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]

Tall wandoo trees in south,

 June 2004.

[Click on photo for larger version]

More photos.

Click here

for Google Maps image

of the walk area.

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

76 kms ESE of Perth.   

17 field kms (90% off-track).

EASY - MEDIUM   (What does this mean?)

PREFERABLE (to help locate subtle turning points and features).

See Google Map for start point on road map.

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

Follow Brookton Highway from Albany Highway for 47 kms, then turn left into Yarra Road (first road on left after Christmas Tree well on left), then drive 12.4 kms down Yarra Road (usually good condition gravel road, but watch for pot-holes).  Then turn right into Qualen Road (dirt road) and park on the roadside about 100m from the corner with Yarra Rd.

Important access issue (2008):   Walkers need to be aware that this walk area and many others on WalkGPS lie within drinking water catchment areas.  In 2007 DoW in effect recommended a prohibition of all traditional off-track bushwalking activities across the entire Perth region catchment areas covering 4500 sq km, far beyond the limits of  existing or proposed Reservoir Protection Zones (see map). By March 2008, in the face of growing community outrage, the DoW has reconsidered its published position, advising that it would now be allowing walkers ‘free-to-roam’ access to the forested water catchment areas outside of the RPZs. The community, including visitors to WalkGPS, need to remain vigilant to ensure that commonsense continues to prevail over regulatory zealotry.  See also Home page: 'Access' and Related access issues on WalkGPS, and link below to "Mundaring Weir Catchment Area Drinking Water Source Protection Plan".

In west and north, to Yarra Rd or Qualen Rd.  In SE, via Korner Rd and then Sullivan Rd NW to Qualen Rd, OR via Korner Rd south for 4 kms to Willies Rd, then about 4.5 kms west to Yarra Rd.

/Highlights:

This walk is mostly through picturesque, open wandoo woodlands, with some shorter sections of open jarrah forest. The area is 12-16km east of Mount Dale and lies just south of the Upper Darkin Walk area and north of the Christmas Tree Well Walk area. The NE half of the walk (NE of Sullivan Rd and between Korner Rd in the SE and Yarra Rd in the NW) lies within the new 44,000 ha Wandoo National Park.

Meney & Brown, 1985 have previously noted, "the character and form of the widely spaced virgin wandoo creates a most unique bush atmosphere which is a delight to any bushwalker". The terrain here is mainly very gentle and allows for very easy walking, with only a few modest slopes across an eastern outcrop area and around the low, laterite-topped and forested  hills. There are some views from the eastern outcrop, across forest, toward wheatbelt farmland. -But the main attraction is the beauty of the woodlands combined with the prolific wildflowers in late winter to spring which more than compensates for the limited variety in  the terrain.

This area is also of some significance for native fauna conservation: More than 20  numbats were released by CALM into nearby woodlands west of Yarra Road in late 1997 under a 10-year Numbat Recovery Plan (as part of the  Western Shield project). The released animals were to be radio-tracked but success to date in the region is unknown. 

Kelmscott & Beraking 1:50,000 CALM Operations Graphics series 2003/2004, Sheet 2133-4 & 2133-1;

or Kelmscott 1:50,000 Sheet (WA Forests Dept., 1984).

"Wandoo National Park - Park Guide" by DEC (undated pdf; 248KB).

"Mundaring Weir Catchment Area Drinking Water Source Protection Plan" (Report # 69, Water Resource Protection Series) by Department of Water (DoW), June 2007. - See pdf version (3MB). Pages 41-42 are of particular relevance. 

Note: DoW's recommended protection strategy in Report # 69 intended to prohibit recreational off-track bushwalking opportunities within the entire 1470 sq km catchment area, far beyond the proposed 60 sq km Reservoir  Protection Zone, and including this walk area which is over 20km SE of the reservoir. 

Worsley Bauxite mining expansion Environmental Review and Management Programme (ERMP) by Worsley Alumina Pty Ltd, May 2005.  Released May 2005 by the EPA.  Public submissions closed August 2005 and W.A.'s EPA gave final environmental approval of the expansion plan in February 2008. The mining area expansion within the extensive existing lease will unfortunately eventually affect the SW half of this walk area up to the boundary of the proposed Wandoo National Park. - See also Related access issues on WalkGPS.

