National Parks of Western Australia

John Forrest National Park is one of Australia’s oldest conservation areas and is the first national park that opened in Western Australia. The park is located in the Darling Ranges, just about half an hour's drive from Perth, the capital of Western Australia. Visitors to the park can enjoy bush walking, mountain biking, scenic drives, and rock pools that are great for swimming. 

Colonial pioneers knew the environmental value of this park and declared it a reserve in 1898. There are many different trails to explore stretching through the wilderness. Along the way, you can see awesome waterfalls and quiet pools. The higher they climb, visitors can get wonderful views of the city and metropolitan area. 

A popular area to picnic is the Rocky Pool picnic area surrounded by attractive wandoo (Eucalyptus species) and paperbark woodland. Once the winter rains have passed you can sit and watch the waters of Jane Brook come tumbling down a series of small rapids into the pool. 

There is lots of wildlife to observe including lots of native birds, possums, and bandicoots. There are colorful wildflowers in the springtime. Tearooms and a tavern are open regularly for refreshments. Altogether, the park stretches more than 1,500 hectares and is best accessed from the Great Eastern Highway.

If you want to experience a real Aussie environment head for Yanchep National Park. Visitors have the chance to experience Aboriginal culture and participate in a cave tour. 

You can admire heritage architecture; admire Australian flora and fauna including koalas and kangaroos. Lots of trails to walk along, spots to picnic among the surrounding nature, or dine at one of the facilities in the park. 

Crystal Cave is open daily for tours and the park has a choice of nine interesting walking trails that range in length from 500 meters to 55 kilometers. Such fascinating things to see like collapsed cave systems, gorges, pristine coastal wetlands, and haunted historic remains.

If you want a truly unique experience, you can book Cabaret Cave for a special occasion. This is Perth’s only cave for hire. This specially modified natural cave is visually amazing, acoustically sensational, and naturally air-conditioned. It has been used for functions since the 1930s and has the ability to cater up to 200 people. 

For visitors who want to stay overnight, there is Yanchep Inn with luxury accommodation and you can get a nighttime view of some of Australia’s fascinating fauna. 

Its close proximity to Perth and scenic features have attracted visitors to Serpentine National Park for almost 100 years. The park is a sanctuary for many different plants and animals, especially kangaroos. There is a shaded, grassy area that is popular for picnics. The park is located in a naturally beautiful clef at the foot of the scarp and stretches up the steep slopes of the Serpentine River Valley, past a sheer face of granite polished smooth by rushing waters.

Years of weathering has created distinct landscapes of lateritic uplands, minor and major valleys, and abrupt scarps. Nyoongar Aborigines of the Whadjuk and Bindjareb tribes hunted and camped in the woodlands long before Europeans came. The Serpentine River provided them with fresh water, fish, and other food sources such as tortoises, lizards, and birds. 



Walyunga National Park covers more than 1,800 hectares of the Darling Range. It is located just behind the Darling Scarp and stretches over both sides of a steep valley. To the east of the park, in the picturesque Avon Valley, the Avon River comes together with the Brockman River to form the Swan River, then passes through the tree-lined valley. One of the largest known Aboriginal campsites around Perth was found here and the Nyoongar still used it late last century. 

The main attraction here is the Swan River, lined by smooth granite boulders. This section of the river has rapids followed by deep pools and visitors are drawn by Syd’s Rapids, Walyunga Pool, and Boongarup Pool. The valley floor is flooded at the river’s edge, and farther up the slopes are wandoo woodlands. In the springtime, colorful wildflowers put on quite a show. 

For fantastic Australian sea-lion viewing, there is Carnac Island. All of the sea lions found on the island are males. Breeding takes place on offshore islands about 200 kilometers north of Perth for four to five months every 17.5 months. Once the breeding season is over, the males migrate south to islands off the Perth metropolitan coast. They might look docile, but Australian sea lions are large, wild animals that at times can get aggressive if they feel threatened. Visitors can view them but should stay well clear of them. 

Visitors are told not to venture away from the beach because inland on Carnac Island the tiger snakes make their home. This counts as one of the world’s most deadly snake species. This is one of only two islands in Western Australia where these snakes can be found. This island is also an important nesting habitat for seabirds like little penguins, wedge-tailed shearwaters, pied cormorants, pied oystercatchers, and Caspian, bridled, and crested terns. Visitors should stay clear of nesting areas so as not to disturb the birds.