Litchfield: Blyth homestead, Tjaynera falls ,Tolmer fall , termite mounds and Greenant creek and Tjaetaba falls.

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Sunset on Wangi falls, this  water hole is just lovely to swim in ,and although it can get very busy , because it is so large it didnt feel crowded. We had about three swims here, since it was a short 10 min walk from our campsite.


The morning of our second full day in Litchfield we decided that more adventures called for and we headed off on the Reynolds 4WD track.

Our first planned destination was  

Blyth Homestead 

But to get there Reggie had to cross three creeks, the first was pretty easy the second two were about 0.5 metre deep and both were reasonably long of course Reggie did it with no problems, i was bouncing my seat loving it ,initially gadget was a little worried but by the end he was enjoying it. When we left the area at the end of the day we crossed the last big water hole with the GoPro attached to the bull bar, filming the crossing unfortunately not long after we started driving (with out our knowledge) it shut down due to lack of battery. Which was disappointing.

I was like well we just have to replace the battery and go back through, so we did , we crossed that crossing four times . 

But back to Blyth homestead.

The homestead ( one very large room inside and four very wide verandahs outside) was built by the Sargent family in 1929. The family owned a property called Stapleton station and Blyth homestead was an out station. The family also owned and operated a tin mine just across the creek. Only 4 - 5 members of the Sargent family ever resided in the homestead at anytime. During the dry season they managed grazing cattle on the floodplains and in the wet season worked in the mine. 


The family sold the properties in 1964, and in the 80s the land that Blyth homestead sits on was part of the land parcel handed over to the government to become Litchfield national park.

After leaving the homestead we headed further down the road to 

Tjaynera falls 

The above falls and water hole are just lovely and often not as crowded as the other waterfalls.

This is probably because it is a 1.7km hike to get to the falls, along a grade 3 track. When we were in this area they had just been mosaic burning in  the area and there was still smouldering tree stumps as we walked along. We both had a bit of a swim, but we didn't stay long sadly, as we knew that our time in litchfield was running out because of our power issues so we wanted to see as much as we could.

Magnetic termite mounds  

The above termite mounds are just a couple of the hundreds that are located on the flood plain in Litchfield, they are believed to be over 100 year old and they face true north.  The mounds are thermo-regulated, by one side always being in shade and the other in sun, a guide was also saying that the termites carry droplets of water to the top of the mounds ,and drop them to help keep the mound cool.they are almost perfectly flat on the front and back and are actually rather thin. 

Tolmer falls 

Is considered the most spectacular falls in Litchfield. The falls can be viewed from two locations but my favourite was from the viewing platform, the water was so crystal clear you could see the rocks under the water.

The water cascades over two escarpments down into the deep water hole. Swimming, is not permitted in this water hole. 

After this we returned to ruby for the afternoon. We had managed to catch more sun and the van was back up to 64%. However we had already decided to leave the next morning.

We rose a little earlier the next day and did the 2.7 km round  trip beside greenant creek up to 

Tjaetaba falls 


The falls are beautiful but i loved the top of the falls and the small waterholes.It was just very peaceful with just the sound of birds and the waterfall. This water hole is also a non swimming place as it is a sacred site for traditional owners.

Unfortunately with the van battery below 40% it was time to move on. So we headed back to the van and said fair well to Litchfield.

Until the next blog

Travel safe

The Touring Knights 

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