Lichfield was the first of the iconic parks we visited in the Northern Territory and by arriving early we were able to get a campsite at Wangi Falls.

Wangi Falls was a lovely spot, though the swimming hole was closed because Parks Services hadn't finished their crocodile survey and they only open the swimming holes once they are sure there are no crocs present.

From the swimming hole though there is a lovely walk that takes you up what they call here in the Top End "Monsoon Forest". In our minds that conjures up rainforest images with lost of rain, but up here it is just dense bush with lots of leafy canopy and higher humidity than in other parts.

This walk was lovely and it took us up into the canopy of the forest, which was great. Here too were lots of Flying Foxes which came out at sunset just like they did at Kathrine Gorge.

After our walk we went for a drive to Tjaynera Falls (Sandy Creek). This was down a 4WD track with a 0.5m deep water crossing about 80m long, must keep some out. The track was easy, on the way we passed by some Cathedral Termite Hills one was at least twice the hight of the Land Cruiser and Blyth Homestead Ruins. This homestead was built in 1929 by the Sergeant family and was abandoned in the 1960s. The story goes that the family had 11 children and that when old enough they were left at the homestead to fend for themselves. There is an account from one of the girls recalling doing fencing at the age of 10! They were also expected to work in their small Tin Mine. A tough life. We eventually arrived at the carpark and camping area at the start of the walk to the falls. It was packed and we had trouble finding a spot to park. The walk is an easy 1.7Km walk that takes you through some lovely forest of palms and trees.

At the falls we were greeted with the sight and sounds of people jumping off rocks into the water and people everywhere enjoying the cool waters. We found a quieter spot and enjoyed looking at the fish in the water and the Golden Orb spiders in their webs above the water. Golden Orb spiders up here are meant to be the largest spiders in Australia (Not sure how they measure spiders)

After cooling off we made the trek back to the carpark. I might point out here that both Lichfield and Kakadu NPs belong to the Aboriginals and they allow us to visit, so a lot of these places are special to the Aboriginals and there are signs asking us to respect them by not jumping into the water, not climbing up the falls, not flying drones and so on. We know we saw all these requests ignored at some time.

After arriving back at camp we went to a very informative talk put on by one of the Rangers.

The next day we headed first to the Magnetic Termite Hills. These hills are build very narrow and long, a bit like a fence and run North/South to help with cooling and like the Cathedral Termites, they build above ground to stop being flooded in the wet.

From the hills we went to Florence Falls. Here we didn't think we would get a parking spot, everywhere was full, but we spotted someone leaving and got a spot. This place was nuts, there were people everywhere, all taking the shortest walk, carrying noodles, towels and other gear down to the falls. On the way we stopped at a lookout to take some photos of these beautiful falls. But when we looked down at these twin falls we spotted some bloke who had climbed the falls and was sunning himself on a ledge between the falls. When we arrived at the falls he was still there and we estimated there was around 50 people in the pool, it resembled a pool party. We took some photos and left.

For the return walk we chose the longer 'shady creek' walk. It was lovely as it wound its way through lush forest and followed a small flowing creek out to the carpark. Funny enough, there was hardly a person on it.

Then it was a short drive to Buley Rockhole. This was quieter, because you couldn't really swim. Here there are a number of rockholes that are deep enough to sit in and enjoy the cool waters as they flowed past.

Next stop was the Lost City. This is an area of sandstone rock formations that look like something from Raiders Of The Lost Ark. On the way into this site we passed 10 cars heading out and there were still three at the carpark when we arrived. We took a walk around these incredible formations before going on to the Tabletop Swamp. There was only one van and 4 people here (no swimming). We took the short walk around the edge of this swamp and spotted a number of different birds. We also enjoyed the quiet.

Next was Tolmer Falls. Its only a short walk from the carpark (which was empty) to the viewing platform above these falls. These are the highest falls in the park and at the bottom there are caves that are the home to the Orange Horseshoe Bat and the Ghost Bat, both protected.

Our second last walk was to Tjaetaba Falls. Here the carpark was empty, it was getting late and you can't swim here either as it is sacred to the Aboriginals. It was a long walk through Monsoon Forest before the track ascended the hill to the top of the falls, where there were a couple of pools which looked inviting. On the way back to the car we passed two guys heading in.

Our final walk was to the Bamboo Creek Tin Mine. This mine was operational from 1905 to the 1950s when it became unprofitable to run. An interesting site with some interesting ruins.