Lol Gray Trail
Dryandra Woodland National Park
Directions - Dryandra Woodland National Park is located just over two hours south east of Perth. Taking Albany Highway, follow this all the way to North Bannister, turning left onto North Bannister - Wandering Road. Keep driving through Wandering, and after 40 more kilometres you'll see the sign for Dryandra, turning right onto Dryandra Road. The Lol Gray Trail begins opposite the playground within the Lions Village. Look for the small wooden sign saying "Walk Trail Parking", where you'll find a small area to park. The trail head is located a short walk into the woodland, with a large information board for the Lol Gray Trail and Kawana Trail.
The Hike - Having the luxury of a beautiful spring day to spend in Dryandra Woodland National Park, I had thoroughly enjoyed my morning hikes on the Woylie Walk and the Wandoo Walk, and needed to drive a short distance to get from the Old Mill Dam to the Lions Village, where I would be tackling the final hike of my day on the Lol Gray Trail. The Lions Village was not what I had pictured when thinking about Dryandra but it makes sense given this was the workers accommodation for logging the mallee over 100 years ago. It has since been converted to holiday accommodation, and now serves as an alternative to the more basic DBCA campgrounds that are found west of this area.
I arrived at the car park for the Lol Gray Trail and the Kawana Trail, and set about enjoying the packed lunch I had brought with me. While devouring a couple of rolls near my car, I gazed out over the row of cottages, a playground, and other communal areas, thinking that this would be a nice place to stay for a few nights. Like Donnelly River Village, the essence of a simpler time is the appeal to this location, with not much to do but enjoy nature, run around and relax among a bush setting. While I wasn't staying, I could still enjoy the nature, which for me was tackling the longest hike in the park, the Lol Gray Trail. I joked on the WA Hiking Draft podcast episode that my generation would see Lol Gray and interpret that as the "Laugh Out Loud" or "Lots of Love" Gray Trail, and this kept me amused every time I saw the name printed on a sign this afternoon. Lol Gray is in fact an old sandalwood cutter from the 1800s, who then had a lot named after him around this area, including a school, state forest, fire tower and this trail.
Getting all my gear together and applying another layer of sunscreen, I followed a goat track that looked like it was the right one, and was eventually at the information board that serves as the trail head. There was a European couple already there, so I gave them some room before taking a look at the signage. The Lol Gray Trail and Kawana Trail share the path for the beginning of both walks, so I was mindful to note the different markers. I set off in a clockwise direction for this first loop leading towards the crossing of Wandering Narrogin Road, initially walking along an old vehicle track. The Wandoo and Mallee through here was nice, although the undergrowth was looking sparse, adding to the plantation feel, which is not surprising given how close you are to the old village. There were some splashes of colour along the trail, with mainly the bright purples of Dampiera obliqua, and I was hoping this lack of wildflowers wouldn't last long.
Rising up a small hill and rounding a corner, the scenery started to change for the better. Although still walking on an old vehicle track, the thicker vegetation on both sides was a welcome sight. I slowed up through here thanks to bevy of wildflowers, including a Dryandra local, Gastrolobium microcarpum, and a carpet of Triggerplants that turned out to be Stylidium exappendiculatum. I could sense the European couple closing in on me, and not wanting to hold them up, or feel rushed, I stopped at a colony of Cowslip Orchids and took my time to photograph them. Comfortable I had given them enough space that I wouldn't catch up, I continued on, enjoying this stretch of walking as I once again headed up a small hill. This led to a little chicane that was home to some colourful Pincushion Coneflowers and Petrophile ericifolia. These pretty species are a highlight of spring in the South West of WA, and I love seeing the fluffy and unique shapes they form. Reaching an intersection, you turn left and start walking on a much wider vehicle track.
This section isn't a long one, and it was immediately a hit with me after I spotted something in the mass of stripped bark lining the edge of the road. I investigated a bit further and I was excited to see the first Sun Orchid of the day, open and showing off its beauty to the world. So many times I have been hiking in spring when the Sun Orchids have flowered but it hasn't been warm or sunny enough for them to be open for pollination. Happy to have a couple all the way open, I believe this particular species is the Scented Sun Orchid. Happy with another new orchid for the day, I moved on, and was eventually directed back into the Wandoo Woodland for a continuation of the excellent walking. I love the feeling of ambling through a closed in forest, and although Wandoo is usually associated with openness, this section had a pleasant amount of undergrowth, that combined with the extensive canopy, was heaven for me. Right before joining back up with the wider track, the shorter Kawana Trail departs to the right, never to be seen again.
