Litchfield

Established in 1986, Litchfield is celebrated for its relatively easy-to-reach waterfalls and for its magnetic termite mounds, structures up to 2 metres high built by termites that deliberately align their long axis north-south, an adaptation that minimises exposure to the midday sun and so regulates the nest's internal temperature, a phenomenon still under scientific study as an example of collective behaviour in social insects. Its relative closeness to Darwin, compared with the longer trip to Kakadu, makes it one of the most popular day-trip destinations in the Australian Top End.