1) Walk map - Shows route and waypoint locations;

2) Photo from walk  (also see Photo Galleries)

3) 3D map view

4) Google map & Satellite imagery

5) Route profile

6) Walk description

7) Waypoint listing and grid references

[Click on map for full page version]

View south across a rocky ridge

 toward Piesse Brook gully,  Dec. 2003.

[Click on photo for larger version]

More photos.

Click here

for larger frame 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

18 kms east of Perth. 

14 field kms (all on-track).

EASY - MEDIUM   (What does this mean?)

550m (positive elevation change)

NO, but useful for locating correct track junctions.

See Google Map for start point on road map.

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

Great Eastern Hwy and Kalamunda Road (or Orrong, Welshpool, Lesmurdie and Canning Roads) to Kalamunda. At Kalamunda follow Mead Street (off Canning Road) to the roundabout at the intersection with Railway Road (this is also the start of Mundaring Weir Road. The northern terminus of the Bibbulmun Track is also on the corner). Turn left into Railway Road then first on right into Spring Road.  Follow Spring Road for less than 1.5 kms to its end and park (the Start point).

Alternative access points for walks in the area include the Northern Terminus of the Bibbulmun Track or the end of Crescent Road in the SW,  the end of Schipp Road (along Piesse Brook) in the south, or the end of Helena Valley Road (along Helena River) in the north (see map).

Note: Future access to part of the walk route may be prohibited due to implementation of a water management strategy (see below).

In south, via Piesse gully track to Schipp Road, or back to Spring Road start point.  In  north, via tracks to Helena Valley Road.  In west, via tracks to Goosebery Hill residential area. In SE follow power line (and pylons) SE to Fern Road.  

/Highlights:

The Kalamunda National Park and adjacent forested areas  provide for some excellent bushwalking close to Perth. Piesse Brook flows northward through the area and meets the Helena River upstream from the Pipehead Dam in the north. There are lots of good views from the enclosing rugged valley slopes which are covered with open woodlands of jarrah, marri, wandoo and butter gum, interrupted by numerous granite outcrops and some large areas of open heathlands.  The heathlands offer superb wildflower displays in late winter and spring. The route passes small waterfalls on Piesse Brook at Rocky Pool and on a side stream and also visits the Lower Helena Pipehead Dam reservoir in the Helena River Valley.   The route also includes a 2 km section of the Bibbulmun Track which begins in nearby Kalamunda and crosses from SW to east through the area.  The route also uses some of the various other, mainly unmarked tracks. Most  of these are rough 4WD vehicle tracks. A few follow the high-voltage power transmission lines which unfortunately pass from NW to SE right through the middle of the national park area!. 

Some of the tracks are quite steep and gravelly but should not be any problem for the reasonably fit and careful.

Variations to this walk (using the additional waypoints and map) could include a track along a ridge in the NW which provides good views west over the heathlands of the Darling Scarp and across the Swan Coastal Plain.  Also the walk can be varied to start in Kalamunda and can then include more of the  Bibbulmun Track and also a track from Crescent Road (off Mundaring Weir Road) to Schipps Road through Jorgensen Park .

Note: The Friends of Piesse Brook have carried out a massive weed clean-up program and native plantings along Piesse Brook since year 2000.  They have achieved impressive results in restoring the local habitat within the Park, especially along the banks of the Brook itself, which had previously become severely infested with various introduced plant species including the introduced pink- to red-flowering weed, Watsonia, and blackberries, pampas grass and other weeds, which were choking out the native heathland. (See below; article in Landscope magazine.)

Controlled burns:  A burn is currently scheduled for Autumn 2009 in the northern part of the walk area (north of waypoint '23'). See DEC's indicative burn programme. 

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

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

or Mundaring 1:50,000 Sheet 2134-3, (CALM/DOLA, ?2002/03).

"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 their complimentary "perthtrails" website (launched October 2005) with downloadable maps and notes, including a few in the Piesse Brook area. Sections of the Helena Pipehead Walk (pp.21-22), Rocky Pool Walk (pp.21 & 23), and Schipp Road Walk (p.21 & 26) partly overlap with the route described here. Be aware that parts of the 'established' trails in the area are not well marked (despite occasional "Shire of Kalamunda" signs) so it is wise to have  a good walk description with you. 

"More Family Walks in Perth Outdoors", by CALM, 1994, also includes mud maps and brief descriptions for the following:

'Piesse Gully Loop Trail', pp.36-37, a 7.5 km on-track loop walk;

'Rocky Pool', pp.40-41, a 3 km on-track return walk.

"A Guide to the Bibbulmun Track, Northern Half, Kalamunda to Donnelly River Village" by Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM) 2002, 2nd ed.

