Echidna trail
Walyunga National Park
Directions - Walyunga National Park is located north of Perth along Great Northern Highway. From the start of Great Northern Highway off Roe Highway, head through the Swan Valley until you reach the Walyunga Road turnoff. Drive into the park (gates open between 8am and 5pm daily), stopping at the automated pay station if you require a pass for the day and then park at either Walyunga Pool or the main car park at the end of the road. There are trail heads at both locations so it's just a matter of personal preference.
The Hike - The Echidna Trail in Walyunga National Park is one of the first hikes that I did way back in 2014, back in the simpler times when I had no idea what the website would become and was just starting out this amazing journey. Armed with my old Nikon D50 that was limited to a 1GB memory card, I think I only took about 200 photos and they weren't very good, even after applying all my learnings on Adobe Lightroom a couple of years ago (you can visit the old post by clicking here). Part of my 2022 plans are to visit some of the legacy pages from the early days and completely re-do them so they are represented in their best light.
I had actually meant to do the Echidna Trail last year but the Woorooloo bushfires of late 2020 meant that these plans were put on hold until the area had a chance to recover. With a relatively wet end to autumn and other trails getting priority for the best hiking times of late winter through spring, I figured there would be enough to see out here to make a lovely post. With the gates of Walyunga not opening each day until 8am, I could take my time and enjoy breakfast at home before driving north from Fremantle along Roe Highway and then Great Northern Highway to the start point. With a glorious day forecast full of sunshine and light cloud, the conditions were spot on as I arrived at the main car park. With hiking getting a boost in participation numbers during the pandemic, it was no surprise to see a few cars here already at 8:30am. Excited to be back and in a bit of disbelief that it had been eight years since my last visit, the drive out was full of reflection about what I've done with my life during that time and how far things have come from the old TLoP website. My enjoyment of trails hasn't changed and after spraying down my trail runners with an anti-dieback mixture and connecting up my drinks bladder, I was ready to tackle the 11km Echidna Trail.
Having parked at the main car park at the end of Walyunga Road, I made the same mistake as last time given the trail on the information board indicates that it starts and finishes at Walyunga Pool. This would mean I would have to finish by walking the link trail along the river between the two car parks twice but that wasn't such a bad thing in the end. Walking down the path between the car park and the Avon River, it all seemed very pleasant and not burnt at all. Not knowing the extent of the bushfire that hit this area, I was happy to see that at least this first section would be looking somewhat normal. Following the edge of the river all the way to Syds Rapids, this is a really nice start to the loop and I recommend doing the loop in an anti-clockwise direction because of this reason. Ambling along and taking my time, the views looking down to the river were pleasant and there was plenty of bird life around with Corellas, Shelducks, Shags and Galahs among some of the early sightings. On the other side of the river is the train line that runs through Toodyay, Northam and then onto Kalgoorlie and I heard the distinct rumble of a train in the distance. Sure enough one popped out through the tree line so I zoomed the camera in and took plenty of photos of the various graffiti marked carriages.
Given my glacial pace, I was being passed by a lot of people as I stopped to photograph every little detail along the river. One father and son group I was quite happy to be rid of as they were talking quite loudly and it was clear their political leanings were to the right of the spectrum. Not wanting to hear from two privileged white males about how switching welfare payments back to cash would mean the collapse of society, I deliberately stopped for a while to let them pass. The river section had been a quality experience and I knew it was at an end when I saw the bubbling waters of Syds Rapid to my right. This spot marks where the trail leaves the river and heads up the hill to explore different terrain. Before starting the climb, I headed down to the edge of the river to photograph Syds Rapids in all its glory. Caused by a natural bend in the river, there is a small pool to the left and the aforementioned rapids flowing from what looks like straight ahead. It's the same river but it takes two different paths to reach the same spot. The recent rains had raised the water levels in the river so the rapids were flowing quite nicely while I was there. While the morning sun wasn't in the best position to photograph this area, it was still a lovely spot to be and I enjoyed it very much.
Having given the father and son enough of a head start by now, I headed towards the start of the climb and memories of my first visit here came flooding back. Those that have hiked this trail will understand but this begins a 160m vertical climb over the next kilometre as you join the series of old vehicle tracks that make up the Echidna Trail. Completely forgetting that my first visit was right after a previous fire that occurred in 2013, it was looking a lot better this time around as this part of the park was not affected by the 2020 fire. Being late autumn, I was on the lookout for early season wildflowers and this is also about the time of year that the Sundews start to re-emerge. These marvellous carnivorous plants come in all shapes and sizes and supplement their nutrient intake by catching insects on their sticky pads. While there were no wildflowers around, I was super happy when I spotted a couple of Sundews on the edge of the trail, stopping to take photos and have a breather. The climbing isn't too bad if you're a seasoned hiker and the best bit is turning around and staring back at the river valley below. Seeing the river snake along, almost as an extension of the trail if you line it up right, it's certainly a good reward for the effort.
