Walking trails Perth, Mason & Bird Trail

The best way to experience Perth and surrounds is to do so on foot. So why not combine our outer city bushland, Perth’s amazing weather, and check out some of the walking trails Perth has to offer?

Looking for a hiking trail that only requires a moderate level of fitness? Then fill up your water bottle and grab your walking shoes, hat, and sunscreen and prepare to tackle some of the pretty and undulating terrain. Along this trail you can enhance your awareness of Western Australia’s heritage as you immerse yourself in the attractions and natural beauty of the Perth Hills along the Mason & Bird HeritageTrail.

Enjoy the abundance of valley views, expansive Wandoo forest and beautiful granite outcrops as you escape to the Bickley Reservoir and experience one of the walking trails accessible to Perth hikers. Upstream of the Bickley Reservoir in Wattle Grove you can enjoy the best of the Mason & Bird Heritage Trail through bushland, as well as the wide, gravel Kattamordo Trail just off the Victoria Reservoir Walk Trail. This is a combination of a hike in native bushland and exploration of Australia’s pioneer heritage through the Korung National Park.

The Mason and Bird Heritage Trail runs along with edge of the Bickley Book, through the valley and up to Carmel. The hiking trail is a great Perth hills hike as it retraces one of Western Australia’s oldest timber routes. The route of the 1870’s horse-drawn tramway stretched 14.5 kilometres from Mason Mill in Carmel. Mason Mill, built in the 1860’s, was the first sawmill in the Darling Ranges and the abundance of Jarrah timber processed was transported to the Canning River at Mason’s Landing on the Canning River in Cannington, to be taken to Fremantle by shallow draught barges for export.

The wooden bridge across the Munday Brook was built by convicts and ticket of leave men in 1871-72 to supply the first major export consignment of jarrah railway sleepers to India. After Mason & Bird partnership went bankrupt in 1882 the bridge continued to be used as a road bridge forming part of the track to access to Perth’s first hills catchment, Victoria Reservoir, completed in 1981 and continued to be used until 1975.

The rich history of this trail, from Australia’s oldest wooden bridge, the Munday Brook Bridge, to the first Western Australian dam, will inspire you. It was nice be disconnected from the world and then stumble across lots of stunning donkey orchids, hovea, wattle and other wildflowers to spot along this Perth hills hike.

A pleasant stroll located in the Korung National Park, the Munday Brook Walk Trail is a 13.2 kilometre loop. The trail follows a circuit through a parcel of Jarrah forest. The hike will take approximately 3-4 hours, departing from the Hardinge Park Carpark. Immerse yourself in the history of the Munday Brook Bridge and continue passed the dam to a little bush grave of the first child of Richard and Mary Weston.

The gravesite, just off the road to the Victoria Reservoir has been tended by the Weston family for over 140 years and is now on the state’s heritage list. Both the headboard and the surrounding picket fence were made from local Jarrah by Richard Weston, one of the first mill workers in the area. The site of the custom bush burial is the resting place of two day old Francis Weston who passed away 19^th January 1876.

Near the grave was a flowering gum tree where I watched some bees doing their thing.

The road between Victoria Dam and the grave is lined with old rusted piping and lots of grass trees. There is a bench seat for a rest, where you can feel as though you’re a million miles away from civilisation before arriving at a lookout to get a view of the city and overlooking the dam. With sunny blue skies dotted with white fluffy clouds the scene was pleasing to the eye.

The trail descends down a steep flight of wooden stairs leading to the dam wall itself to enjoy a walk across the top of the wall.

The view over the dam is spectacular and after a moderate climb to the lookout a pleasurable reward. Not only are there excellent views across the New Victoria Dam and Mundy Brook Valley, but in the distance the tall buildings of Perth can also be seen.

A bitumen road leads from the new dam to the old dam wall and the pumping station.

Victoria Reservoir was built in 1891 using convict labour and stood for almost 100 years before being replaced with the current Roller Compacted Concrete dam. The dam was Perth’s original water source, which caused the death of 425 Perth residents from typhoid. Cattle and sheep grazed the catchment area which was polluted by saw sewage from the timber mills and excrement from the livestock. The dam is 17 miles from Perth in a hollow of the hills, surrounded by a jarrah forest. The scheme included pipelines to Kings Park with a reservoir on Mount Eliza.

Despite being demolished, a large portion of the original Victoria’s Dam wall is still intact. Given the significant historic value as the first dam in Western Australia, this adds to the heritage nature of the trail. There is an informative display and engineering heritage plaques.

Before returning to the start point, enjoy a rest on the grassed area under the new Victoria Dam wall at Victoria Reservoir, and explore the old Victoria Dam, completed in 1891. The picnic area is lined with Paperbark trees and a stream where Munday Brook started before it got dammed.

Venture toward the new dam wall and marvel at it from down below. The view at the bottom of the new dam is pretty special from this angle and as spectacular as at the top.

From this point you double back, ambling along small tracks to where the trail continues back to Bickley Reservoir.

The gradient of this walk is gentle with some minor ascents and descents. Some of the surfaces are a little uneven, but overall it is an enjoyable walk with breathtaking views where you can retreat from the world.

The access track leads walkers back to the Mason Bird Tramway Bridge to retrace steps back to the Hardinge Road carpark.

Bickley Reservoir was constructed in 1920 to supplement Perth’s water supply until 1936 when the water was used for irrigation until 1944 when it became recreational use.

The trail traverse’s forest and bushland along the top of the Darling Ranges in Carmel and descends back to Bickley Valley to Bickley Reservoir providing a pleasant excursion for bushwalkers. There is evidence of a few massive jarrah tree stumps that serve as an important reminder how glorious this forest was long ago before it was logged. Many of the forest trees were charred by previous burns, but was dense and lush and lovely to see the sunlight filter through the trees. There is an array of wildflowers during late winter and spring. The area is filled with life, though some find the density claustrophobic.

This walking trail turned out to be a real hidden gem as having lived in Perth my whole life I had never heard of the dam or bridge before and it was interesting to find a little piece of history being the baby grave.

For those who enjoy bushwalking and are looking for walking trails Perth hills is where you will find some of the best trails. There are lots of hiking trails near me and in the Perth hills around Kalamunda and our suggested top hiking trails in Perth are Lesmurdie Falls walk,  Serpentine Falls walk or the Bells Rapid walk trail.

If you deserve a nurturing and uplifting sabbatical from the distractions of everyday life and have a good level of fitness, get yourself the Bibbulmun track map. You can then enjoy a day walk from the starting point in Kalamunda through the Darling Range or pass through magnificent jarrah and marri forests in Mundaring. If you enjoy waterfalls and picturesque gardens take the hiking trail to Araluen Botanic Park. For other gems, take a wander around Lake Leschenaultia, stop for a meal and cider at Core Cider House or check out the Guildford Heritage trails. If you prefer some walks in and around the city then there are many easy walking trails Perth has to offer.

After months of socially isolating and working from home, some exercise in the fresh air was much needed. I was certainly feeling like a long, gentle walk in the forest after the gloomy conditions resulting from the pandemic and my job being made redundant. After all, we enjoy walking a lot when travelling and bit of fresh air is always better than sitting at home on the couch. This is not suggested as a long and arduous hike. But it is recommended as a great day hike for local walkers who want to step outside their comfort and are wanting to escape the real world and connect with nature.

Can you think of a better trail than this Perth hills hike to be surrounded by an amazing range of hills and bushland and get your weeks’ exercise?

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