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On this page: About this site Off-track walking For starters For overnighters Minimal impact Access & Issues Enjoy! Disclaimer

 

HOT PRESS! Public submissions to a parliamentary inquiry into recreation activities in drinking water catchments closed 4 Dec. 2009. A Committee report from the inquiry is due by 1 July 2010. See WalkGPS "Future Access?" for some of the issues.

 

Many of the walks described on WalkGPS are new routes not published elsewhere and are either mainly off-track (i.e. cross-country; not on existing paths or trails) or have a significant off-track component. The walk pages are not one-off ‘trip reports’ but are based on my several visits to each of the areas to test and optimise the off-track routes for walking enjoyment. (Nevertheless, the Australian bush is ever-changing, so be prepared for surprises! An initially easy, open forest walk - over a period of just a few years following a bushfire - may turn into a grim struggle through a dense understorey of 'Prickly Moses'!) Aside from always carrying a map and compass and knowing how to use both, proficient GPS-user skills are recommended if you wish to follow the routes closely as the waypoints have been designed for GPS-users rather than for traditional compass navigation.  A compass should always be carried as a standby, but preferably not used as the primary navigation tool for those particular walks as many of the waypoints and features are not distinctive landmarks. -They could be missed very easily using compass alone. However, if you prefer compass navigation, the maps on this site should still be useful to experienced bushwalkers. - You can easily adapt and simplify several of the walks yourself from the maps to make them more suitable for compass work (remembering to add approx. 2 degrees to grid north bearings read from the maps to correct them to magnetic north).

If you are new to bushwalking, join one of the local bushwalking clubs and learn the basics first-hand from experienced club members. Also try out a few of the shorter on-track walks provided on this site or published elsewhere that don't require GPS or compass navigation skills and are located close to Perth. The shorter walks and near-city walks along the Swan and Canning River foreshores or in Bold Park, Kings Park, or Whiteman Park are also great alternatives for early morning exercise in the summer months when the days are otherwise too hot for the longer distances.

WalkGPS includes Google road maps, Google Earth displays and GPS waypoints and 'track' files (including PCX5, GPX and KMZ files for all walks), so that you can easily find your way to walk start points and discover the walk routes, including several established walk trails within the Perth region that are not described in detail on WalkGPS e.g. Coastal Plain Walk Trail, Kyotmunga Walk Trail, Yaberoo Budjara Walk Trail, Kattamordo Heritage Trail, Numbat Trail (Paruna Sanctuary) and Bibbulmun Track-Northern Half (and Munda Biddi Bike Trail which is also accessible to walkers). Google Earth displays and GPS files are also included for some iconic walks in the southwest, beyond the Perth region e.g. Cape to Cape Track (and Meelup Trail), and Stirling Ridge Walk.

If you haven't used GPS before, you should first develop and test your skills close to home before heading off-track on these walks.  Becoming proficient at using a GPS unit is no more difficult than learning to use a mobile phone.  Combined with a few basic map reading skills, your GPS navigation skills will soon allow you to confidently and accurately navigate off-track through the bush and to fully enjoy the bushwalking experience and environment, freed from the usual limitations and uncertainties of traditional compass navigation.  For your own safety and the re-assurance of others in the case of emergency, especially if you walk alone, consider investing also in a handheld GPS personal locator device, either a Satellite Personal Tracker and Messenger or a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) with built-in GPS.

If you are uncertain if walking of any kind is the right activity for you, see WalkGPS "Why (not) Walk?" page for some inspiration.

The walk routes on WalkGPS are primarily intended as day walks, but there are also excellent designated campsites within, or close to, at least 15 of the walk routes on this site. Campsite location details are included on each of those walk pages of WalkGPS. These include Bibbulmun Track shelters which may be used only where the walk routes include a significant section of the Bibbulmun Track. There are no fees for use of those campsites. A standard fee of $7.00/night per adult applies for the Avon National Park campsites.  Unfortunately opportunities for camping outside of the designated campsites are very limited. Such camping is currently banned within the extensive water catchment areas, which cover most of the forested region and walk areas (an area of around 45 kms wide by 100 kms; see WalkGPS map,  Dept. of Water information (1.12MB pdf), and also Designated Camping policy).

The eucalypt forests and woodlands of the Perth Region are mainly relatively light and open and generally ideal for off-track, minimal impact bushwalking.  'Bush-bashing' is not required! The routes on this website  try to avoid having to push through sections of more dense undergrowth. Short sections of scratchy shrublands and heathlands are common around the granite outcrops, but well worn animal trails (from kangaroos/emus) usually provide an easy way through. Protecting your legs with gaiters or trousers will avoid scratches. Wherever possible on the granite outcrops keep to the bare rock surfaces to avoid damaging the fragile moss-covered areas, but also avoid the darker-stained patches of rock which often become treacherously slippery when wet. Follow good bushwalkers' standards  to minimise your impact on the environment, including leaving behind no rubbish, and ensuring good bush hygiene and sanitation.

