If you love swimming in crystal-clear fresh water, surrounding by red rocky escarpments then Leliyn (Edith Falls) is a must-visit destination. Located in Nitmiluk National Park in the Northern Territory, Leliyn is breath-takingly beautiful.
This is a picture-postcard landscape, classic Northern Territory. Edith River is a spring-fed river and flows all year around. Over millions of years it has cut a gorge through the escarpment, forming magical plunge pools under a series of small waterfalls.
The Jawoyn people have lived here for thousands of years, carefully managing the resources provided by the precious water of the river and caring for the country. Keep in mind you are on Jawoyn Country and respect their land accordingly.
Getting There
Leliyn (Edith Falls) is easy to get to. Travel about 40km North of Katherine on the Stuart Highway. Then turn right and follow a tarred road for 20km.
On arrival, you can park in the day parking area or book into the magnificent campground for a night or two (using the online booking system). On our first visit stayed overnight, then quickly extended to 2 nights. After a day of swimming, we just had to stay and do it all again.
On our most recent visit, we stayed four nights. This gave us time to complete the longer Sweetwater walk… and more time to swim!
What’s at Edith Falls?
Whether you’re a keen bushwalker, love escaping the heat in a pool surrounded by incredibly beautiful scenery or a bit of both, Leliyn has something for everyone.
1. The Leliyn Trail and Upper Pool
The Leliyn Track starts at the carpark then rises quickly, up and over the escarpment. After a few dips and rises, follow the signs to the Upper Pool. As you start to descend, the magnificent Upper Pool unfolds before you.
What an extraordinary place! The Edith River has cut its way through the escarpment, plunging over huge rocks and plunging into the Upper Pool. Pandanus palms provide the greenery, contrasting perfectly with the red rock.
The hot dry walk is soon forgotten as you glide into the beautiful water. Watch out, the rocks are pretty slippery underfoot. Swim up to the falls then let the current carry you back downstream.
You won’t be alone. The Upper Pool is popular, especially among the intrepid backpacker fraternity. You’ll hear languages from all around the world here. But it’s also unlikely to be packed. There’s plenty of room for all to enjoy this incredible place.
When you are finally able to drag yourself away from this beautiful place, you can return the way you came or continue the loop. We suggest you continue. After all, you’ll be rewarded with another swim at the end!
Climb up out of the gorge. You’ll have to clamber over lots of rocks here, plenty of fun! Once up on the escarpment, you’ll be rewarded with a panoramic view of Middle Pool (no public access).
This walk twists and loops along the escarpment and is quite exposed. You’ll walk amongst large rock formations and through the vegetation that’s tough enough to survive this hot, dry landscape.
Pretty soon, you’ll drop down the escarpment. After a short walk, the equally beautiful Lower Pool beckons. Of course, after a hot walk your reward is a cooling dip in the Lower Pool.
2. Sweetwater Pool Walk
If you’re up for a challenge, this walk should fit the bill. Nearly 9km return, this walk branches off the Leliyn Trail and follows the river upstream. You’ll need a camping permit (book online) for this walk if you plan to camp at Sweetwater Pool overnight.
Be prepared. Take plenty of water, good walking shoes and wear sun protection. Once on top of the escarpment, temperatures can soar due to the hot rocks reflecting heat back up at you.
It’s a moderately difficult walk, with some scrambling over rocks. And a few sections are quite exposed. If you’re planning on doing this walk, get up early to avoid the hottest part of the day.
But it’s worth the walk. Sweetwater Pool is magnificent. The Edith River cascades gently over rock bars, making for the perfect bush spa.
When you finally drag yourselg away from Sweetwater Pool to retrace your steps, there’s another treat awaiting you. Longhole Pool is equally magnificent, with a small waterfall. By the time you reach Longhole Pool, you’ll be ready for another swim.
After this, you have a long slog back to the campground. Thankfully you can call into Upper Pool or Lower Pool for a well-earned swim.
3. Jatbula Trail Walk
If you’re really keen (or slightly insane) there’s a 60km Jatbula Trail walk. It starts at Katherine Gorge, passes Sweetwater and Longhole Pools, and ends at the main campground. For safety reasons (recording who is on the walk), this can only be started from the Katherine Gorge end.
Due to the popularity of the 60km walk, National Parks send hikers in groups of fifteen. The walk is split into five sections, making a five day walk all up. They have to camp at allocated campsites, so they don’t end up on top of one another.
So don’t expect to be alone at Sweetwater or Longhole Pools. We encountered two groups totalling about thirty people.
It takes away from the atmosphere, no doubt. But if you wait a while, the groups generally move on and give you some peace… until the next group comes through.
4. Lower Pool
The Lower Pool is easily accessed from the carpark or the campground. A small waterfall drops into a huge pool with a beautiful escarpment backdrop. Lower Pool is always popular.
Poor swimmers or grey nomads tend to use pool noodles so they can just chill out and float around. What a great idea! Others use them as assistance to the waterfall, which is a 150m swim across Lower Pool. Once there, you’re rewarded with a luxurious natural waterfall spa.
The Campground
Leliyn Campground is fantastic. Lots of grass, private with space between campsites, shady trees and plenty of wildlife.
Blue winged kookaburras appear early morning and curlews come out at dusk. Curlews are strange birds, seemingly in a hurry wherever they go. With their long legs, they run from here to there rather than flying. All sorts of other birds come and go during the day, providing free entertainment as you relax under a shady tree.
Watch out for green ants. When you find a trail, follow it. The ant trail will meander up a tree, leading to their nest. Green ants build nests from leaves, curling them around to form a cocoon.
Fun fact. Green ants are actually edible and taste quite sweet. Just don’t attempt this here, as the ranger may not be too happy about you sampling the wildlife.
From the campground, it’s just a short walk to Lower Pool. So you can be incredibly lazy at the campground if that’s your thing. When you get hot, wander across to Lower Pool for a refreshing dip.
Wander across to Lower Pool near sunset. The escarpment cliffs face West, picking up the colours from the setting sun and reflecting them onto the water. As a bonus, we were at Leliyn during a full moon. Simply stunning.
Keep an eye out for wildlife. We saw all sorts of creatures… rocket frogs, cheeky Gilbert’s dragons, skinks, geckoes, a turtle, a Merten’s water monitor, and a really cool two-spined rainbow skink.
Unfortunately, the cane toads appear en masse after dark. Despite the toads, thankfully it seems like the local wildlife is holding on.
Relief From The Heat
Leliyn (Edith Falls) is absolutely beautiful. And so easily accessible from the Stuart Highway. If you’re looking for relief from the NT heat on your journey along the Stuart Highway, Leliyn is an ideal stopover.
Oh, and the ice creams at the cafe are welcome on a hot day too…
Leliyn (Edith Falls) is on Jawoyn Country.
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