Exploring Hyde Park in Autumn

Hyde Park in Autumn

If you are feeling overwhelmed with the recent social isolation restrictions and just want to get out in the fresh air, then head over to Hyde Park, Perth’s iconic landmark. And if you get out and explore Hyde Park in Autumn, you’ll find it is picture perfect with many shades of orange, brown and red. This magnificent park is a place you can easily spend a half a day or more discovering the serenity.

Hyde Park

London, Sydney, and Adelaide, all have a Hyde Park, and our beautiful city of Perth has its own magnificent display of beauty in its own Victorian Gardenesque styled Hyde Park.

Known for its unique twin lakes, grand old Plane trees lining the lakes, and majestic canopy of Moreton Bay Fig trees, Hyde Park is a treasure for those who make use of it on a daily basis.

For those who are yet to stumble upon Hyde Park it is a large, scenic, green space, with playgrounds, dog walks and food, coffee, and ice cream vans.

This is a well-established park, where people come to get married, take family photos, enjoy birthday parties, gather for BBQs, or where people seek solitude and rest from the day to day stresses of life.

The leafy, green park is a wonderful place for just strolling around the lakes and spotting the water birds or relaxing in one of the two gazebos. The gazebos do need to be booked early as they are in demand.

The park has playgrounds, water features and toilets. This is one of Australia’s most pleasant inner-city parks to get out of the sun and enjoy shade amongst perfect landscaping.

Hyde Park can be enjoyed by everyone, from the littlest person in the family to their grandparents, including man’s best friend to chill out together, have a picnic or just relax.

Always good for a stroll, the park is also ideal for a jog, to take a dog on a lead for a brisk walk around the lakes or fitness addicts can use the exercise stations along the paths recommending various exercises. Of course, the park is clearly a great place to just sit and enjoy some people watching.

Hyde park location

Central to Northbridge, Mount Lawley, Highgate and North Perth this is an extremely popular park with a relaxing atmosphere, where you can hear the distant sounds and humdrum of traffic.

Hyde park trees

Only minutes from Perth CBD, Hyde Park has so much character, from the gorgeous lakes to the beautiful trees. The paths are lined with London Plane trees and there are plenty of shady areas to relax under the massive Morton Bay Figs. October and November offers a fairytale display of stunning purple as the Jacaranda trees are in bloom.

The sloping grassed areas running down to the central lakes are also planted out with Pines, Swamp Cypress, Red Cedar and Bunya Pines along with some of the indigenous Eucalyptus and Melaleucas.

Hyde Park Festival

Perth’s favourite park has since 1968 hosted the annual Hyde Park Fair. This event is so much more than your average fair with fun, food and music. Having been going for more than 50 years, Perth’s longest running community event is a two-day free event with lots of activities and entertainment. The Kids Fun Zone has face painting, pony rides, camel rides, and baby farm animals. There is a talent in the park, High Fashion in Hyde Park where you can watch the models strut their stuff and a Veteran Car Show. With over 200 stalls it takes a full day to browse the arts, crafts nonstop entertainment. That gives space to walk off the delicious cuisine from the Foodie Delights Arena.

Distance around Hyde Park

This beautiful 100 year old park is great year round, providing cool, shaded areas in the hottest months changing to spectacular colours in Autumn. It is a 3km circuit around the lakes.

The pathways are wide, spacious and wheelchair friendly, allowing for shared use by everyone at whatever pace they are going. Your route around the lakes can be varied from one lake, a figure eight or doing a full circuit around the two lakes.

Hyde park history

The indigenous Noongar people of the South-West of Western Australia were hunters and gatherers and the lakes on the coastal plain played an important part in both their spiritual and physical means. The brown waters of Boodjamooling was a tangle of reeds and gnarled paperback trees, full of life. Tortoises were abundant and were caught, cooked in fires and eaten.

