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 set off to explore the Koondoola Sensory Walk on the first day of the Noongar season of Djilba (early August). We had previously attended a WA Wildflower Society guided walk around the southern section of the bushland (see below) and were keen to see what the Sensory Walk had in store. The Sensory Walk is a 500m paved path running north from the start point opposite the Koondoola/Burbridge Avenue intersection. The trail is set in bush but as it borders Koondoola Avenue I

This interpretive trail follows Piesse Brook in Kalamunda National Park to Rocky Pool before returning the same way, a round trip of 3.4 km taking around an hour all up. Rocky Pool is a great place to stop off and enjoy the moment, have a trail snack or if the water is low in summer perhaps even a paddle. Starting from Schipp Road off Hummerston Road in Piesse Brook this trail follows Schipp Road which is a wide, mostly compacted dirt trail. Piesse Brook is evident at the b