Four Aces Walk
Donnelly River Nature Reserve
Directions - From the centre of Manjimup, head north on South Western Highway and turn left onto Graphite Road. Follow this for 20km until you reach One Tree Bridge. There is parking on the western side of the river and the trail starts from the gazebo overlooking the suspension bridge.
The Hike - One Tree Bridge is a meeting place that every Bibbulmun Track hiker and Munda Biddi rider will know thanks to the cool suspension bridge over the Donnelly River, along with being a good resting spot. Having passed through here plenty of times doing both trails, the wooden sign for the Four Aces Walk always intrigued me. I had planned to do this earlier in the year when my podcast partner and I rode from Donnybrook to Northcliffe over Easter but the weather wasn't favourable on the day we passed through here and I decided not to carry my DSLR on that trip anyway.
With a South West road trip planned for the springtime in 2023, I didn't actually have this on the itinerary but had to change my plans after a setback. Initially for this day I was planning on exploring the walk trails at Perup Guesthouse but for reasons unknown, DBCA have decided to close the area, with access forbidden even if you just want to walk the trails and not stay there. Adjusting my day in Manjimup while I enjoyed a mushroom toastie, I figured that maybe the Four Aces Walk might be worth a visit and if it wasn't then no big deal. It's a short drive from Manjimup along Graphite Road and I was soon parked up at One Tree Bridge to see what the Four Aces had in store for me. It was a great comfort gazing out over the suspension bridge that allows hikers and riders to cross the Donnelly River safely away from car traffic. Thinking back on all my previous adventures was a nice trip down memory lane and I was excited to add another one. Deciding to do the walk out to Four Aces first, I wandered out onto the suspension bridge first to enjoy the views of the river before doubling back and heading under the traffic bridge to get to the official One Tree Bridge.
The remnants of the first bridge over the Donnelly River, it was dragged up the hill after storm damage caused it to collapse into the river. Now it resides behind a wooden fence for all to see, and you can certainly understand why it was called One Tree Bridge. Heading away from the Donnelly River, the trail continues behind the remnants of One Tree Bridge, where the wooden sign for the Four Aces is located next to a Karri Tree. When I first came through here on the Bibb in 2017, it was lush paradise but between then and riding through on the Munda Biddi in 2021, there has been a fire up the hill from the river. As a result, the undergrowth looks a lot scrappier than it once did. Being spring, the regrowth that has occurred seems to include a lot of Native Wisteria and Coral Vine given the blankets of red, pink and purple flowers growing everywhere, seemingly strangling the forest floor and anything that wants to grow upward. The walk to the Four Aces is about a kilometre and although you walk pretty close to Graphite Road at times, the stunning Karri Forest you meander through more than makes up for this.
Once you pass the views of the private property on the other side of Graphite Road and get properly into the forest, the walking is really pleasant. It doesn't take much for me to have an enjoyable walk and having quality Karri Forest like this is a good start. I was a bit worried that over the hill would not be the same quality as what you get along the edge of the Donnelly River on the Bibbulmun Track but it continued to be full of thick boi trees. Karri I find to be a really photogenic tree and I was having good fun shooting a longer focal length that captured all the distant trunks in one shot. Having had some good luck with wildflowers and orchids on the road trip so far, I was scanning the edge of the trail for something special, perhaps a Karri Spider Orchid but alas, there was only the regulars including Hibbertia, Prickly Moses, Morning Iris, Old Mans Beard and plenty more Native Wisteria. The quality of the forest continued to be fantastic all the way to the Four Aces.
Reaching a wooden shelter at the Four Aces day use area, there are lots of information boards about the area, the forest and theories on how the Four Aces came to be. For those playing along at home, the Four Aces are four individual Karri Trees all lined up in close proximity and have grown to be quite large considering their closeness to each other. The main theory is that they all grew from seeds located on a fallen tree but whatever happened, it looks pretty cool. There is a small loop trail that takes you into the forest from the Four Aces and so I thought it was best to tack this onto my out and back from One Tree Bridge. Walking past a large fallen tree and getting up close to another that has been sawn in half as it was blocking the trail, you get a further appreciation about how large these giants can get. The loop is about 600m and is a pleasant saunter through the forest that can be done if you don't want to do the full Four Aces Walk I've documented here (there is parking at the Four Aces off Graphite Road).
Arriving back at the wooden gazebo, it was time to head back to One Tree Bridge and finish off what had been a lovely trail experience. The lighting was much better walking back in this direction, so I stopped quite a bit for photos. Back at One Tree Bridge, I lingered around the river taking extra photos, not wanting the walk to end. I figured out it didn't have to when I saw the path leading from the suspension bridge heading down to Glenoran Pool, so I decided to add on an extra bit and followed it. Taking you along the edge of the river, this was a wonderful trail thanks to the river views, excellent forest, fungi and wildflowers. It's about 300m until you reach Glenoran Pool and the beach/picnic area that looked like an excellent place to spend an afternoon. One of the easiest ways to access the river for a swim, this would be an idyllic spot on a warm spring or summers day. Given it was a cool spring day, I decided against a swim and instead noticed the trail continuing past one of the picnic tables.
I'm a curious fella, so followed it for as long as it resembled a path, which turned out to be quite a while. I was pleased to see a different type of forest appear, with the Karri Forest replaced with mixed Marri/Jarrah, and a bevy of new wildflowers to boot. There was Holly Flame Pea, both Yellow and Purple Flags, Cottonheads and what I think is a variety of Melaleuca. With views down towards the river and various rapids, this was a fun little side adventure. I eventually arrived at a section of bare rock where the trail ends, so I ventured on a bit further to an area by the river. Quite happy for this to be my turnaround point, I photographed the rapids nearby before walking back slowly, looking out for new wildflowers I may have missed on the way out. With no one around, I felt like I had the whole place to myself and it was a nice feeling. Arriving back at the suspension bridge spoiled that a little but I was still buzzing from what had been a really fun walk through some of my favourite type of forest.
Final Thoughts – I was unsure about whether this would be a good trail before doing it, and now I'm wondering why I ever doubted it.
WA desperately needs more of these types of trails, simple paths through the forest, preferably near a river or geological feature. There are plenty of little day use areas setup for cars and caravans that are right in or near large patches of national park or state forest.
If you are taking Graphite Road on your South West travels then I highly recommend stopping at One Tree Bridge for a meander through the Karri Forest. There is so much more here than an old bridge and the river.
Get out there and experience it!!!
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