Historic Toodyay is one of Western Australia’s oldest towns and is located less than an hours drive from Perth. Enjoy learning some fascinating early WA history wandering through town and visiting these beautiful heritage buildings which are now Museums. Newcastle Gaol Precinct The Newcastle Gaol Precinct includes Newcastle Gaol, the Police Stables, the 1907 Lock-up and the Wicklow Shearing Shed. After falling into disrepair the gaol buildings were restored and opened as a

The 2022 City of Stirling Calendar celebrates the many beautiful murals across the city, featuring a different mural each month. The calendar led me to research other public art works on display across the City of Stirling. There followed another voyage of discovery to explore new parks and buildings in search of the numerous public art pieces. Our journey loosely followed the Mural Art Trail as published in the calendar and these murals are numbered 1-12. Other artwork

Bindoon is just over an hour's drive from Perth CBD and is a popular day trip destination even if you just go for the famous pies and pastries at Bindoon Bakehaus! Prince Harry visited the Bindoon Bakehaus & Cafe in 2015. He royally approved the Banoffee Eclair during his visit and I must agree with him it is delicious! There are also other tea shops and produce stores worth a visit. The name Bindoon is thought to be Aboriginal in origin and to mean “place where the yams g

Canning Dam Exploring the hills area around Armadale we drove to Canning Dam, a beautiful drive which reminds me of Caves Road. We parked at the lower picnic area and through the trees could just make out the wall of the dam rising high above us – WOW it is unexpectedly massive! That's it where the green arrow is pointing at the trees! The picnic area is lovely and shaded and still had a tinge of autumn colour in early June. There is a small fenced playground, barbecues, pi

The Byford Sculpture Trail stretches 6km from the Northern Entry Statement to the Southern Entry Statement with most of the sculptures clustered within walking distance of each other in the centre of town. All sculptures are the work of internationally renowned WA artist Len Zuks who has exhibited paintings at the Louvre in Paris. In Byford he has created sculptures of historical figures in consultation with local residents. Although his artworks can be viewed from afar as

Jarrahdale, one of our oldest settlements, is a small historic town nestled in the Darling Range 45 kms south of Perth. Surrounded by national parks and bush reserves Jarrahdale was once prime jarrah milling country and much of the town heritage reflects this. Jarrahdale's forests, parks, rivers, orchards and vineyards offer a great escape in nature away from modern city life. It's National Trust listed heritage gives you glimpses of a bygone country life. Driving in along

An easy day trip from Perth the small hamlet of Gingin was gazetted a town in 1871 and will celebrate it's 150th Anniversary in 2021. The Historical Gingin Trail (click to download link or grab a map from the Information Centre) is an easy 45 minute walk past several heritage buildings, along the lovely Gingin Brook and extending out to the Old Stock Route and the Cemetery. At the time of our visit the Stock Route was closed for maintenance so we looped through the town and

This is a great trail for the kids as it is short but interesting. Djidi-djidi is a Noongar name for the Willie Wagtail and whilst we didn't see any of these on our hike we could hear lots of birds in the bush around us. Located in the Chittering Valley this short 1.5km return trail is a great add on to a day trip exploring the valley or heading further afield to Bindoon or Toodyay. In winter the valleys are lush and green and heading into spring the wildflowers and canola f

Oh my it is so hard to choose my 5 favourite walks/hikes for 2020! In the end I chose walks and hikes that were a little off the beaten track and which were a real surprise. These are in no particular order as they were all amazing walks. Of course the time of year can make or break a walk so I have included when I did the walk/hike so you can choose the same time of year. Salter Point to Clontarf This walk was undertaken in June and it was just beautiful walking along th

Most people head to Araluen for the annual spring display of tulip blooms but Araluen is spectacular all year around. We visited late in November to take advantage of the 90th birthday special entry rate of $5 per person. An advantage of coming in the "off" season is that you almost have this beautiful park to yourself! We had a quick stop at Raeburn Orchards as it was on the way and we hadn't been here before. There is a cafe, gift shop and fruit and veg for sale so it is w

New Norcia is Australia's only monastic town and is still home to around 9 Benedictine Monks. Founded in 1847 by Spanish Benedictine Monks, the town has had many purposes; a mission, a monastery, a provider of education and now as a place of spiritual retreat. You can wander around town on a self guided tour and can download the New Norcia Town Map here or you can pick one up at the the Visitor Centre, open 9.30am -4.30pm every day except Christmas and Boxing Days. There ar

Wanneroo has many amazing pieces of public art scattered across it's suburbs. Some are located in very public places which you might pass every day without "seeing" the art. Others are tucked away in small pocket parks and you need to be "in the know" to find them. Local residents might be surprised to "find" them in their local park too! The Public Art Safari is divided into three sections: North, Central and South. A map and guide is available from the City of Wanneroo

We ventured out to York in 2019 during the York Festival (late September to mid October) to catch the Wara Art Trail. It is a lovely drive to York (97km from Perth) and depending on the time of year it can be verdant green (winter) glowing yellow (early spring when the canola is in flower), dull yellow (wheat harvest) or shades of brown (summer). The Wara Art Trail showcases spectacular larger than life straw sculptures. In 2019 the sculptures depicted a Murray River Cod

Situated between Toodyay Road and the Great Eastern Highway at Chidlow, Lake Leschenaultia is a large man made former railway dam in the Perth Hills. The lake is ideal for swimming and paddling and the mountain bike and walk trails are centred around the café and playground area. In Spring and Summer visitors flock to Lake Lesch, as it is affectionately known. White sandy beaches and calm water make it ideal for children of all ages to swim or paddle in safety. We walked arou

Mundaring Weir is one of the world's greatest engineering projects. Completed in 1903, the Weir was the start of the water pipeline, designed by C Y O'Connor, that pumped water 700 kilometres to the Kalgoorlie goldfields. This is a popular day trip destination and there is plenty to fill your day. Mundaring Weir is located in natural bushland in the Perth Hills and there are a number of bushwalking trails you can enjoy before settling down for a picnic and exploring the herit

It is always enjoyable going for a weekend drive to the country. Toodyay, just over an hour outside of Perth is a lovely country town with plenty of character. I regularly travel to Toodyay to visit family and always enjoy the drive, noticing how the different seasons affect the landscape. I prefer the drive along Muchea East Road off the Great Northern Highway. This becomes Chittering Road and then turn right at Julimar Road. This is a very pretty drive through rolling h