Exploring the street art in Victoria Park proved to be too much for just one visit/blog so I have posted in two parts: Victoria Park and East Victoria Park. Learning from the East Victoria Park walk this time we planned to start at the midpoint which proved to be a great idea as the Victoria Park Shopping Centre carpark on Duncan Street was a perfect start point. Be aware that the above ground parking is limited to 1 hour so we parked in the undercover car park which has a 3

The most popular walk at Bold Park is the 5.1km Zamia Trail which loops around the park from Reabold Hill, although you can join at a number of other points. Being summer and a very humid day, although cooler than the heatwave days, we didn't manage to get all the way around on the Zamia Trial but still managed a 5km walk criss-crossing along the numerous other trails that wind through the park. We parked at Camel Lake Car Park and followed the lower Camel Lake Heritage Trai

The principal aim of Out and About - Family Nature Connection is to get kids out and about in nature. I love hiking in the bush or walking in urban settings along the river or the coast but I realise that hiking and long walks don't suit everyone so I also try to explore playgrounds around Perth. My theory is that you take the kids out for a walk or a hike (most kids will love being in nature and exploring the environment) and then use an exciting playground as the reward fo

Weeip Park opened in September in the New Junction open space development in Midland's CBD. It is a fabulous play space with a grassed kickabout area, a youth zone, a playground with nature elements, a path for cycling and a toilet. Weeip was a traditional clan leader of the Noongar Whadjuk Boora Clan. His territory covered South Guildford, the Swan River, Ellen Brook and into the hills. In August 1934 Weeip negotiated a truce with Governor Stirling to improve relations wit

Willagee is a lovely suburb with some wonderful playgrounds and artworks. We started by finding Webber Reserve with it's small nature playground tucked away on the north eastern corner of Webber Reserve. Designed and built by the community for local children this is a lovely play space situated at the edge of playing fields and next to a traditional playground with a BBQ, a picnic bench and a basketball half court. Parking is on the verge and there are no toilets. This pla

We thought we'd check out Homestead Park and Spirit Parks as we were driving through South Guildford but our quick get out of the car let's have a look turned into a long and lovely walk along the banks of the Helena River. We parked at Spirit Park and walked across the road for a quick look at Homestead Park which has a gazebo and some exercise stations. Homestead Park opens up into River Bank Reserve and we couldn't resist exploring further so set off along a wide tra

Highgate backs on to Mt Lawley so provides a seamless extension to the Mt Lawley Urban Art Trail. The Cloud 9 Smoke Shop provides a landmark for where Mt Lawley becomes Highgate where Harold Street intersects with Beaufort Street. The Art Trail winds it's way down Beaufort Street for about half a km to Bulwer Street. Cloud 9 at 539 Beaufort Street has artworks by Brad Loafer. From here we crossed Beaufort Street and walked down the southern side past The Queens Hotel. We mis

We had a little bit of spare time after hiking around the Mundaring area so decided to explore Mundaring's 2km Heritage Trail. We called in to the Information Centre and they supplied us with a photo copy of the trail map to follow. You can also access an interactive map online here. We started the trail at the Information Centre as we had picked up the map there. The Heritage Trail had some lovely buildings but many have been replaced. When we got to Sculpture Park and d

THE STORY Pia’s Place was created in memory of baby Pia Maeve Rudd who died suddenly from SIDS. Pia’s Mum, Amy Rudd, dreamed of creating a space where children of ALL abilities could enjoy playing without the barriers often experienced by people with disabilities. Pia’s Place was developed with the support of The Touched by Olivia Foundation, the Livvi’s Place National Network of inclusive play spaces and the Lions Club of Noranda to provide an inspirational nature based incl

Lake Fresca is located in the Italian themed Bridges community in Ellenbrook off Milano Parade and Ponte Vecchio Boulevard. As a suburban park there is no street side parking around the park but you can use the small carpark at the retail precinct off Ponte Vecchio Boulevard. This is also where you will find the beautiful (and accurate) sundial tower, picnic benches and a fully fenced playground. There are no toilet facilities. Near the playground is the main blue bridge cr

