Darwin Off The Beaten Path

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These magnetic mounds are much smaller than the Cathedral mounds and resemble tombstones.

Where we stopped to view the mounds on one side of the road the Cathedral Mounds were standing and when you crossed the road you would see hundreds of Magnetic Mounds standing in the field like tombstones in a graveyard.

At this stop there was also a Display Board explaining the detail of the mounds.

Located on Litchfield Park Road.

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As you drive towards Litchfield National Park you will see Termite Mounds on the land either side of the road. These termite mounds vary in height according to age and their surface is as hard as concrete which enables them to withstand the tropical wet season.

The termite mounds in the photos would be between 8 and 12 feet high.

Located on Litchfield Park Road.

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Our stop at Tolmer Falls was short and limited to several minutes on the viewing platform to take a few photographs.

It looked a beautiful waterfall and swimming hole far below . The path down to the waterfall is reasonably easy to walk.

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Spectacular twin falls set amongst rainforest make Florence Falls ideal for hiking , swimming and photography. The falls are surrounded by rugged terrain and there is a steep decent to the falls. The guide book stated 160 steps to the bottom, however when looking down from the viewing platform it looked further. One has to think how will you manage the climb back to the parking area.

We decided to take some photos and move onto the Wangi Falls.

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When visiting Darwin make the effort to visit Litchfield National Park which is 129km south of the city. Hire a car for the day and travel on sealed roads or should you prefer there are a number of day coach tours that provide an excellent service including visits to Tolmer,Florence and Wangi Falls. Coach tours are less than $100.

Litchfield was designated a National Park in 1986. It is the traditional home to the Aboriginal Wagait people and covers an area of 143 square km.

Travelling through the park you will see the huge Termite Mounds, the large mounds are called Cathedral Mounds and can rise to 10 feet or more, whilst the Magnetic Mounds are much smaller and resemble tombstones.

The crystal clear swimming holes attract most visitors into the water. We swam at Wangi falls and my only disappointment was everyone was in the water and no photo was taken of me sitting under the falls.

The Wangi Falls are easy to access with good pathways, few steps and no steep climb. Facilities at Wangi include parking, change rooms, and a cafe.

The small town of Adelaide River is located on the Stuart Highway, 114 kms from Darwin. It has a total of 160 people living here. In World War 11, it became the base for Military Headquarters. When the Japanese began bombing Darwin, at lot of the Northern Operations were moved to Adelaide River. It was used as a farm producing area for the troops, and for R&R for service personnel from Darwin.
The Adelaide River War Cemetery is THE ONLY AUSTRALIAN WAR CEMETERY ON AUSTRALIAN SOIL. There are 432 servicemen and 63 civilians buried here, all dying as a result of Japanese bombing raids. The cemetery is very well kept, and is signposted from the highway. A sad place and time to reflect on the years gone by.

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There isn't a lot to see at Batchelor, which is the gateway to Litchfield National Park. In World War 11, it was used as an important airforce Base, so the town grew and subsided with the end of the war. In 1949, Uranium was discovered at nearby Rum Jungle, once again, the town grew, until the mines closure in 1963.
Havlik Park is a minature replica of Karlstein Castle in Europe. It was built by a miner, named Havlik. There is a notice board giving information on the Castle.

You really don't want to miss this National Park. Either, do a tour, or hire a car, the roads aren't busy. If you hire a 4wd, then you can see more, as some of the roads cannot be used by conventional car. These are the Lost City, Have seen photos and its looks good, Blythe homestead and Tjaynera Falls. There are lots of waterfalls and swimming holes in Litchfield, its a very scenic spot.
You can do it in a days trip from Darwin, or, there is accommodation in Litchfield or at Batchelor, just at the entrance.