"Volunteers make a difference"  article by J. & L. Stanley in Landscope magazine (DEC), Winter 2007, pp.42-45. - A tribute to the great efforts of the Friends of Piesse Brook in restoring much of the Piesse Brook valley to its former state.

See Climbers' Association of W.A.  site for a climber's 'bouldering' perspective of the area.

"Middle Helena Catchment Area land Use and Water Management Strategy" by W.A. Planning Commission, Aug. 2003. - See HTML version for text, or pdf version (large file).  This includes brief summaries of the geology and landforms and flora & fauna.

The strategy also plans to prohibit recreational walking opportunities in parts of this popular area, including the Helena Pipehead Walk Trail and part of the walk route on this page. The period for public comment on the strategy closed Jan. 2004. The outcome has not yet been published (as at April 2007).

DEC's Naturebase site also provides a very brief description of Kalamunda National Park.

The  14 km 'route' recommended here is entirely on existing tracks.  GPS is not required but most of the tracks are not 'signposted'.  The waypoints provided here will help you find the correct tracks first time and allow you to test your GPS navigation skills.  

Start from the end of Spring Road and walk north about 50m and turn right (NE) and downhill on the track to cross a stream  after about 200m (at waypt '1A'). Veer right (east)  for only 50m to locate the  Bibbulmun Track  (at '2') and follow it NE down the stream gully, passing a granite outcrop and small waterfall to the left after a short distance. Continue down the Track (via '3' and '4'), then cross the Piesse Brook track (vehicle track) and Piesse Brook itself by a footbridge. The Bibbulmun Track soon climbs (via'5') to cross a ridge and descends SE-ward to a stream gully at '6' on the east side. The recently re-aligned Track then follows the gully upstream southward, passing through some  picturesque wandoo woodland and past granite outcrops.  It veers east at '7' and climbs to a laterite plateau and jarrah forest before reaching a NW-SE vehicle track (at '8') which follows the  power transmission line.  Turn right to leave the Bibbulmun Track and follow the vehicle track for about 500m SE across the plateau. Then follow the first vehicle track on the right (at '15')  to descend westward from the plateau (via '16', '17', '18', '18A'), then re-cross Piesse Brook at a bridge and meet the Piesse Brook track.  Turn right to follow the track northward along the gully (via '19' and '20'), passing after about 1km  the point where the Bibbulmun Track crosses (at 'BIB'). After another 250m (at '22') look for a short, side foot-track to view Rocky Pool and small waterfall to the left.  Then continue on the vehicle track to a junction near the power line on a broad ridge  (at '23').  Veer left (NW) and follow the track and powerline downhill to cross Piesse Brook at a bridge ('BDGE'). Then climb steeply for about 400m to reach a vehicle track junction (at '24').  Follow the track on the right which heads back initially SE around the hillside (via '25'), and then NE to reach a gully and another track junction (at '26').  (Note: Unfortunately access to the next section of the walk route from waypt. '26' to '32' may be prohibited in the future due to implementation of a water management strategy.) Turn right to follow the track initially down the gully (to '27') and then climb eastwards to a ridge (at '28').  The track then turns northward on the east side of the ridge, with good views eastward up the  Helena River valley.  It soon descends (via '29') to reach (at '30') a track along the western side of the Lower Helena Valley Pipehead Dam reservoir. (You can make a worthwhile short diversion to the right (south) along the lake side and then return to '30'. The Dam was built in 1970-71. Water is pumped from there to the Helena Reservoir upstream. Lower Helena now supplies about 40% of the water stored in the main Helena Reservoir.) Turn left to follow the track NNW along the hillside, with views of  the Pipehead Dam below.  Continue down the valley on the track for more than 1 km (via '31'), veering NW to reach a parking area and picnic site (at 'ENDRD', which can also be accessed from the NW by vehicle along Helena Valley Road  and a short, but very rough section of vehicle track.) Walk westward on a vehicle track from the parking area for less than 100m (to '32') then turn left to follow a rough vehicle track uphill to soon reach the power line route (at '33') and follow  it more steeply uphill to cross the ridge and head back downhill (via '34') past the track turn previously taken (at '24') and retrace the route across the bridge ('BDGE') and via '23' and '22'. After re-passing the rocky pool and falls (now on the right) continue south back along the Piesse Brook vehicle track for only 150m to locate (at 'SDTRK') an unmarked but well-used foot-track on the right. Follow the foot-track SW and quite steeply uphill for about 500m, gaining some good views SE across the gully.  The foot-track then meets a vehicle track (at 'SDTREV') close to a stream.  Turn left (SW) to follow the vehicle track uphill through jarrah and marri forest.  After about 400m (at '35') the track flattens and then descends steeply to return to the Start point at the end of Spring Road.