Formerly Third Swamp Reserve, the lakes were part of the Great Lakes District, a series of wetlands from Claisebrook through to Herdsman Lake. The Noongar people named the area Boodjamooling until the Swan Colony, established in 1829 gave it the name Third Swamp. The area was gazetted public park space in 1897 and two years later renamed Hyde Park. In 1897 London Plane trees were planted around the natural lakes forming the avenue of Plane Trees. In 1921 a grove of Jacarandas was planted in the south east corner. They are now fully grown and make for a startling sight. More recently in the northern side of the park two native gardens were established around a stand of original Jarrah Trees.

Hyde Park Waterbirds

The beautiful grounds of Hyde Park may not have the prettiest of lakes, but the ducks sure do love them. The lakes are the centerpiece and brimming with wildlife and has green, grassed areas. There are lots of towering trees, providing beautiful foliage, especially in Autumn. These waters are an important wetland for bird species with open water and grassy surrounds making a valuable breeding area. The Black Swan, Black Duck, Coot, Grey Teal, Mallard and Dusky Moorhen can all be found there.

Please note to prevent diseases and bird deaths, you are not permitted to feed the water birds as it is important that the birds feed from the natural environment. To keep the birds healthy, rather than feed the birds, enjoy watching them in their natural setting.

Is Hyde park Dog Friendly?

Hyde Park is the perfect place take your pooch, however Fido does need to remain on the lead at all times.

Hyde park playground

The main playground allows children to use their imagination to pretend to be a knight or princess in the little fort or castle that has ramps, ladders, short and curly slides. There is a rock-climbing wall, spinning cup, rope climbing frame, sandpit, steppingstones. It is a shame all these are taped off at the moment due to Covid restrictions, as it was a perfectly sunny autumn day, as all that was missing was laughter and squeals of excitement from children as they played.

The park has an accessible combination playground which is universally inclusive for children of all abilities, including those with minor mobility issues to those who use a wheelchair for their mobility needs.

The fenced off area is a special needs area which has a wheelchair accessible swing called the Liberty Swing. The swing complies with National Disability Services requirements and has a Master Locksmith Access Key to enable people with a disability to gain restricted access.

The water playground is an ideal place for crawlers through to younger children to play so bring along a bucket for them to fill and tip out. The water park operates November to March from 8:00am to 8:00pm and has a button on top of the green post to turn it on if not running when you arrive.

Hyde Park Restoration Project

Public concern relating to environmental health of the lakes and reduction in aesthetics and negative effects to the local flora and fauna began during the later 80s. Acting as a stormwater basin, the lakes were naturally recharged by groundwater seepage and stormwater runoff. Having been adversely affected in recent years by changing weather patterns, hotter summers, and low rainfalls, during summer the lakes had become a sludgy swamp.

After a thorough investigation, in June 2012 a major restoration project was complete. The works provided a long-term solution in maintaining the water body year round, a pristine environment year round and a better habitat for the wildlife through the addition of endemic plant species. Modifications were made to the lakes wall, which was repaired and retained, and a lower wall erected reducing the lakes overall water surface by 15%, resulting in better management.

When to go?

The park changes, depending on the time of the year. Early mornings the ducks are busy feeding with their tails in the air, people are walking dogs and joggers enjoying their morning run round the lake. Later in the afternoon when the sun is setting, different colours appear in the water from the reflection of the leaves from the majestic old trees. On the weekend the park is buzzing with families picnicking, playing, and enjoying this well used park.

There are ample park benches surrounding the lake to sit, ponder life and admire the serenity and relieve stress. It is particularly beautiful in Autumn when the leaves change colour and begin to fall to connect with nature, relax your body and soul and appreciate the beauty. Winter has a fresh, crisp feel and the morning fog makes for a pretty picture.

There are lots of shady trees in the playgrounds and a small, fun water playground for the kids to cool off on hot days

Very leafy with enormous trees, the park provides shade and shelter for families, couples and of course the water birds to enjoy.

It is easy to get your daily steps in walking around the park, takeaway coffee in one hand, dog lead in the other.

The water playground is a great little space for kids with water fountains, toilets, BBQ, seating, and shade available. It may not be very big but will keep the kids entertained an hour or so.

Hyde Park is a classical European style of public garden that is loved by the community.

What to eat at Hyde Park?

