Best time to go
- The track is usually open seasonally from June to September, the dry-season window.
- Earlier in that window generally means more chance of water in pools; later means hotter, drier conditions and lower pools.
Overview
About Southern Campground (Tabletop Track)
Why stop
- Rugged woodland camp beside a seasonal creekbed
Heads up
- Hot, exposed approach on a difficult multi-day route
Map
Where it is
Loading the Litchfield map
Full mapPlan your stop
Before you go
Best time to go
3 active Litchfield alerts
- ClosureTabletop Track closedMentions Tabletop Track, referenced in this guideThe Tabletop Track is closed because an Excess Heat Warning is in effect and there is no accessible drinking water. - Permit access only; do not plan an unpermitted walk on the track.Official details
- CautionReynolds River Track: deep water crossingsThe Reynolds River Track is open to 4WDs only, but rough conditions and water crossings about 500–600 mm deep require care.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Litchfield Tour Guide
Your drive to Southern Campground (Tabletop Track), narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Litchfield National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
More stories near here in the app
- Tolmer's Hidden Bat Colony
- The Ants That Sew Leaves
- Tabletop Swamp
- Wangi Falls
- 68 audio storiesacross Litchfield’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Works offlinemaps, 17 trails, 31 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
More about Southern Campground (Tabletop Track)
What it isThe southern designated overnight campground on the Tabletop Track, the multi-day loop around…
The southern designated overnight campground on the Tabletop Track, the multi-day loop around the Tabletop Range. It exists to break up a long walking circuit, and it is mapped simply as a camp site with permissive access. Camping on the track must be booked and paid for online in advance.
The settingA rugged woodland plain beside a dry riverbed, framed by rock.
- A rugged woodland plain beside a dry riverbed, framed by rock.
- Savanna woodland and rough rocky country rather than a manicured clearing.
- Quiet, exposed and hot, with little or no mobile reception reported around the route.
- The appeal is the stillness and the rock-and-woodland camp feel at the end of a hard walking day, not comfort.
How it fits the routeThe full circuit is graded level 4, moderate to difficult, roughly 39 to 46 km, usually 2 to 4…
- The full circuit is graded level 4, moderate to difficult, roughly 39 to 46 km, usually 2 to 4 days.
- One walked itinerary reaches this camp after a 15 km first day from the Florence Falls car park.
- The loop is reached by access tracks at Florence Falls, Wangi Falls and Walker Creek, so you can plan the southern camp as a first or later night depending on your direction.
PreparationFacilities on the track are described as minimal, and no specific on-site amenities are…
Facilities on the track are described as minimal, and no specific on-site amenities are verified for this campground, so plan to be fully self-sufficient.
- Carry at least 2 litres of water per person per day, plus food, cooking gear, first aid, navigation, sun and insect protection, and sleeping shelter.
- Water here is limited and unreliable. A mid-September account found only a shallow bottom pool, enough to dip feet and filter for drinking and cooking. Treat any water as something to verify, filter and plan around rather than count on.
- An emergency communication device is recommended, given the remoteness and reception gaps.
- The park has saltwater and freshwater crocodiles, so follow park guidance on where you enter water.
- Extreme heat and limited water are the named risks on this track. Start early and walk the cooler hours.
Honest drawbacksReaching it means a long, strenuous, hot and exposed walk with a full pack.
- Reaching it means a long, strenuous, hot and exposed walk with a full pack.
- No comfort infrastructure should be expected, and self-rescue capability matters more than usual.
- Water conditions vary from year to year and month to month, which makes route planning less forgiving than on serviced campgrounds.
- Not a destination in its own right. Come only as part of a properly prepared Tabletop Track walk.
