Wildflowers & Native Plants

The Heathland Walk. Yalgorup National Park, Lake Preston, off Preston Beach Road, Old Coast Road, Preston Beach. Duration: 1.5kms - 1-2 hours.

Expect excellent displays of plants of the coastal heathland. For example Templetonia, Mandurah’s floral emblem, which provides food for birds during the winter when other flowers are scarce, also the perennial herb purple tassels, native buttercups, catspaws, melaleucas, grevilleas and banksias.

The Estuary Walk. Len Howard Conservation Park, Len Howard Drive, Erskine, Mandurah. Duration: 6kms - 2 hours.

Follow the Old Coast Rd 5 km south from Mandurah to Erskine. Turn left into Wattleglen Ave then right down Silverton Cres and the Park is at the end.

Expect to see native wisteria, cowslip orchids, blue lace flowers, white myrtle interspersed with larger wattles, tuarts and paperbarks while the shores are lined with banksias, flaxes and rushes.

Beacham Reserve Walk. Wanjeep Street,Coodanup, Mandurah Duration: 2kms - 1 hour

This triangular park in Mandurah has paths around the outside and one running straight through the middle. In September, you may see bee orchids, spider orchids, green hood orchids, banksias, wattles and native wisteria and buttercups.

Island Point Walk. Island Point Nature Reserve, Southern Estuary Road, Herron Duration: 4km - 2 hours

Multiple paths and a boardwalk through this reserve take you on a journey to the Estuary. Expect to see spider orchids, enamel orchids, cowslip orchids, banksias, native buttercups and wisteria. Best time for viewing here is late September-October.

Harvey River Walk Trail, corner Forrest Highway & Dorsett Road Waroona 6220

Approx. 2km return, the trail leads to a reserve which in spring has some lovely wildflowers including cowslip and spider orchids, wattles and Swan River myrtle. This is a lovely walk to do any time of year. On one side is the Harvey River and on the other are conservation class wetlands - watch out for fauna!

Kitty’s Gorge Trail. Jarradale Road, Jarradale WA 6214

3 walk trails from 1 - 14kms long, Kitty’s Gorge is one of WA’s Top Trails and a moderate Class 4 walk which follows the Serpentine River and Gooralong Brook.

Leave your vehicle at Stacey’s Trail Head opposite Jarrahdale Cemetary, or the other end: at the Serpentine Falls car park and walk down.

The walk starts opposite the cemetery in Jarradale on Stacey’s Track. Turn left onto the trail into the connection with Kitty’s Gorge which follows the Gorge from Jarradale to the Serpentine Falls through some rugged heavily treed areas featuring lovely cataracts.

About half way down there is a mud house called Spencer’s Cottage where the family used to grow their summer vegetables with the water from Goorolong Brook which joins the Serpentine River here.

There are the remains of an old bridge that the Spencer family put in to cross the river which must have been quite an undertaking back in the day.