Florence Falls

Litchfield National Park / Batchelor, Northern Territory, Australia

About Florence Falls

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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Florence Falls was probably our favourite waterfall in Litchfield National Park.

What made this waterfall stand out to Julie and I was its multi-tiered, multi-segmented shape with a crocodile-free swimming hole that was perfect for lingering about and cooling off.

Florence_Falls_030_06042006 - Florence Falls
Florence Falls

In addition to its characteristics, we were able to enjoy the view of the falls from an overlook near its top as well as from its cool and shady base.

We weren’t alone in our sentiments towards the falls because it was very popular as many other people were sharing the experience with us during our visits.

In fact, this waterfall seemed to gain in popularity since our first visit in June 2006 when we saw many more people here in June 2022.

Anyways, Florence Creek was said to tumble possibly 30-40m in total (though admittedly, I’m just guessing here).

Florence_Falls_022_06042006 - People swimming at the base of Florence Falls, which seemed to be free of saltwater crocodiles where other swimming holes in Litchfield were closed off because of them
People swimming at the base of Florence Falls, which seemed to be free of saltwater crocodiles where other swimming holes in Litchfield were closed off because of them

The main drops were said to be about 20-25m tall, but there was an upper tier that we could easily see from the upper lookout.

The creek was rare in that it was said to be year-round so the falls themselves were also permanent.

According to the signs here, this was possible because the porous rocks of the tabletop plateaus here absorb Wet Season rains, then they percolate as springs during the Dry Season.

Plus, Florence Creek was isolated enough that there wasn’t as much of a threat of saltwater and freshwater crocodiles.

That’s why you see people swimming around the falls in the photos on this page whereas none of our photos for the other main waterfalls in Litchfield National Park had people swimming around them.

Experiencing Florence Falls

Florence_Falls_011_06112022 - Following the well-developed track from the car park to the lookout and base of Florence Falls
Following the well-developed track from the car park to the lookout and base of Florence Falls

Our visit began with a short 200m walk from the car park (see directions below) to a wheelchair-accessible overlook of the entire context of the falls and gorge (see photo at the top of this page).

There was an interpretive sign informing us of how the falls was year-round as well as some of the wildlife to be found here.

Then, we continued along the trail, which proceeded towards a series of steps descending steeply from the tabletop plateau into the shady depths of the gorge.

I recalled that it didn’t take long for us to make it to the bottom where we then crossed a footbridge over Florence Creek before continuing on the trail the rest of the way to the base of Florence Falls.

Florence_Falls_037_06112022 - Looking at the context of the entrance to the main plunge pool at the base of Florence Falls
Looking at the context of the entrance to the main plunge pool at the base of Florence Falls

At the end of the trail, there was an entrance to the large plunge pool fronting the falls, which lots of people took advantage of to swim and cool off from the Top End’s typically hot and muggy weather.

However, trying to view and photograph the falls wasn’t satisfactory from here so we scrambled a short distance over rocks (trying to keep our feet dry) until we got frontal views of Florence Falls.

We definitely had to use caution on the stream crossings because some parts were pretty deep while some of the rocky steps were both slippery and uneven (so trekking poles definitely helped with the balance).

When we had our fill of the falls, it was all uphill on the way back, which included all the steps that we had descended earlier.

Florence_Falls_084_06112022 - After having our fill of Florence Falls, it was time to walk back up the steps towards the car park while sweating it out
After having our fill of Florence Falls, it was time to walk back up the steps towards the car park while sweating it out

The total amount of time we spent away from the car on each of our visits here was around an hour, including all the hiking and picture taking.

Termite Mounds

In addition to Florence Falls, a short drive east of the turnoff for the falls was the intriguing Termite Mounds, which was well-signposted.

Now we had witnessed several termite mounds throughout much of Northern Australia, but for some reason, there was a very high concentration of them at this one spot.

In fact, quite a few of the termite mounds seemed to be facing a certain direction so some people even refer to these formations as “magnetic termite mounds”.

Termite_Mounds_021_06152022 - Context of Tahia standing before one of the larger termite mounds that we noticed in Litchfield National Park
Context of Tahia standing before one of the larger termite mounds that we noticed in Litchfield National Park

Moreover, some of the individual mounds were so big that they were easily three or four times taller than us.

Authorities

Florence Falls resides in Litchfield National Park near Batchelor in the Northern Territory. It is administered by the Northern Territory Government. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual subscribers. See Membership Options.
Content is for subscribers. See Membership Options.
Tagged with: litchfield, batchelor, rum jungle, darwin, northern territory, australia, waterfall, outback



Visitor Comments:

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Florence Falls June 17, 2010 9:03 pm by AE - Was there in July 2009. Went to Florence Falls with the Litchfield Dreams tour. This was one of our stops. It is a beautiful place and it my own little piece of heaven. We swam across and sat under the waterfall. Great stop to cool off during the hot Aussie weather. Don't miss it, once… ...Read More

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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
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