1) Walk map - Shows route and waypoint locations

2) Photo from walk  (also see Photo Galleries)

3) 3D map view

4) Satellite imagery

5) Route profile

6) Walk description

7) Waypoint listing and grid references.

[Click on map for full page version]

View SW through wandoo trees

 toward Perth, July 2003.

[Click on photo for larger version]

More photos.

Click here

for Google Maps image

of the walk area. -Use zoom bar

for road details.

Step 1: Left Click here

For fly-in to waypoints and route on image of the walk area.

Or Right Click to

 "Save Target/Link As..."  kml file.

Step 2: Left Click here

For fly-in to 3D view

 of the walk area. 

Or Right Click to

 "Save Target/Link As..."  kml file.

Hint: For enhanced 3D effect, set 'Elevation Exaggeration'

in Google Earth to "3" (via 'Tools' menu, 'Options' & 'View' tab).

      Route profile

26kms east of Perth, off Great Eastern  Highway.

15 kms (all on-track)

EASY (What does this mean?) 

(but not in hot weather! -As with all walks on this site, this is best done in the cooler months.)

NO

See Google Map for start point on road map.

(Use zoom ladder for detail. Select 'Hybrid' to add satellite imagery.)

Turn left into John Forrest National Park off Great Eastern Hwy and follow the sealed road to the main carpark/picnic area. Park admission fee per car is $9.00.

Walkers should register at the Ranger's office both prior to commencing the walk and on return.

In north, follow dirt vehicle tracks to Toodyay Road. In south, return to main carpark.

This established trail is within the popular John Forrest National Park which is also included in the Darling Range Regional Park system.  It was constructed by the Perth Bushwalkers during 1993-98. It gives access to the less known northern area of the Park as well as the familiar Jane Brook area, including the National Park Falls and Hovea Falls. The walk covers varied terrain (including moderately steep in places), partly along stream valleys and partly along the top of the Darling Scarp, past granite tors, and across laterite plateaus.  There are impressive views across the Swan Coastal Plain to distant Perth and across the stream valleys. The track also passes through varied vegetation types, including heathlands, open wandoo woodlands and mixed jarrah-marri-wandoo forest.

Sections of this trail (about one-third of the walk length) are also incorporated into the Northern John Forrest Nat, Park Walk (Walk # 4a on this site) which also provides for some off-track heathland and forest walking.

Note: Some of the streamsides in the Park, especially along Jane Brook, are severely infested with the introduced pink- to red-flowering weed, Watsonia, which chokes out the native heathland. Efforts by dedicated individuals and community groups to locally control the weed elsewhere along the Darling Scarp (see Darlington community), and at Piesse Brook, appear to have had some local success, so there may be some hope here also!

Controlled burns:  A burn is scheduled for Spring 2008 in the eastern area of the Park.  This may impact on the walk trail between waypoints '41' & '48'. See DEC's current 6-season indicative burn programme.

Mundaring 1:50,000 Sheet (Dept. of CALM, 1990).

Mundaring 1:25,000 2134-III, NW & SW sheets (Dept. of Lands & Survey, 1983; Series R811) -available on DVD.

Maps of the trail may also be available from the Park Ranger's office near the main picnic area.

Note: Mundaring & Chidlow 1:50,000 CALM Operations Graphics series 2003/2004, Sheet 2134-3 & 2134-2, is too 'busy' across the Park area to be useful for this walk.

"John Forrest National Park"  leaflet by CALM. This includes a brief history of the park and a summary of its trails and flora and fauna. DEC's Naturebase site also provides a very brief Park summary. 

"John Forrest National Park - Park Guide" by DEC (undated pdf; 390KB).

"Swan Valley and Perth Hills Trails Discovery Guide", Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council ('EMRC'). 2005. -This is an excellent compilation of 41 mainly short on-track walks in Shires of Kalamunda and Mundaring and City of Swan. For booklet ph. EMRC on 94242226.

