Discover the ultimate adventure at Limmen National Park. From camping under the stars to fishing in Limmen Bight River, to exploring the striking sandstone formations, there’s no shortage of thrilling experiences to be had in this breathtaking wilderness. Let’s take a closer look at what this hidden gem has to offer.
After braving the Savannah Way from Hell’s Gate in Queensland across the border to Borroloola in the Northern Territory we were a little apprehensive about continuing along the dirt into the Limmen National Park. But Limmen was high on our list so after a couple of days to recuperate in Borroloola we were off – and aren’t we glad we went! The road was in excellent condition, minimal corrugations and we were able to cruise along toward our first stop, The Southern Lost City.
Limmen National Park: The Southern Lost City
The Southern Lost City campground is located approximately 150 km from Borroloola via Ryans Bend Road and Nathan River Road. Driving into the campground on the passenger side, you are greeted with your first look at the towering sandstone rock formations that make up the lost city. The campground itself has 5 campsites, each with its own fire pit and toilets are the only amenities that are available. We arrived at 2 pm in the afternoon and were really surprised to have the place all to ourselves. We set off to walk the 2.5km loop through the lost city in the late afternoon after the temperature had dropped a few degrees and were amazed by how beautiful the rock formations were up close. The striking oranges, deep reds and earthy brown colours are so eye-catching you just stop and look around in awe at how remarkable this place really is. Watching the afternoon sun change the colours and light up the rock formations was breathtaking.
Limmen National Park: Walks
The walk is an easy Grade 3 with minimal climbing up and down over smaller rock ledges that our kids aged 5 years and 3 years handled fine. A hot tip would be to make sure you follow the arrows in the anti-clockwise direction so that you don’t get lost. For the first half of the trail, you walk up through the sky-high spires and then at the halfway mark you are treated to an amazing view out over the valley. To get the best viewpoint you need to walk about 20m off the track to the right and out onto some rocks where you’ll get 180 degrees of the spectacular Limmen National Park landscape. The walk back down is an easy, winding decline where we could really take in the beautiful wildflowers and trees nestled between the sandstone formations and the birds flying freely above. With no one but a few hundred flies for company we were able to enjoy a very relaxing and quiet evening at the campground.Follow Us
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Limmen National Park: Towns River Campground
The next day we set off north towards Towns River campground which is about 100 km further along Nathan River Road. Towns river campground offers two areas to camp, there are 4 numbered sites you can book that are situated about 30 metres up the bank in the trees where there is some shade, or if you drive past these sites down towards the boat ramp you can camp right on the bank in the overflow area.
Due to the heat, we opted to stay in our booked site up the bank where we could get some afternoon shade. Each campsite has a fire pit and again drop toilets were the only amenities available.
Activity
Towns river is the perfect spot to wet a line, either casting from the bank or out in a tinny; there is plenty of action to keep you entertained. Fidel managed to land a decent-sized queenie, but as we were already very stocked up on fish from our stops at Karumba and Seven Emu Station he threw it back. He also caught a small shark and got snapped off a couple of times by something bigger – a huge NT barra according to Fidel. Whilst sitting down by the bank watching the sunset and having a fish we spotted two of the local crocodiles out in the river. They hung around for about 15 minutes with one of them coming right over to the bank to check Fidel out. Seeing these incredible prehistoric creatures in the wild was a highlight for us and the kids. While the water looks very inviting in the intense Territory heat, being croc wise is super important and swimming is off limits. If you haven’t got Limmen National Park on your list, this place is without a doubt something you don’t want to miss! We feel like we have only scratched the surface of this spectacular, almost untouched, beautiful part of the Northern Territory and we can’t wait to venture back into the Limmen National Park sometime soon.
Are your bags packed? Get excited because you know it’s going to be a good one! We would love your feedback on this page – please comment below if you’ve been to Limmen National Park or visited The Lost City?
Norther would like to invite you to explore more about the beauty of Limmen National Park here. And… as always you can get more inspiration for other National Parks & Destinations to visit by following @northerhq or get your Limmen National Park daily fix @limmennationalpark.
*Cover image is by @venturing_with_the_vials on IG.
One Response
Sounds like an amazing adventure!!!!