Popping out into the open once again, there was no new orchid species to soften the blow, instead I could see the European couple ahead. The wide track eventually narrowed after a while as the Wandoo either side closed in. This area next to the road must have been cleared in the past and never replanted for some reason. I was happy to return to the narrower track, and given this would continue for the next 1.5 kilometres, there wasn't much I could do about it anyway. Initially walking through more Wandoo Woodland, the scenery was much the same as the start of the walk, meaning I could spend some time looking for new wildflower species, which I did find in the form of Parrot Bush, Blue Leschenaultia and a colourful Conostylis villosa. Enjoying the walking, and secretly hoping the quality remained this high for the entirety of the figure 8 route, the scenery started to change as I descended down from the highest point of the trail so far.
The Wandoo was replaced with She-Oak, and this created a much different mood thanks to the effect the She-Oak has on the surrounding landscape. The change was a welcome one, as I enjoy seeing the gnarly trunks and branches. Large swathes of She-Oak forest always remind me of a sinister fairy tale, as the bed of fallen needles creates a dull colour palette, that combined with the mass of branches that seem to reach out and want to grab you, has an unfriendly look to it. It's one I enjoy photographing, and today was no different, with the She-Oaks lining either side of the trail providing some excellent photo opportunities. With a dead straight road to walk along, and the wildflowers reducing in numbers, I powered along here, still scanning the undergrowth for anything that might pique my interest. There was still plenty to see, and hiding among fallen branches, logs and all the She-Oak needles were Pimpernel Sundews, lots of Cowslip Orchids, and small fields of Lindley's Everlastings.
Finding a trail marker near the end of the road, it points you left along some single trail, taking you past the site of the old Lol Gray school. These school site memorials were created during the 1988 Bicentennial, when there was a big push for acknowledgement of the European heritage, and you can find a lot of them dotted around the state, typically marked with a brown road sign so you don't miss it driving by. Speaking of driving by, it isn't long until you reach Wandering Narrogin Road and cross the two laned tarmac road. It was a bit of a shock initially, as I'd been spending the whole day hiking around Dryandra without a paved road in sight, and the openness of seeing a cleared area for a road usually draws me out of the moment when I'm out hiking. I crossed quickly and had a decision to make as to which way to go. I say decision but the most obvious way forward means following the trail markers and turning right onto some single trail.
Follow I did, and this was a big change to the She-Oak I'd just been hiking through. It initially looked fairly similar to the Wandoo I had been walking through near the start but just felt like it wasn't connected to the first part of the walk. Maybe it was the road, maybe it's Maybelline. Whatever it was, I was happy to experience it, and things changed a bit more as green grasses started to appear all around. Grass like this in the forest to me feels unnatural, and I'm confident it's an introduced species, but given the mixed use of Dryandra before becoming a national park, it wasn't a big shock. While the grass wasn't natural, the orchids I found along here certainly were, with my second Blue China Orchid of the day, a Sugar Orchid, and a Sugar Candy Orchid (different species I assure you). Along with a Sunny Rainbow (flower not actual rainbow), this provided some interest to me as I powered through the grass and Wandoo. Spotting more Grass Trees, I came across a patch of exposed rock and stopped to explore a little more.
Typically the granite areas are home to different species than you'll find on the forest floor, and this turned out to be the case here. I found a ragged looking Lemon Scented Sun Orchid that was coming to the end of it's flowering period, and my first ever sighting of a Drosera androsacea. Around this area, the She-Oaks made an appearance again, albeit briefly, before the Wandoo returned for a long stretch of old vehicle track walking. The return of the straight and narrow trail meant I could keep up a good pace, although there was still plenty to see along the edge of the trail. Watching the path turn from white sand to laterite was interesting, and this marked the start of the uphill climbing that would lead all the way to the Lol Gray Picnic Area. It was fairly flat for quite a while, and while not the most interesting walking compared to other parts of the trail, it seems to be necessary in order to link up with the picnic area, and other more interesting spots further on.
Things started to change for the better as the climbing began, with the Wandoo getting thicker, and the quality improving. This is the steepest climb of the whole trail, and had my heart rate racing as I pushed up the loose laterite. After tackling the biggest gradients early on, the track starts to flatten out slightly, and it does feel like you're in a new world. Looking behind me, the views looking out over the rest of the park took me by surprise, although it shouldn't have given I'd climbed 80m vertically in a short space of time. The vegetation changed up here too, with plenty of new species that I'd not seen today, or ever in some instances. Grey-leaved Beaufortia was a favourite, with its delicate red flowers, along with Holly-leaved Honeysuckle and the bright yellow flowers of Yellow Starbush. Hiding away in the thick vegetation were a couple of orchids, with another Scented Sun Orchid leading me to a Small-flowered Donkey Orchid, adding to the different orchid species I had seen so far.