There is nothing quite like sipping on a cup of good coffee and enjoying the simple pleasures of watching life slowly pass by. The Parisians have this down pat with their café culture, Melbourne has a great coffee culture, but let me tell you, Perth is home to a thriving coffee scene too.

Mary Street Bakery or Chu’s Bakery are two local favourites to grab a coffee or takeaway snack to enjoy at the nearby Hyde park. Chu’s Bakery is located smack bang across the road in William Street and easily spotted by the crowds of people queueing outside. Not to worry, the queue moves fairly quick. But be warned. You do not go to a place that smells this good without facing the extremely hard decision of what sweet treat you will order for the perfect accompaniment to coffee.

But the bright beacon that resides right at Hyde Park is What the Flip! This brightly coloured food van will make your day that little bit sweeter, offering scrumptious toasties, great coffee and delightful delicacies rain, hail or shine. Everything is prepared from scratch with pride. With a cooking space of only 1 square metre the owner is quoted as saying “it’s not size that matters, it’s how you use the space.”

This little gem of a park is well worth a visit if time allows. It is off the main tourist route and likely not listed in the must-see attractions but is still hugely popular with picnickers, joggers and dogwalkers.

Adventures in Hyde Park

Unfortunately, many kids today have less of an affinity to the great outdoors and don’t get as much adventure and imagination filled wonder climbing trees as they once did. But pack a lunch, set up beneath one of these amazing, sweet smelling trees and just watch them discover the joy a tree beholds.

Older children will love climbing the huge low-lying limbs reaching out from the old Morton Bay Fig trees. These trees are natures gift, and are like magnets to older kids, with a reach of up to 30 metres across. The overall shape and spread of the magnificent root system enables kids to climb over, and go into hiding, in the nooks and hidey holes in the maze like roots. Long walkable branches parallel to the ground to test their balance, as they climb higher to set up their defense base, to be reigned king of the castle.

Tree climbing has almost disappeared as an after-school activity, but here children can assess their risks, build their hand eye coordination, critical thinking skills, and their imagination and coordination, as they enjoy endless fun. Many parents today recall the memory of their own tree climbing days, and worry a little too much to allow their little adventurer to clamber towards any potential risk. I admire those who can stand back without jumping up and holding their hands out, as the child explores their skills of balance.

Hyde park ticks lots of boxes with its selection of playgrounds, shade, water, BBQs, toilets, and gazebos as well as allowing dogs on a leash. Its not the best overall for sport but has a few stretches of lawn to kick around a ball or chuck a frisbee.

There are a few quirky sculptures spread throughout the park.

Location

Corner Vincent Street and William Street, North Perth.

This is truly a family park, loved by the locals, and a place you will never cease to appreciate the tranquility. This is one of the best, on the fringe of the city, only a 20 minute stroll from the CBD. Head straight down William Street, away from the Horseshoe Bridge, past a range of food shops to pick up something to enjoy at the park.

Pet Friendly

Dogs are permitted on a lead but not in the children’s playground. Of course your dog’s poo is your problem and poo bags are provided so you can dispose of immediately.

What to take

Picnic rug, folding chairs, scooters or small bikes, packed lunch or food for BBQ, hat, sunscreen, spare clothes or bathers and a towel.

Despite having plenty of shade, hats and sunscreen are still recommended. It is also recommended that in the warmer months the playground equipment may get hot so close supervision is required. The soft flooring does get hot so shoes are highly recommended.

Parking

There is no shortage of things to do, but because of the free on-street parking, it can be a challenge at times to find a space close by. Two and three hour street parking available is on Vincent Street, Throssel Street and Glendower Street.

Hyde Park is a special place where a spot of people watching or bird watching will provide a relaxing escape from the hustle and bustle of life.

Have you spent time strolling around Hyde Park? Are you tempted to give Hyde Park a little piece of your time?

What are you waiting for? Share this post or leave a comment below. If you like this post and want to read more like this why not subscribe to our Newsletter? We won’t spam you or share your personal details. If you’re not doing so already, please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or click the Mix, Flipboard or other social media buttons below to share this post with others who might enjoy reading it. If you want to come back to this post again, pin the photo below using the red Pinterest button.