Bridgetown Jarrah Park
Bridgetown
Directions - Located between Bridgetown and Nannup, head along Brockman Highway until you see the signs for Bridgetown Jarrah Park pointing you along an unsealed road. The car park is a short distance from the highway with plenty of parking, a drop toilet and an information shelter. There are many little trails to choose from but I've combined a few to make one big loop.
The Hike - The Bridgetown Jarrah Park is an area I hiked way back in 2017 and it left a super positive impression on me. I couldn't believe that this place was real after a relatively limited exploration of the forests of Western Australia up to that point. It was always a trail I meant to revisit, especially after accidentally deleting the raw images from that day. With the opportunity to hike it again surfacing in 2022, I was keen to see how I viewed it after many years of hiking different parts of the state.
After having a lovely time on the Greenbushes Loop prior to this hike, I passed through Bridgetown to have some lunch, pick up some sparkling cider from the famous Bridgetown Cidery and enjoyed one of my favourite towns in the South West. In a chance meeting, I bumped into a former basketball teammate that had moved down here a few years ago and it was nice to catch up with him after many years of not seeing each other. Finally arriving at the car park for the hike, I enjoyed my spinach and ricotta sausage roll I picked up from the bakery before gathering up my gear for the 6km loop ahead. Making my way to the information shelter, there is a log book to sign that helps understand visitor numbers (which I forgot to do) and few info panels about what to expect on the various walks you can do. Like my previous visit, I would be joining up parts of several different trails to form one big loop. Heading down the link trail to the junction at which many of the loop start/finish, I noticed a new metal information board providing another explanation of the walk trails.
Walking in an anti-clockwise direction, I would hike the Fallers Brand Trail first, continue along the Hollow Karri Trail, complete the Blackbutt Trail then return via the other side of the Hollow Karri and Fallers Brand before taking the Shield Tree Trail back to the start. Simple. All the different trail are colour coded and given the first three I listed all head in the same direction to start, that's the way I went. The Fallers Brand Trail is first up and takes you through some regrowth Jarrah Forest that looks pretty similar to what you'd find in the wetter parts of the Darling Range thanks to running near a creek and also being this far south. The thick undergrowth abated every now and then to reveal a mass of Grass Trees, Honeybush and a few fungi hidden on the forest floor. There are a few wooden signs through here giving the Latin names for plants found in the area and for the most part they matched up with what was there (you'd be surprised at how often this isn't the case on trails). Further along there is a larger wooden sign explaining that the plant in front of you is the only Podocarpus in WA, an ancient survivor from the Gondwanan days.
Reaching the first intersection, I left the Fallers Brand Trail and continued straight to follow the Hollow Karri Trail as the landscape started to change for the better. It was already pretty nice but once I clapped eyes on the first golden trunk of a nearby Karri tree, I smiled. It had been a few months since seeing one of these beauties whilst riding from Donnybrook to Northcliffe on the Munda Biddi over Easter and the magical effect of seeing one in the wild never diminishes. Running parallel to the edge of Maranup Brook, the plentiful supply of water allows these massive trees to thrive as they usually grow in high rainfall areas. Being on the transition area between the dry sclerophyll forests of the north and the wetter forests found in the south of the state, they only exist in the shallow valleys carved through the landscape. It's not only Karri through here with a couple of large Yarri trees making an appearance as you head deeper into the lush forest.
This is the start of some truly spectacular forest walking as the size of the trees is awe-inspiring compared to the typical forests you will walk through in WA that have over the course of colonial times, been logged to high heaven. This area is no different as you pass several stumps that indicate it occurred here but the number of giants lurking here is an exception. Passing one of many moss covered fallen trees provides a different scale to how big these trees can grow and also gives the fungi something to digest. Being late winter, I was hopeful that there would still be some fungi around and I managed a few good finds over the course of the hike. I wasn't so worried about the wildflowers as typically they flower later in the Karri forest, so my main enjoyment would be the quality of the forest, something that was of special magnificence through here. The Hollow Karri Trail doesn't last too long in terms of distance and soon you are at the intersection where the Blackbutt Trail heads out, loops around and then returns.
After passing a few thick boi trees and a fun little Sedge Grass plain closer to the brook, the views in the distance revealed more cream coloured Karri trees that looked a treat. The little out and back linking trail for the loop was soon over and I headed in an anti-clockwise direction towards my favourite area from my last visit. With a light drizzle filtering through the dense canopy, I arrived at a spot that I remember fondly from before. A small wooden bridge over the brook is surrounded by mossy rocks and the whole scene could have been plucked from a Japanese mountainside garden. Last time I remember laying on the bridge and having a forest bathing session but with the rain falling this time, I simply closed my eyes, took a few deep breaths and was grateful to be here in this moment. I ambled slowly through this section as there is so much to enjoy thanks to the running brook, mossy boulders, little footbridges and plenty of fungi finds. After rising up the smallest of slopes, you are presented with a large moss covered boulder that the trail passes right by.