These walks are mainly within State Forest, National Parks, Conservation Parks, Nature Reserves and water catchment areas.  Restrictions on vehicle and walker access may apply or vary from time to time: 

Water catchments  -  Around 80% of the total traditional bushwalking opportunities close to Perth lie within extensive water catchment areas. Restricted access to 2km-wide 'Reservoir Protection Zones' (RPZs) around the water reservoirs is intended to protect against perceived possible risks to drinking water quality. (Contact the Dept. of Water or DEC for map "Protecting our Drinking Water Catchments", by Water Corp./DOE/DLI; also see Water & Rivers Commission Statewide Policy #13, 2003.) Department of Water (DoW) Plans published in 2007 recommended extending the prohibition on all traditional off-track bushwalking opportunities to cover the entire 4500 sq km of forested water catchment areas, far beyond the limits of the RPZs. See WalkGPS 'Access & Land-use Issues' map (54KB pdf). DoW’s intention was to restrict bushwalking to “designated trails”,  which are currently non-existent for bushwalking over most of the catchments (apart from the Bibbulmun Track). Thanks to extensive submissions to Government by bushwalkers and other outraged community groups, by March 2008 the DoW had reconsidered its published Plans, advising that it would continue to allow walkers ‘free-to-roam’ access to the forested water catchment areas outside of the RPZs.  Also see box. »

Aboriginal heritage  - Many walk areas in the Darling Range include areas of special significance for the aboriginal people. Aboriginal sites are a part of the heritage of the whole community and it is important they are respected and not disturbed. Usually the sites are not obvious, but moving, breaking or removal of rocks, trees or other natural features should always be avoided in reserves or protected areas (including the building of new stone cairns on outcrops!). It is against the law to disturb a site or to remove artefacts. (For information on aboriginal sites in the region see the DIA's Aboriginal Heritage Enquiry System.)

Die-back  - In the State Forests, designated Disease Risk Areas (for phytophthora die-back) are generally out of bounds to private vehicles (without special permit) except on approved roads indicated on the DEC/DLI (formerly CALM/DOLA) 1:50,000 maps. 

Prescribed burns  - DEC periodically conducts prescribed (or controlled) burns in State Forest areas (see DEC's   Indicative Burns Plan for Swan and Indicative Swan Region Burn Program for Spring 2008-Autumn 2011).-To be safe, check DEC's notice of "Today's Prescribed Burns" or check with the relevant DEC office before walking in the State Forest.

Forestry operations  - Also check DEC-Forest Products Commission’s timber harvesting plans (see 2008-2010 map and list) within the State Forest areas to ensure that there are no current or recent logging operations in your planned walk area that could lessen the enjoyment of your walk.

Other closures or news  - DEC's website may also provide updates on temporary closures of parks or recreation areas (due to recent bushfires etc) and Bibbulmun Track news.  Also check Fire & Emergency Services (FESA) alerts. Be aware of FESA 'Warning' on unexploded ordnance (military hardware) if walking in the Avon Valley National Park.

Entry fees  - A pass or fee is required for entry to some of the National Parks ($11.00 per car for a day pass; as at 1 Sept. 2009). 

Dogs  - Dogs are not allowed in most of the walk areas, with the exception of Bold Park (Perth), the Darling Range Regional Park (Darling Scarp Walk), Lane Poole Reserve (Dwellingup), and Bungendore Park (Armadale), where dogs must be on the leash. Dogs are allowed in Whiteman Park. There are also many off-lead dog exercise areas closer to Perth. Dog owners need to be aware that the '1080' poison baits widely used in southwest forests to control foxes are also lethal to dogs.

Transport  - The walk areas are mainly remote from public transport and you will require a reliable private car to reach most start points. For a petrol price of around A$1.50/litre, the typical fuel cost for most of the walks will be around $18-24 return for small (4 cyl) cars or $24-37 return for the more fuel efficient of the larger (6 cyl) vehicles. The cost becomes less significant if others join you on your walk and share the cost. That is another benefit of joining one of the local bushwalking clubs.  Also, compare the value for money of your invigorating day in the outdoors compared to a brief visit to your local health club! 

For new GPS users or newcomers to off-track bushwalking, I hope that at least one or two of the walks described on this site will help you discover the freedom and enjoyment of off-track bushwalking. For more experienced GPS users and walkers, I hope these pages will give you some new ideas for walks and encouragement to try other routes.

This is a non-profit and non-sponsored site. It is a hobby. I neither seek nor receive money or payment in kind from it, nor from any bushwalking activities.  I am not a marketer, agent, or seller of any brands of GPS units, books, or other products, nor am I a guide for commercialised walks. By sharing this information with others I simply hope they will find similar great enjoyment from the many bushwalking opportunities close to Perth. For that reason I look forward to your feedback through "Your Comments" form or at the e-mail address below. If you have encountered anything on one of these walks you think I need to check out and update please also contact me. Many thanks to those who have already let me know that this site is useful to them (and not just therapy for me!).  - Dave Osborne

This page has been accessed times since October 2003.

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