September 19, 2009 is World Parks Day and the Western Australian Department of Environment and Conservation is celebrating the day by providing free entry into a number of our magnificent national parks.  As well there will be exciting activities on offer. So, what are you waiting for? Step into a park for your health, your life, and your future.

The parks celebrating World Parks day are:

Serpentine National Park
Park entry fee waived

Entry into Serpentine National Park is free on World Parks Day – enjoy a picnic, observe the wildflowers and visit the spectacular waterfalls in the park

Avon Valley National Park
Park entry fee waived

Entry into Avon Valley National Park is free on World Parks Day – enjoy a picnic, view the wildflowers or go on a self-guided bushwalk.

Walyunga National Park
Park entry fee waived

Entry into Walyunga National Park is free on World Parks Day – relax with your friends and family, go on one of the many self-guided bushwalks and be amazed by the wildflowers.

John Forrest National Park
Park entry fee waived

Entry into John Forrest National Park is free on World Parks Day. Have a day out with the family – enjoy a picnic, observe the spectacular wildflowers and the cascading waterfalls in the park.

Yanchep National Park
Park entry fee waived, free guided walks and koala viewing

Entry into Yanchep National Park is free on World Parks Day. Guided walks and koala viewing are also free, so bring your family and friends and celebrate World Parks Day at Yanchep National Park.

Barna Mia animal sanctuary – Dryandra Woodland
20% discount on night tours

Come and be amazed by the beautiful nocturnal native animals at Barna Mia. This is a great one for the whole family, especially the children.

Cape Range National Park
Park entry fee waived

Cape Range National Park is located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia and entry into the park is free on World Parks Day. Come and see the amazing landscapes and wildflowers and marvel at the Ningaloo Marine Park adjacent to the park.

Beelu National Park and the Perth Hills National Parks Centre
Free activities will be provided through the ‘Nearer to Nature’ program, as well as offering discounts on their school holiday activities for all bookings made on World Park Day.

Visit the park for an experience that is sure to bring smiles all around! Come face to face with some cute and cuddly, and some not so cute and cuddly, native animals during a hands-on animal encounter(between 11am and 1pm). Meet Nearer to Nature’s lovable mascot, Charlie Chuditch and talk to a National Park Ranger. Take a self guided walk and use our ‘tree identification cards’ to identify the various trees that can be found along the way, and last, but definitely not least, the kids can grab free Nearer to Nature colouring sheets. Call the Centre on (08) 9295 2244 for further information or visit www.dec.wa.gov.au/phnpc .

Walpole Wilderness and Walpole and Nornalup Inlets Marine Park
Displays and short presentations by the National Park Ranger at the V the Valley of the Giants

The Walpole Wilderness Area is a vast natural and wild landscape embracing the essence of the southern forests and coast of Western Australia. Come and celebrate World Parks Day at the Valley of the Giants between 10am – 3pm where you will be able to wander through displays on the incredible Walpole Wilderness and Walpole and Nornalup Inlets Marine Park. The National Park Ranger will be presenting a few short talks on visiting the parks in the local area, as well as handing out information about this amazing and valuable region of Western Australia. Entry is free (but usual charges apply for the Tree Top Walk). Don’t miss it!

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Tags: World Parks Day
Categories: Bicycling, Geocaching, Hiking
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The Muttly Mob at Alderidge Cove

I joined a group of folks from the Perth Bushwalkers Club in February 2009 for a four day base camp at Thompson Cove, Nuyts Wilderness, Walpole, Western Australia.  We walked into Thompson Cove via the Nuyts Wilderness Walk Track, and also explored Aldridge Cove, Hush Hush Beach (via the Bibbulmun Track) and Mt Hopkins.  Photos from the walk can be found in the Gallery here. Click on the “View Interactive Course Map” buttons to be taken to downloadable track files or to view in Google Earth.

The diary from the walk follows:

Day 1 (Saturday February 7, 2009): We drove directly to the trailhead which is located on Tinglewood Drive, Walpole (at the foot of Mount Clare).  There is a small carpark here, where the Bibbulmun Track crosses Deep River and then commences the ascent of Mount Clare.  The drive down took approximately six hours with a brief stop in Manjimup for lunch.

Nuyts Wilderness Walk Trail

The Nuyts Wilderness Walk Track follows the Bibbulmun Track from Tinglewood Drive, over the Deep River Suspension Bridge until the boot cleaning station.  Here the Bibbulmun Track swings south, whereas the Nuyts Wilderness Walk Trail continues on the old 4WD track in a south easterly direction.  The track is followed until a t-junction is reached, high above Thompson’s Cove.  At this point, take the left track to descend to the Thompson Cove camping ground located amongst some Peppermint Trees.  There are no facilities here.  Nor is there mobile phone coverage,  Water is available from a fresh water spring which can be easily accessed via  short walk track.  A bridge over the stream provides a good point to collect water.

The walk distance from Tinglewood Drive is approximately 6.75 km one-way.  The trail head is located at 50 H 0467497 6126192 and the Thompson Cove campsite at 50 H 0468357 6121932.