I stood admiring the moss for a while, picking out all the details and breathing in all the wonderful smells of the rainy afternoon. It was also a fern paradise through here with the common Bracken Fern mixed in with the delicate Maiden Hair Fern. The Bracken Fern is a favourite of mine to photograph thanks to the deep colouring and vivid contrasts you can achieve with them. Crossing the last little footbridge of this section, this area contained a bevy of fungi clinging to various branches and bits of moss. With my cup full after the last few hundred metres, I passed a section of blackberry vines that are still being a pest through here, before reaching the vehicle track that takes you up the hill and loops back. It was a bit of a shock coming out into the openness of the vehicle track after being immersed in the forest but luckily it doesn't last too long. The wide track takes you up the hill where you'll pass more thick boi trees until you turn back onto single track. I almost missed the turn as the signage is a little broken but luckily I was scanning for fungi and wildflowers.
It isn't long until you are back in the comfort of the forest and are gazing at the girthy trunk of a large Yarri (or Blackbutt but I'm not a big fan of that naming). From one side it looks to be a complete tree but on the other side, it is revealed that the core wood has been burnt out and we were all of us deceived. Continuing to climb up along the edge of the hill, you occasionally get glimpses looking down into the valley with various trunks poking up through many shades of green. If you're a fan of mossy logs then this next section will be right up your alley as there is plenty of green loveliness to enjoy. Stopping frequently to photograph a new log or scan the moss for new fungi, I wasn't moving at a great pace through here but that's my life these days. Having an absolute ball walking through this area, I thought to myself that this hike was still very special and is one of the best forest walks in Western Australia. Passing another giant Yarri tree, this dark beauty has some moss at the base and here I found some lovely orange fungi poking out.
Moving on, I arrived at a spot that I had been wanting to photograph again, ever since I had accidentally deleted my photos from the last trip. It's a scene I used for the cover photo of my old post (and this one) with a prominent Jarrah tree and a moss covered log rising up at an angle as the trail heads up the hill. Hoping to recapture the magic, in the moment I was pleased to be here again and it looked like nothing had changed over the last six years. Exploring the mossy log, I found a large Curry Punk (great name) sitting on top that really capped off the scene. Prying myself away from this section, I continued along and the quality scenery continued thanks to the Karri forest becoming more visible down in the valley. I had great fun photographing the mid section of the trunks that were the only bits visible poking up from the undergrowth of the valley. Starting to descend back down to the linking trail, there is a stunning old Jarrah tree that is marked as "fine example", which I agree with. Right before you reach the linking trail there is a super thick Karri tree that seemingly has two main trunks that you just have to stand back and admire the sheer size of.
Reaching the Hollow Karri Trail again, I crossed over the little wooden bridge to complete the other side of the loop. Climbing up another small hill, the Karri goodness continued and with the undergrowth opening up a bit, I could fully appreciate the beautiful Karri trees that were plentiful through here. Continuing the theme of giant trunks, the examples found along this stretch are stunning and what you see in the galleries above and below is just a taste of all the photos I couldn't stop taking. My guess is that this area was too inaccessible to drag the cut timber away and was left, that or they decided to leave a patch of mature trees for funsies. Either way I'm grateful they exist and it was a pleasure walking this part of the Hollow Karri Trail. Eventually reaching the Fallers Brand Trail, you start to climb again and say goodbye to the Karri forest, instead replaced with mixed Jarrah and Marri that is similar to the start of the trail. I loved the different vegetation types as you walk through this relatively small area and the variety made for an intriguing walk. With the Jarrah forest now taking over, the understory had a bit more diversity with Tassel Flowers, Grass Trees and Sedge Grasses popping up every now and then.
At one point the trail looked to continue straight but there was another path leading over a fallen tree. For some reason I decided to take the path over the tree and as coincidence would have it, this turned out to be the official trail so I'm not sure where the other one went. Meandering around the forest, I had my eye out for wildflowers through here given it was more likely to occur in the Jarrah filled sections but had more luck with the fungi (I think I was about a month too early for the good wildflowers and orchids). Reaching the junction where the Shield Tree Trail either heads back to the car park or goes off to another picnic area along the road, I chose wisely and headed back to the car park to complete my loop. The trail back to the car park was really pleasant with lots of mossy logs, some fungi finds including Witches Butter (the jelly slime looking one) and the titular Shield Tree, a burnt out Marri tree that provides a nice photo opportunity. As I was finishing, the sun finally decided to come out and provide some different lighting for my photos. Reaching the car, I sat there for a while reflecting on what a great hike that had been and looking through some of the photos on my camera.
Final Thoughts - As I've said before a few times, heading back to trails I completed in the early days of the website can go either way. Having explored a lot of WA and Tasmania and visited some truly epic trails, sometimes what I thought was a nice trail doesn't always turn out to be the case.
The Bridgetown Jarrah Park lived up to what I remembered it to be and then some. With a lot of WA being logged heavily throughout the last hundred years, having a pocket of land like this with so many mature trees is a luxury.
That's a great thing but also quite sad because this is similar to what the forests of the South West used to look like.
It's an underrated place to visit and one I'm finally happy to have come back to re-shoot. As you can tell from the amount of photos in the galleries, I really enjoyed this hike and you will too.
Get out there and experience it!
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