The John George Walk Trail is a 5.5km loop walk between Woodbridge and Viveash. You can start the trail at Reg Bond Reserve in Viveash or from Swan Riverside Reserve at Woodbridge. The advantage of starting at the latter is that there are toilets and a coffee hub inside the Woodbridge Play Space, which is a fantastic place for a picnic and a play as a reward for the kids walking or riding the trail. Woodbridge Play Space is one of few all age and all ability playgrounds in

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

Noongar people camped at Gumap lighting fires (kaarla) at night on the riverbank. The men would catch fish (djidjit) amongst the rush beds and salt marshes and this site remains important to Noongar people today. Now known as Elizabeth Quay, Gumap has much to offer in the way of dining and entertainment options and is a wonderful place to wander around with family, friends or visitors. Within a short space there are 10 pieces of public art, some of which are very noticeable

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

Also in the Ellenbrook area, Central Park in Aveley has a pretty walk winding around two small lakes with a bridge crossing through the middle section, which is where the nature playground is located. The path around the northern lake is mostly shaded whereas the southern lake is more open. Walking around both lakes takes about 20 - 30 minutes. The playground has a flying fox, bird's nest swing, wood maze, tunnel and roller slides, musical play features, spiderweb climbing fr

Aviary Creek Playground is a state of the art, landmark playground in Aveley - one of many amazing playgrounds in the Ellenbrook area. It is hard to miss the 3 storey high waterwheel climbing structure and bright blue and yellow slides as you drive along Egerton Drive. The park and adjoining lake have been designed as a multi generational open space catering for all age groups. Aviary Creek's structures and slides are suited to both older and younger kids. The older ones c

Discover Subiaco and it's surrounds, including 6 local parks, using the Nature Passport developed in partnership between the City of Subiaco and Nature Play WA. The Nature Passport will have the kids creating, imagining and exploring nature through activities such as inventing a scent, building a muddy sculpture or going on a "wildlife" safari. Suitable for all ages, the Nature Passport is available to collect from all City Facilities (we picked ours up at the Library) or y

Jutting out into the Swan River at Dalkeith, Mandyooranup (place of banksia) offers wonderful views across Karrakatta Bank to Claremont Jetty and down river to the Point Walter Spit. On a hot day it is the perfect place to catch the breezes coming off the river. The Reserve is quite large with the upper level offering broad grassy areas with mature shady trees scattered around - perfect for a picnic. There is a short scenic drive and limited roadside parking inside the rese

After spending the cooler months hiking Perth's amazing trails we decided to opt for an urban "hike" discovering urban art and parks in Armadale. We parked at the Visitor Information Centre, where you can pick up a handy pocket sized map of the Rediscover Urban Art Trail. You can also download the art trail map in PDF form at: https://www.perthhillsarmadale.com.au/sites/default/files/assets/ReDiscover_Armadale_Map.pdf The first mural as we headed west along Jull Street was

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

Dianella Regional Open Space has a nature based playground designed to challenge children. It includes a large area of stepped blocks, rocks and sandbags for balancing and climbing as well as a climbing wall. There are ropes, balancing beams, caves and swings alongside sand, water and mud play. The toddler playground, which is shaded in summer, has more traditional play equipment scaled down for the little ones. The playground area has (limited) picnic tables, barbecues and

Joondalup has a green belt running through the centre of the suburb which allows for a short but pretty walk. As the parks are local there are no parking bays but we managed to park on the kerb in Aswan View at the Water Tower Park. You could also park at nearby Candlewood shops. Water Tower Park has a small playground and a viewing platform (which looks as though it is an evening gathering place for teens so just give it a quick once over if the kids are playing here). As

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

After exploring South Fremantle in search of urban street art there were two more locations on South Street in White Gum Valley so we decided to explore Booyeembara Park and then wander through White Gum Valley to South Street to look for the art. Booyeembara Park was lovely but we equally enjoyed wandering through the streets of White Gum Valley which was full of whimsical surprises including Valley Park and the White Gum Valley Community Orchard. We entered Booyeembara Pa

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

Another one of Kings Parks fabulous pla yspaces, Ivey Watson Playground is part of the Poolgarla Family Area and has been designed especially for children under 5. It is open daily from 9am to 5pm and is fully fenced but not gated (so the kids can escape if you don't keep an eye on them!). At the entrance to the playground you are greeted by 5 statues of much loved animals which the kids will love to climb and cuddle. The playground is divided into several separate play are

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 unique and quirky playground is nestled on Reflection Boulevard in Jindalee on the foreshore of Eden Beach. There is a large grassy area, ideal for ball games, which is also used for public events such as the local farmers market or open air concerts. A path runs around the grassy area so the kids can ride bikes and scooters around the loop. The beach is also easily accessible from the playground so you can combine a play with a swim or a beach walk. The main feature is

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