As I reached the top of the hill, the Lol Gray Fire Tower came into view, an icon of the walk. The old ladders reaching the lookout have been removed, so it can only be admired from ground level, but I imagine the views from up there would be pretty nice. This is also where you'll find the Lol Gray Picnic Area, accessible by car, and where the European couple had parked. I gave them a nod as I found a picnic table to enjoy a bit of a break at. A little over halfway, the legs were feeling it after a full day of hiking, so I stretched out and had some beverage. After a short break I continued on, following the large wooden sign that pointed me in the right direction. Now facing down the hill, the Wandoo ahead looked like some of the best along the trail so far, and tackling a descent would be a nice way to ease into the second half. As I was walking along, something caught my eye, and my spidey senses struck gold with a new type of orchid, a Wandoo Beard Orchid, my first ever of this variety.
This was the cherry on top of an lovely section that wound down the hill, through some amazing woodland that contains the only laterite breakaways you'll see on the Lol Gray Trail. The hilly terrain and excellent Wandoo made up for the drop in wildflowers compared to climbing the hill, but eventually I reached a section where there was shoulder high vegetation that included Petrophile and Isopogon flowers in abundance. The single trail does end eventually, which is a shame because of how nice it is. Reaching an intersection where Kawana Road meets the Lol Gray Trail, follow the markers along the old vehicle track that leads you towards another picturesque section of Wandoo Woodland. Still heading on a slight downhill, the distant views narrow your gaze to a single point, with Wandoo kind of hugging over the track. Along here I had some good finds including a Harsh Hakea, Red Tooth Brushes and my second Little Frog Greenhood sighting of the day.
The walking along this old vehicle track is pleasant, but much like the other side of this loop, it's a method to get from point to point. Again, this is not such a bad thing, as the scenery was of good quality, and the mid afternoon sun was providing some lovely lighting. At the end of the vehicle track you transition to a short section of single trail to close this loop, and take you back to the crossing of Wandering Narrogin Road. Walking through a low point in the terrain, this would be a bit of a flood plain, and the vegetation reflected this, with lots of low plants. This is prime orchid territory, and still hoping to see a Spider Orchid today, I was on the lookout. While there were no spiders, I did see a Banded Bee Orchid, Purple Enamel Orchid, Little Laughing Leek Orchid, and another Sugar Candy Orchid. Having seen a dozen different orchids on this tail alone, I couldn't exactly complain, so moved on and crossed Wandering Narrogin Road for the final time. Waiting on the other side was the short linking trail that passes the old Lol Gray School Site, and takes you into She-Oak territory.
The scrappy and gnarly vibes continued for a while, with lots of fallen branches and beds of fallen needles. Eventually you leave the She-Oak and join more Wandoo, that I'm sure you're sick of hearing by now, was excellent quality. Walking up a small hill, I was savouring the last half loop that would see me end my day in Dryandra. Reaching the top of the hill, I found the thickest Wandoo tree I'd seen on this trail, with two trunks rising up from the main part. Now descending, there was a peaceful feeling to this part of the trail, with a settled undergrowth, golden Wandoo trunks as far as the eye could see, and a few wildflowers including a Scented Banjine. Nearing the last turn heading back to the start, there were an unusual amount of fallen trees and branches, which I was hoping would be perfect for a Numbat sighting. Given it was the nearing late afternoon when they are more active, I kept looking around the larger and hollower logs, but with no success. Finishing the final loop at the information boards, that was the end of my three trail experience in Dryandra, and what a day it had been.
Final Thoughts – As the longest, and in my opinion the best trail, within Dryandra Woodland National Park, the Lol Gray Trail provides good variety, a bit of history, and if you visit around the time that I did, an abundance of wildflowers and orchids.
While I didn't get to see a Numbat or Spider Orchid, it really is an insignificant problem when the rest of the experience was so good. There will be plenty of opportunities to return, and I think the next one will involve spending a few days camping out here.
It's fantastic to have a longer trail like this within the park, and although I cannot fault any of the other trails, having the extra kilometres to really stretch out the legs was a real positive for me.
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