After exploring Manning Park we noticed a small playground called Joel's Playground nearby so set off to find it tucked away in a the new Shoreline development in North Coogee. As we turned onto Reinforcement Parade from Anchorage Drive we were delighted by a beautiful sculpture of a horse and rider - a tribute to the 10th Light Horse Regiment which camped and trained on nearby South Beach before heading off to serve in WW1. Around the statue we found plaques with historical

Woodlupine Brook Reserve in Beckenham is a narrow park that follows Woodlupine Brook between Mills Park Reserve and Roe Highway, where it disappears under the road. The brook has been developed as a living stream combining it's drainage function with grassy parkland. Footpaths criss-cross over the stream at various intervals allowing you to interact with the brook as you wander through the park. We started our walk heading east from Mills Park Nature Playground through lands

Starting at the Manning Stairs we hiked the 193 steps to the top….certainly one way to get the heart rate up! There is a platform with a bench at each 50 step interval so you can have a rest and enjoy the views back over Manning Lake, or south over the Davilak Ruins. Once at the top follow the spiral footpath to the lookout for 180 degree views east across Manning Lake and south as far as the eye can see. Looking west you can see ocean glimpses across the ridge of bushland.

We came to explore the Davilak Trail in Manning Park and to look at the Azelia Ley Homestead and Davilak Ruins but decided to do a loop around Manning Lake and I am so glad we did as it is absolutely STUNNING! Perhaps we got lucky with high water levels and early morning winter sunshine streaming through the paperbarks but it was a truly memorable walk. Having just completed the Davilak Heritage Trail and wandered around Azelia Ley Homestead we found ourselves at the large

Starting from either the carpark on Rosslare Promenade in Mindarie or from the car park at Quinns Beach Surf Life Saving Club this path meanders along the coast for just over 1 km, taking about 15 minutes each way. Heading north you get lovely views over the water to Quinns Beach and heading south you get views down the coast to Mindarie Harbour. There are interpretive signs along the way... and you can keep the kids busy scanning QR codes or see if they can spot the osprey i

Rosehill Waters Estate is a new residential community set on the site of the former Rosehill Golf Course in South Guildford. We discovered this estate when we visited Noah's Playground which is situated within the development. Entering from the west on West Road we were immediately impressed by the entrance statement gardens and pulled over to have a wander through Lockhart and Berckelman Parks. These parks are designed for local community use so there are no parking bays but

The Constitutional Centre, Parliament Place, West Perth West Perth has so many beautiful historic buildings it is well worth exploring. Even on Saturday the street parking is ticketed ($4 an hour - ouch!) but we found we could park along Kings Park Road on the Kings Park side for free. We crossed Kings Park Road and walked around Dumas House, discovering the lovely serene Japanese Hyogo Friendship Garden. From there we climbed the slope to walk around the beautiful Old Obs

Ngarkal (Seagull Beach) is a lovely protected beach within the Port Coogee Marina development. With the whalebone ribs of the Maraboo Loop bridge to the south and the canal alongside Othello Quays to the north it is a very pretty little spot. I'm not sure if it is the council or the resident that has painted a wonderful sealife mural around the edge of the corner property on Othello Quays but it certainly adds a wonderful backdrop. Ngarkal Beach has shallow, calm waters ideal

Harold Boas Gardens tucked away in West Perth is a popular venue for wedding ceremonies and you can see why when you wander through this beautiful shady haven. The gardens, first developed as Delhi Square from 1897-98, were redeveloped in the 1970's into their present form and named after prominent architect Harold Boas, who was instrumental in the design of many Perth buildings including the Emu Brewery on Mounts Bay Road. The gardens are also popular with local office work

Woodlake Park, situated in the centre of Ellenbrook, is a lovely park curving around the lake in a horseshoe shape. Although the park does not completely encircle the lake, access through the Woodlake Peninsula estate on the eastern border allows you to walk/cycle or scoot all the way around. We parked at the Woodlake Village Community Centre on Highpoint Boulevard and followed a path from the carpark down to the lakeside, emerging at the western gazebo. This large gazebo o