Reaching what feels like the top of the climb as you encounter a bend in the vehicle track, there is still another 40m or so of elevation to gain as you turn left and keep trekking up. I stopped here for a little bit to soak in the last views looking down towards the Avon River and some really cool glimpses down the distant valley to the north east. Having postponed this hike until after it had recovered from the fires, I was pleased that for the most part, a lot of the trail had not been affected and was looking much nicer than my previous visit. Coincidently, I have taken quite a lot of photos from the same position as my 2014 hike and the difference is remarkable in some places but that would be expected after eight years of recovery. Pushing up the last section of this first climb, you enter a lovely section of Wandoo near the summit. The two guys I was avoiding had stopped here so I quickly passed them but felt this was the start of a game of cat and mouse. As you rise over the hill, it becomes apparent that you are right on the border of the national park thanks to private properties being visible to your right.
Last time I was here there was the annoying drone of a chainsaw and this time I was treated to the putt putt of a generator running, which certainly spoils the feeling of being out in nature. This isn't the prettiest section of the trail with the aforementioned private properties and a lot of the non-native grasses around as you plummet down into a small valley. There was some bird life around to provide some pleasant sounds as I passed a trail runner heading the other way. Another saving grace of this area are the views looking over to the other side of the hill and a large granite mass that has been exposed. Knowing the trail went in that general direction and not really enjoying this section, I quickly moved on to the valley floor and began the next climb that takes you up there. The tree cover is a little thicker at the bottom but as you hike up the hill, more properties to your right start to become visible. Near the top of the hill when the views to your left start to open up, I spotted something move slightly out of the corner of my eye. In a small exposed part of the hill were three kangaroos just having a feed and enjoying the morning sun. They seemed pretty content to watch me watch them so I snapped a few photos and let them be.
Arriving at the top of this first hill, the trail turns left and follows what looks like single trail but I think is just a narrower section of old vehicle track. It made for a nice change and this was the beginning of a really nice stretch of trail that takes you along the edge of the hill and provides some expansive views. Slowing up once again to watch some tiny birds flit about the skeleton of a distant tree, a bit further ahead I was treated to my first wildflower in the form of a flowering Hakea. There were a couple of these plants around and the bees were loving the white flowers while I was loving taking photos of them both. Ambling along, I was on the lookout for more wildflowers while also admiring the stunning views of the valley below that I had forgotten about from my previous visit. With a hint of a fluffy white cloud trying to form to the east, this was a pretty scene that was even completed with a passing train. Making another turn, there is a small patch of granite off the trail a little and here I found some more Hakea, a vine version of the Drosera and a flowering Yellow Pea. As I had been moving so slow, the father/son hikers had caught up again so I spent extra time photographing the wildflowers as they built up a buffer ahead of me.
The good news at this point is that there is one last climb before it's mostly downhill for the rest of the hike. Heading off again into Wandoo, these golden trunked trees are really photogenic and a few of my early season walks in 2022 at Wundabiniring and Christmas Tree Well had been focused on enjoying these beauties. Rising up the hill, the track becomes much wider into a more obvious road but the scenery is still really lovely. Zamias and Balgas are plentiful through here and there is a thicket of either regrowth Wandoo or a skinny Mallee thriving off to your left. Reaching the highest point of the hike at 262m ASL, you rise up and over the hill, eventually catching sight of the Woodsome Hill Tower. This modern looking structure I assume is some kind of antennae and provides a point of interest along the trail. There is a small plaque here telling you about the Woodsome Estate that used to exist and encapsulated where Walyunga National Park is now. That explains why there is so much non-native grass around and why the area doesn't quite feel like a proper national park of botanical significance compared to some others in the Perth Area.
From this point onwards on my original post, I didn't take many photos so this felt like a brand new hike for the most part. Walking down the hill, the views change from the Avon River Valley to the Swan Coastal Plain, somewhat visible through the tree line. While not as impressive as the valley views, it's something different and will be a feature for the next few kilometres until you start heading back to the start point. At the bottom of the hill you are presented with a left turn and a new trail marker that belongs to the Camino Salvado Pilgrim Trail. This 200km trail from Subiaco to New Norcia is an intriguing one but logistically it's quite challenging as there are no campsites along the way, no reliable water and at times doesn't traverse through the nicest scenery. It's one I've put at the end of a long list of things I'd like to do but maybe I'll ride it as an overnighter instead of walking it. Continuing to follow the black boot marker of the Echidna Trail, the scenery as you follow more vehicle tracks on the side of the hill is a bit more open with the occasional large tree providing something to photograph.
