Tucked away in the Annie's Landing section of Ellenbrook Estate this lovely adventure playground is set in natural bush. Access is off Banrock Drive and parking is available off Inglis Avenue. You can plan a longer play here as there are toilets, barbecues, picnic benches and a drink fountain. This play space has been designed for different age groups through the use of “play pockets”, connected by meandering pathways. The natural bush surrounds enhance the earthy tones of t

We finally completed the last section of the Swan River Ramble. Garvey Park is the start, or end point, for this fabulous trail which follows both banks of the Swan River (Derbarl Yerrigan) upstream of Windan Bridge. This trail is ideal for walking (in sections) as there is lots to see including stunning river scenery. It is also ideal for a bike ride as the trail covers almost 25km in total and cycling will allow you to cover more distance while still allowing you to stop at

After walking from the Omeo Wreck to Coogee Beach Reserve we continued on to explore Woodman Point. Woodman Point has a rich history as a quarantine station and ammunition store and you can see part of this heritage as you move through the reserve. From Coogee Beach Reserve the shared use path runs alongside the Coogee Beach Holiday Park, which, judging by the lovely gardens, seems to have mostly long term residents (lucky people!) The path splits as you approach Poore Gro

We heard that Hepburn Heights was a hotspot for many varieties of orchids so we set off to see if we could find them. On a weekend or during holidays there is ample parking in the bays next to Padbury Catholic Primary School on O'Leary Street. All other access points are off suburban roads so have limited parking. On entering from O'Leary Road we cleaned our shoes on the brushes provided to protect against dieback. There is a good map of the reserve at the entrance point a

We wandered through White Gum Valley on our way to find more street art after discovering all the magical street art in South Fremantle. As we wanted to explore Booyeembara Park as well we parked there and used it as our base. I think this would be a lovely walk for mums and bubs in prams as there are interesting things along the way, including a great little park for toddlers. Starting from the corner of Montreal Street and Stevens Street we headed east along Stevens Stre

We set off to explore WA history by following the Heritage Trail at Fremantle Cemetery but soon realised that we hadn't printed a complete list of the heritage sites and we were missing the names for almost half of the gravesites. Note to self: check the printing parameters next time! We did however have a mostly complete map with the trail and the sites marked on it. You can download the Heritage Trail Map here and more detailed information about the gravesites on the tra

Success Hill Reserve backs onto the Swan River opposite Fishmarket Reserve on the Guildford side. The river has steep banks on this side so Success Hill Reserve sits up high with views across to the hills in the distance. We came here as we had heard it was thought to be where Captain Stirling landed on his way upriver so we thought we would check it out. Success Hill Reserve is heritage listed for it's significance to indigenous people. Traditionally these lands were the hu

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

Lightning Swamp Bushland has a number of trails that criss-cross through it. The bushland is designed more for local use as it has no facilities. Access is actually quite difficult to find. We came in off Malaga Drive and did a few circuits before turning off at Mayer Close and parking on the street on Widgee Road. We then had to walk across Malaga Drive and walk up to the turnstile access point. The turnstile does move but makes pram or bike access tricky. A better acces

Wireless Hill has a little bit of everything and really shines in Spring when the wildflowers are out. The surrounding bush is home to many varieties of wildflowers, including orchids which flower between July and November, so it is the perfect place to go on a wildflower hunt. Wireless Hill Museum Perth Wireless Station, established in 1912, was one of Australia’s first links with radio technology and was used for telecommunications during World War One and World War Two.

This beautiful reserve is tucked away at the back of Gidgegannup on Wooroloo Brook. You can access it by turning off Toodyay Road onto Reen Road and travelling 8.5km to the reserve which will be on your left. There is a sign at the entrance to the reserve but it is angled so is easy to miss. The track in to the reserve is red dirt and single lane so you may have to pull over to pass another car on the short road in - easy with a sedan but perhaps more problematic in a 4WD.

Banks Reserve, on the banks of the Swan River in Mount Lawley, covers approximately 3.5 hectares and is bounded by Joel Terrace, the Old East Perth Power Station and the Toni Di Scerni wetlands. Banks Reserve is a place of natural beauty with stunning views up and down the Swan River. The reserve rests on land originally known as Warndoolier and was recognised in 2012 as a place of reconciliation. The reserve's significance in Aboriginal cultural is reflected in the monumen

Shepherds Bush Reserve, off Barridale Drive in Kingsley, is a lovely 17ha pocket of bushland perfect for a nature walk. We walked in late July when the Noongar season changes from Makuru to Djilba and more wildflowers are starting to bloom. If your kids are keen bike riders this play space is ideal as it includes a kid's bike skills track with road signs, pedestrian crossings and a petrol pump: perfect for the little ones. They can even practise their parking skills in the

Queens Gardens is a beautiful park tucked away in East Perth near the WACA and Gloucester Park. There is plenty of paid parking available in the area on a weekend (unless a major event is underway) or you can use the free CAT buses. The site was originally used for horse racing before becoming a clay mine which produced bricks between 1860 and 1890. These bricks were used in many of Perth's historic buildings of that era. In 1894 the brick kilns were removed and the old cla

Following on from exploring the Urban Art in Fremantle we found plenty of pinned posts for art further south in South Fremantle so headed off to explore. We parked at the South Beach Foreshore opposite the South Beach Cafe, which has very unusual roof architecture and excellent coffee! Sadly the muralled toilet facilities have been replaced with a monochrome modern toilet and change room block. There is a large pirate themed playground, full basketball court and picnic faci

After seeing a story about three new walking trails at Hillarys Boat Harbour we set off to discover them. The trails are intended to encourage families to visit the harbour and enjoy the various sites on offer while supporting the many small businesses. We squeezed the trails in over two days as the weather was sunny one minute, pouring the next. I quite like the heavy skies as a background in the photos as it looks gloomy and ominous but you can't beat sunshine and brig

Wadjup, the Noongar name for the Canning flats, refers to the area downriver from Riverton Bridge and includes the Clontarf, Waterford and Salter Point foreshores which cover 34 hectares of land, providing habitat for over 74 species of birds,12 reptile and 6 amphibian species. We had already explored Wadjup from the Redmond Reserve Stairs upriver past the Salter Point Lagoon to Sandon Park. Sandon Park was again our starting point as it has parking, off Eldersfield Road, toi

This is a stunning walk following Djarlgarra, the Canning River, downstream from Sandon Park. The walk from Sandon Park to Salter Point Lagoon, at just over 1km in each direction, will take around 15 minutes each way however if you add in the Lagoon Loop and the River Walk it will extend your walk to around an hour. Parking is available on the eastern side of Sandon Park off Elderfield Road. You will find a traditional playground here along with public toilets, picnic fac

Como Jetty is stunning as it juts out into the Swan River pointing down river towards Heathcote and Blackwall Reach. On this occasion, owing to roadworks, we parked at the South Perth Community Centre and walked from there but you can park closer along Melville Parade or at the Shopping Centre on Preston Street in Como. Wandering through the streets of Como is interesting as the houses are a mix of heritage homes, modern homes and some not so attractive 60s and 70s construc

The City of Bassendean has three Wicked Walks. One covers the historical town of Bassendean, one covers the parklands of Eden Hill and the third covers the wetland sanctuary of Ashfield Flats. After a wet stormy morning the sun came out to shine and tempted us outside to explore the 2.6km Ashfield Flats Trail. You can start the walk at either end with limited parking bays off Ashfield Parade or a much larger parking area at Sandy Beach Reserve. We parked under the mature