Paruna was chosen as a safe haven for wildlife because of it's location between two national parks, Avon Valley National Park and Walyunga National Park. Just getting here is an adventure as you wind your way around the hairpin bends and winding curves on O'Brien Road, itself a designated Flora Road. Public access to Paruna Wildlife Sanctuary is restricted to the cooler months from 1 May through to 31 October. Bookings must be made in advance through their website as an $11

We set off one lovely winter day to rediscover the challenging 11 km Echidna Trail in Walyunga Naitonal Park. Having hiked this trail from Walyunga Pool we decided to park at the Boongarup Pool carpark as this would shave off a few kilometres. In any case the carpark at Walyunga Pool was full as the kayakers were practising on the kayak course ahead of the Avon River Descent in early August. We set off just after 9am sharing the path along the Syds Rapids Trail with a numbe

Walyunga National Park was quite badly impacted by fire in early 2021 but is well on the way to recovery. We have visited this park many times to explore the various trails. The Kangaroo Trail is a short 4km trail which includes the 1km Walyunga Aboriginal Heritage Trail (River Trail). Although it doesn't have the steep climbs of the Kingfisher and Echidna Trails there is still about 1km of steady uphill climbing. The remainder is about 1km downhill (what goes up must come

The Bilya (River) Walk Track follows the Gulgulga Bilya (Avon River) from Duidgee Park in Toodyay township to Nardie Cemetery on the Toodyay-Northam Road. The track is 5.6 km each way - over 11 km return but you can do a shorter walk by accessing the track from several mid way points. From Duidgee Park the track passes under Newcastle Bridge and you can see the flood indicators on one of the pylons. The track, clearly marked with orange trail markers, passes behind the buil

Walyunga National Park and Bells Rapids are both firm favourites and this walk combined the two. Being uncharted territory we joined Off the Beaten Track for a guided hike for this one, setting off at 7.30am from the car park at Bells Rapids (yes it was only just light but at least there was no problem finding a parking space!) We crossed the Bells Rapids Footbridge and although the water was flowing there were not too many rapids yet - more rain is needed for that to happe

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

This is one of my favourite places to hike. Normally we go in winter when the river is full and you can hear the water rushing along as you hike Syd's Rapid Trail. This time we went in Autumn and it was a different experience. The river is still very pretty even though the water was so much lower than previous visits. I did miss hearing the water rushing by and the path didn't quite feel like the river walk I am used to. Walyunga is open between 8am and 5pm daily. Please