On the lookout for something interesting to photograph, a rocky outcrop triggered a memory from the last time and I also spotted a few kangaroos 50m or so off the trail. Add in a Galah sitting above the trail posing for a photo, some flowering sundews and this was turning out to be a pleasant section. It does feel like you're meandering around a little bit (not necessarily a bad thing) as you turn off one vehicle track and onto another but I was waiting for the fire damage to hit. I remember the area around here being full of burnt She-Oak trees in 2014 and I was happy to see they had recovered as I love seeing a good She-Oak. After heading downhill slightly, you start climbing what will be the last hill of the hike and back towards the Avon River. It was pleasant enough hiking for the most part and the occasional view overlooking the Perth CBD was nice but this would really be improved during wildflower season from mid-June through to late September. Reaching the top of this last hill, you get the dual views of the Avon River Valley and the Swan Coastal Plains before you start descending down towards the river.
On the home stretch and some easy hiking ahead, I continued on and passed the iconic skeleton tree that looks to have come from a Tim Burton movie with a thick trunk and gangling limbs flying out from every direction. Just past there I noticed something waving around in my eyeline and on closer inspection there was a large Orb Weaver dangling from its web. Glad that it was there and not over the trail, I took a couple of happy snaps and continued along. As I descended further, the views opened up a bit more and I finally entered the area of the park that had been affected by the 2021 fires. The sparse hills and fresh regrowth from the Zamia Palms was a sure indicator that fire had come through here and as I got lower into the valley, the area surrounding the trail was shabby looking regrowth. At least the landscape had opened up and I could see distant granite boulders. On the final descent it appeared that the fires didn't quite make it this far as the scenery returned to being somewhat normal looking bush near the fenced off artificial dam that is probably a relic of when this was grazing land. Here I spotted an Australian Shelduck circling above and managed to get a reasonable picture of it before it flew away. Reaching the Avon River once again, I just had the linking trail between here and Walyunga Pool to walk twice (there and back).
While most of the trail is along old vehicle tracks, I like that there is this final section along the river that uses single trail as it would be a shame to finish with that long and now burnt track leading down the hill. With the way it is now, you start and finish with a river walk and it's a great experience to see it twice on the hike. The best and more interesting river views are along this linking path with lots of little rapids, areas to wander down and explore plus a couple of areas to have a swim if the conditions are right. This stretch also hosts the annual Avon Descent and there are wires overhanging some sections that I believe are involved with the race. With the beautiful sunshine of a late May weekend, the river was looking a treat. There were plenty of families and groups about enjoying this part of Perth so that was nice to see as I set about exploring and photographing all the little vantage points along the river. I enjoyed all the interpretive signing along the path, explaining the local Noongar names for various flora and fauna, and considering this area was once home to a thriving community before colonial invasion, it's the least that could be done to acknowledge the indigenous heritage. Finishing up at Walyunga Pool, it was nice to finally be back and to give this page a much needed refresh of photos. Hopefully it doesn't take me another eight years to get back here again.
Final Thoughts - This was the fifth hike I ever wrote up for the website in 2014 when I went on a spree of visiting the most popular half day trails in the Perth region. It's amazing to think of all the places I've visited between then and now and what a catalyst the website was for me exploring more of WA and beyond.
I was a bit unsure about to expect before coming here as the effects of the most recent fires combined with a bit of personal revisionist history had me worried that this would be a bit worse of a trail experience than I remembered.
While it's very basic trail design to have a lot of the loop on old vehicle tracks, this isn't too much of a problem for most people. Personally I think they could have taken it onto single trail in places to visit better scenery and to provide a different experience but maybe one day this might happen (although with the pace of WA trail development I'm not holding my breath).
With the popularity of the Swan Valley continuing to rise, along with the increased urban expansion in the area (for good or bad), Walyunga is going to be the closest national park for a lot of people. The Echidna Trail is the longest hike in the park and has some lovely moments with the Avon River and views from the eastern side of Woodsome Hill being the most enjoyable.
There you have it, the Echidna Trail gets a proper 2022 spec write-up to properly showcase it and I got an agreeable early season hike in.
Get out there and experience it!
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