Boot Cleaning Station, Bibbulmun Track, Nuyts Wilderness Area

Day 2 (Sunday February 8, 2009): Today we ventured out follow the Nuyts Wilderness Walk Track and Bibbulmun Track to Hush Hush Beach.  To get to Hush Hush Beach, take the return path on the Nuyts Wilderness Walk Track until the  Boot Cleaning Station.  Here swing south picking up the Bibbulmun Track until aligned approximately with the eastern end of Poison Hill.  Poison Hill is a distinct hill at the western end of Hush Hush Beach. At this location a “sand hill” should be distinct to the left of the track, just before the track swings inland again away from the coast.  Here a track comes off the Bibbulmun Track pretty much bee lining towards Hush Hush Beach.  Follow this track to the edge of the ridge where you should get a visual of 4WD track and car park at the western end of Hush Hush Beach.  From here it is a bit of off-track walking down to the carpark and then there is a track down to the beach.  There is no water at this end of Hush Hush Beach.

Thompson Cove to Hush Hush Beach Route

The walk distance is approximately 7.8 km one way.  Hush Hush Beach car park is at 50 H 0463911 6123592.

Hush Hush Beach

Day 3 (Sunday February 9, 2009): In the morning we explored Mount Hopkins (205 metres) and in the afternoon we explored Aldridge Cove.

The walk to Mount Hopkins is approx 3.5 km return with about 150 metres of climb.  We took about two hours to complete the walk itself.  There is a track to Mt Hopkins which is reasonably easy to follow, however, as you get closer to Mt Hopkins it gets overgrown, so long pants and a long sleeved shirt are recommended.  The GPX file would be helpful if you have a GPSr.

The track departs from the Thompson Cove camping area, dropping directly into the creek before climbing out again and then heading pretty much straight to Mt Hopkins.  Note:  The track with the bridge over the stream is not the right track.

The walk is well worth it, with great views to be had from Mt Hopkins.

Thompson Cove to Mt Hopkins Route Map

The trailhead is located at 50 H 0468371 612 1929, the boot cleaning station at the foot of Mt Hopkins at 50 H 0469393 6122434 (handy landmark) and Mt Hopkins itself at 50 H 0469554 6122570.

Mt Hopkins

Aldridge Cove is a must visit when in the area.  It is a pleasant walk,about 1/2 hour long, with a bit of a rock scrambling at Aldridge Cove itself.  It is well worth packing in some snorkelling gear as there is a great opportunity for snorkelling and swimming at the Cove.

Aldridge Cove’s western end is at 50 H 0467658 612 1668.

Aldridge Cove

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Tags: Walk Trails
Categories: Geocaching, Hiking, Walk Trails
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Myself and ajh_ausnzcf (ajh) completed the Kep Track from Mundaring to Northam return (152 km) on October 25, 2008. I rode Julia my Giant XTC 2 and ajh rode his German road touring bike. Neither of us had any serious issues with our bike choice and the track surface/condition.

For those interested and maybe planning their own rides my statistics are:

Distance: 152 km
Overall All Time: 12 hours 14 minutes
Moving time (on the bike): Nine hours 58 minutes
Moving average: 15.2 km/h
Overall average: 12.4 km/h (within Audax requirements)

On the outbound route through to Northam the moving average was 16.8 km/h, so we lost time coming back with the climb out of Northam, more of a head wind and my tired legs.

We had a few stops on the way to Northam to sort out my seat which kept coming loose and  to sample the delights at the bakery at Bakers Hill (highly recommended). Once we arrived Northam ajh promptly got a puncture. Once that was sorted, we had lunch at at one of the bakeries and then headed back to Mundaring. The climb out of Northam was not so friendly and not helped by the wind which had picked up in the afternoon. Once again we stopped briefly at Bakers Hill before continuing on. It was pretty much from here that I slowed us down, whereas ajh was powering on up the inclines, I felt like I was going in reverse. My slow riding cost us around 2 km/h over the day I reckon.

In terms of the track, is in pretty good nick with the section from Wooroloo to Bakers Hill being the worse (pea gravel, bump surface).From Clackline it gets a bit more hilly and there is a 6.5 km section of bitumen road riding.  Really the surface is fine and could be easily ridden on most bikes with wider tyres (say 32 mm plus) such as hybrids through to mountain bikes.

It is well marked with the exception of in Northam itself (we finished at the tourist bureau when we should have finished on the opposite side of the river) and where the track turns to the Mundaring Weir (Munda Biddi section) just out of Mundaring.  We really had no problems following the Track, the distance markers where frequent and very handy.

All up a good days riding and whilst I may not take it on again as a one day ride, I would consider doing it again as a weekend ride.

For more information on the Kep Track, the following resources might be useful:

Kep Track Offical Website
Kep Track “map” (PDF)
Aushiker’s Track Log at Bikely.com
Google Earth .kml file of the Kep Track
Perth Mountain Bike Club forum thread
The famous Bakers Hill Bakery

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Tags: Bakers Hill,Julia,Kep Track,Mundaring,Northam,Track Log,XTC 2
Categories: Bicycle maintenance, Bicycling, Geocaching, Road and Off-Road Touring
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