These man-made lakes are tucked away behind the old brickworks opposite the Maylands Peninsula Golf Course. The lakes were constructed in the 1990's from the old clay pits used by Maylands Brickworks during it's operation between 1927 and 1984.
There is a paved pathway which follows the edge of the lakes with a few exceptions where the absolute lakefront properties mean you need to detour through the residential streets. The shared use paths are flat and easy to navigate. Dogs are permitted but must be on a lead and are not permitted within 5 metres of the lake's edge, which might prove challenging when the path is right on the lake's edge in places.
There are plenty of parking bays at the golf course (and toilet facilities you can sneak in to use).
We wandered around Brick Works Reserve peeking in through the fence at the various heritage listed Brick Works buildings before heading off on the path. From the car park we headed south deciding to walk in an anti-clockwise direction.
The path leading around the lake has a variety of trees growing either side giving it a nice bushy feel. Through the trees you get glimpses of the lake and the houses on the opposite side. The path along the lake soon joins the shared use path skirting the edge of the golf course. Between Lake Bungana and Lake Brearley there is a pathway with a large gazebo so you could walk around each lake on it's own.
We continued walking along the main path. At another intersection we decided to continue on around the peninsula as we weren't sure if the path extended all the way around the lake, We walked on past the Maylands Police Complex. Sections of the trail around the peninsula are also part of the Swan River Ramble and we came across Eric a few times. Eric pointed us in the direction of the Maylands Foreshore Reserve which has a toilet block and parking for cars and boat trailers as this is a boat launch area.
We discovered Aviation Commemorative Park on the site of the former Maylands Aerodrome, the birthplace of commercial aviation in Western Australia and Perth’s first official airport. Interpretive signs at the park tell the story of the aerodrome, which operated between 1924 and 1963, and was home to several pioneering aviation companies and national organisations such as Australian National Airways, the Aircraft Production Commission and the Bureau of Meteorology. The park also features aircraft lighting and seating, original runway lighting, an aeroplane propeller and a windsock.
From here you could wander up Tourer Court to emerge at the path around the lake however be warned this path follows the very edge of the lake and is unfenced.
Past the traditional playground and picnic facilities in Maylands Foreshore Park is the car park for Maylands Waterland. We followed Clarkson Road alongside the water park and then wandered into Clarkson Reserve where we discovered lots of interesting information about samphire. At the time of our visit the samphire's were green but they can also put on a show of red, orange and purple depending on the season.
From Maylands Foreshore and Clarkson Reserve we could see across the river to the various points we had discovered on our Swan River Ramble several weeks earlier - Cracknell Park, the jetties and the lookout.
We backtracked past the dragon boats stored in the Maylands Sport And Recreation Club grounds crossing the road at Tranby Road back to the lake's edge. Had we continued around the river past the Tennis Club we would have found a small nature playground and a toilet block.
After crossing Tranby Road we could see the path that circled the lake at the edge of the lakeside properties. We took the footpath through the park enjoying the birdlife on the lake and on the jetty. The lake is home to some type of experimental vegetation growth as we saw a few "pods" out on the water.
We followed the path as far as we could around Lake Brearley and then walked up Hinkler Loop and Boeing Lane coming out on Kittyhawk View which is the eastern side of the path with the big gazebo which separates the two lakes.
Continuing along the edge of Lake Bungana we admired the fountain and the elevated gazebo (which was closed off) before discovering a small nature playground with a picnic bench.
We then walked a quick loop around Brickworks Lake before heading back to Peninsula Farm where we had parked. The loop around the lakes including the foreshore was about 4km and took just under an hour.
Other walks of interest in this area are the Swan River Ramble, Baigup Wetlands, Kuljak Island, Freshwater Lake, Maylands Peninsula , Maylands Urban Art and the Tony di Scerni Walk through Bardon Park to Claisebrook Cove.
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In the spirit of reconciliation Out and About- Family Nature Connection acknowledges the traditional owners of the Wadjak boodjar (Perth land) and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.In the spirit of reconciliation Out and About- Family Nature Connection acknowledges the traditional owners of the Wadjak boodjar (Perth land) and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.