Nature Walks 500m – 2.8km * Gates Close 5pm Daily * Free Entry * BBQ Facilities * Composting Toilets * No Running Water Available * Dogs Allowed * 30mins East of Perth
If you are after an escape to nature but not after a long drive, Ellis Brook Valley Martin is the place to go. Ellis Brook, on Rushton Rd, is only a 30 minute drive from the CBD and is recognised as one of the richest wildflower locations in the Perth Metropolitan Area. And while it’s beautiful all year rounds, Spring is the best time to go to see water flowing through Ellis Brook and to see the wildflowers in full bloom.
Entry to the reserve is free, but be mindful that the gates are only open 8am-5pm every day. Two car parks provide ample parking, with one located near the entrance to the reserve and one is further along, at the beginning of the Sixty Foot Falls walk trail.
Carpark and information bay. Don’t forget to clean your shoes before starting your walk
Ellis Brook is a beautiful area of natural bushland with four walk trails on offer to cover all fitness types. The easy walk trail which is a 500 metre loop through the Wandoo woodland is wheelchair friendly and suitable for prams. The reserve is dog friendly and also has a bridle trail for horses.
Walk Trail Information
On our visit we were keen to have a look at the sixty foot falls, but after learning from the trail map that it has a rating of difficult, we opted to walk the Blue Wren Ramble Trail instead. The Blue Wren walk trail is classified as easy and is 2.8 km return.
This trail takes you right along the Ellis Brook, which unfortunately for us wasn’t yet flowing during our visit in June. My 2 girls (2 years and 4 years old) were easily able to complete the one-way trail and we had a lot of fun looking at some of the flowers that were already in bloom, listening to the variety of birds and just in general admiring the beautiful natural surroundings – it was a pretty slow walk back but we made it.
A seed pod that looks like a mouse, and wildflowers
As we had started our walk at the Falls carpark, the end of the trail brought us to the picnic area. The picnic area which is known as Honeyeater Hollow, is equipped with several barbeques, picnic tables and composting toilets.
Honey Eater Hollow Picnic Area
The Eagle View walk trail and Easy walk trail are accessible from here, so we continued our walk on to Eagle view. The kids were getting pretty tired by now, so we only made it a part of the way up, but the view from where we ended up was spectacular. It had a great view of the city and all the surrounding bushland.
Next time you’re after a getaway to nature, why not pack a picnic and your walking shoes, and find out just how awesome this place is for yourself? We will definitely return to check out the other walks and to see some water in the brook!
What to Bring: good walking shoes, first aid kit (obviously there are risks of encountering snakes so make sure you have plenty of bandages in event of a snake bite). Good supply fo water – there is no running water available
More information: www.gosnells.wa.gov.au
How to Get There:
Review by Kids Around Perth Reporter Candice, 6th June 2015
Candice Kocken – Kids Around Perth South of the River, Hills & Events Reporter / Mum of 3 kids. Candice is a Mum of 3 who loves cooking, sewing and taking her kids out to explore our beautiful state of WA. Follow Candice and her adventures @uncannymum on Instagram.
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