John Forrest National Park – A Perth Nature Escape.

20 Sept

WA’s first and oldest national park was named after WA’s first premier, John Forrest, an explorer and avid nature lover.

Not even an hour’s drive from Perth’s CBD, you can find lots of wildlife (especially kangaroos) and all sorts of birds here. It’s one of my go-to destinations for bush walks and just to get away from the city. The reception drops in and out, but I quite enjoy being offline for a few hours. In winter and spring (especially after some rain), the waterfalls start to flow again and make the national park even more fun to explore.

***Here are some of my favourite bush walks and places I recommend seeing when visiting John Forrest National Park:***

**Eagle View & Little Eagle View Trail** - Great viewpoints over the Swan Valley and Perth while travelling through wildflower displays and along waterfalls in spring.
*info & map:* *Little Eagle View* *is a shorter loop trail of the* *Eagle View Trail.*
**Glen Brook Trail** - starting at the picnic area, it loops around the dam and beyond (optional)
*trail info & map*
**Swan View Tunnel & National Park Falls Walk Trail** - a short and easy loop trail along the water before getting to National Park Falls. Optional: making a short detour to the Swan View Tunnel after reaching National Park Falls.
*trail info & map*

There are usually a few kangaroos all around the picnic area and close to the car park, but it’s obviously not guaranteed. Spend a few hours up there and you’ll be running into at least one of them at some point. Besides kangaroos, there are lots of different bird species all around and easy to observe. I like to bring binoculars or my tele lens, sit down somewhere and watch them jump around in the branches above.