From Start point, walk west to the nearby corner (waypoint 'CNR') of Yarra and Qualen Roads, then south down Yarra Road for about 750m (to '1A'). Then veer left to follow an old dirt vehicle track uphill SE through open wandoo woodland for about 200m (to '1B'). Then veer due south along a gentle slope, initially through open woodland and soon through dryandra shrubland (to '1C'). Then veer SE again and soon enter open mixed forest (wandoo-jarrah-marri). Cross a stream gully  and continue approx. SE onto a broad flat ridge in very sparse, open jarrah forest and low heath (and 'pea gravel'), eventually slowly descending (via '2') to a gentle side valley (at '2A'). Continue SE.  Soon re-enter wandoo woodland and cross a broad, gentle valley (to '2B').  Cross a very gentle low ridge (to '3') in jarrah forest, then head approx. ENE along another very gentle valley for about 1 km, again mainly  through wandoo woodland. Then climb gently away from the valley floor to re-enter jarrah forest and  cross Korner Road (at '3A').  Continue ENE to cross Sullivan Road (at '3B'). Then veer NE and soon re-enter  wandoo woodland along the edge of a laterite plateau surface which drops away to the east.  Continue NE to descend the slope  and cross a stream course (at approx. '4').  Then veer NNW to cross a small low granite outcrop and walk gently uphill, initially through some she-oak shrubland and then back into wandoo woodland before crossing Korner Road again (at '4A').  Continue WNW up a broad ridge (to '5') in very attractive woodland, including some very large trees. Then veer NNE along slope and soon descend to cross a stream gully (to '6'). Then head approx. due north up a rocky slope (picking an easy route through a patch of tall heath), gaining a pleasant view approx. SSE across the forested valley.  Soon reach a rocky ridge and descend to reach a NE-sloping granite outcrop (at approx. '7') with views eastward across forest to wheatbelt farmland (which lies east of the Darkin River). Head NW and gently downslope from the outcrop into shrubland (to '8'). Then veer approx. westward along slope in wandoo woodland for only about 100m (to '8A'), then turn NE to head downslope to cross a stream gully after another 100m (at '8B').  Then head NNW up the opposite slope on mainly open grass-covered or rocky surfaces (to '9').  Then veer along slope to reach a similar, but larger open area (at 'VU') with views again to the east. Then veer NE down the flank of a forested ridge to reach a granite outcrop (at 'RK') which provides local views across the small side valley. Then head approx. north for only about 150m to cross the nearby rocky ridge and reach the edge of wandoo woodland (at about '10'). Then veer approx. westward, to head steadily upslope for 600m across partly rocky ground and through low she-oak thickets.  Reach open wandoo woodland again at the top of the ridge and (at '11') veer approx. NW (partly through a short section of scratchy heath) to reach a small rocky knoll (at 'VU2') from where there are views NE.  Then veer SW for less than 100m through  heathland to get back to open woodland close to the summit area on the ridge.  Then head WNW to follow the ridge very gently downhill through open woodland, staying clear of the fairly thick dryandra bushland on the left. At '13' continue approx. WNW and soon cross Qualen Road (at '14').  Continue WNW, initially through mixed forest, then back into wandoo woodland (at about '15') on the flat valley floor.  Veer NW to follow the valley floor (via '16') and at '16A' veer WNW to climb gently uphill avoiding dryandra shrubland upslope on the left.  At '17' veer more southward,  continue approx. along slope through woodland (via '18'), then cross a gully to reach a rocky ridge (at '18A').  Veer SE to follow the narrow ridge for 200m to a group of large granite boulders.  Then veer SW to cross another gully and a narrow dryandra-covered ridge.  Continue SW downhill to soon reach Yarra Road (at '19'). Turn left to follow the road southward.  At '19A' veer southward (left) off the road to cross a small valley and reach the Start point on Qualen Road.