Also see complimentary "perthtrails" website  (launched October 2005) with downloadable maps and notes, including for the Eagle View Walk trail (p.50 & 53) and also the John Forrest Heritage Trail (pp.50-51; 10 km return walk on the old Eastern Railway Line through this area) which also forms part of the Railway Reserves Heritage Trail.

An "Eagle's View Walk Trail" leaflet (including a trail map) produced by the Perth Bushwalkers Club  may also be available from the Park Ranger's office near the main picnic area and carpark.

Family Walks in Perth Outdoors, CALM, rev. edn. 2000, pp.22-24, also includes a mud map and description for the John Forrest Heritage Trail.

"John Forrest National Park: A Place of Beauty"  article by George Duxbury, in Landscope magazine (CALM), Vol.11, No.4, Winter 1996, pp.16-21. 

"Travellers guide to the Parks & Reserves of Western Australia" by Simon Nevill, 2001, pp.44-45 (Simon Nevill Publications), includes a summary of the Park.

"John Forrest National Park Management Plan 1994-2004" by Dept. of Conservation and Land Management (CALM), Aug.1994. - See pdf version (650KB) which also has summaries of the flora & fauna, geology, history, future park plans, etc.

"The West Australian" newspaper included a short piece on this walk on 29 Dec. 2004 (on p. 6 of "Health & Medicine" supplement), including reference to this website. -The article recommended the walk as a good way to "wear off the Christmas lunch", but it should also have cautioned not to attempt it on a typical, hot summer's day.  - Wait for cooler weather (i.e. when max. temp. less than 25ºC).

Most key turning points on the track are indicated by yellow eagle emblem markers and provided you have a map in hand, GPS navigation is certainly not required.

After crossing from the Start point to the north side of Jane Brook, follow the track west (in downstream direction). Make a short diversion to National Park Falls at waypt '8' but rejoin the track at '9' to stay on the north side of the Brook. After waypt '12' the track rises quite steeply to reach the top of the Darling Scarp between waypoints '13'-'15' where there are excellent views across the coastal plain to Perth. Follow the track northward and meet a brief section of vehicle track before reaching waypt '18'. The track then climbs to a ridge and then turns eastward at waypt '21' to follow Christmas Tree valley upstream away from the Scarp through heathlands and past granite tors. Meet a vehicle track at waypt '25'. Turn left to follow it northward, initially crossing the Creek and passing small rapids hidden just to the right (east) of the track (see waypt 'RAPIDS'). When the vehicle track meets the old W-E park boundary vehicle track (at 'ALT1'), the track continues north as a foot-track and begins rising away from Christmas Tree Creek through open wandoo woodlands. (NOTE: For a shorter walk, you can turn right at 'ALT1' to follow the vehicle track eastward to rejoin the track at about 'ALT2', reducing the total walk by about 3 kms, but missing a very pleasant section). After waypt '26A' the track rises more steeply across the laterite ' breakaway' slope to reach a laterite plateau and jarrah forest by waypt '28'.  The track continues along the edge of the plateau/valley rim and provides some excellent views across this secluded northern valley. Turn right (eastward) onto a vehicle track at waypt '31' and then descend southward to cross a tributary of  Christmas Tree Creek at waypt '35'. Cross another sidestream at waypt '36' and then immediately cross the intersecting vehicle track on the south side of the stream to locate the foot-track which rises quite steeply SW through very picturesque open wandoo woodland to reach another laterite plateau and waypt '38'. At this point there are good views across the valley and Scarp toward Perth. Veer SE to follow the track along the edge of the plateau. Cross the old park boundary track ('ALT2') and follow a vehicle track to a T-intersection at waypt '41'. Turn right and follow the vehicle track SW. At waypt '46' locate a sidetrack for a short diversion to visit Hovea Falls at '46A'.  Rejoin the vehicle track and follow it via waypt '47' to reach a picnic area on the north side of Jane Brook.  Cross the Brook via the small weir to get back to the carpark and Start point.