Heaps of people though. It’s closed in Wet season due to crocs being around. 

Twin Falls.

We visited heaps more water falls, but I reckon that’ll do for the pics on them!