Woylie Walk
Dryandra Woodland National Park
Directions - Dryandra Woodlands 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 Woylie Walk is located past the Lions Village, just off Tomingley Road, where you'll find a medium sized car park and a series of information shelters telling you about the area.
The Hike - With a free weekend in September available to me, and it being peak wildflower, orchid, and hiking season, I decided that it was a great time to return to one of Western Australia's newest national parks, Dryandra Woodland National Park. Home to one of the last remaining habitats of the state emblem, the Numbat, the formalisation of becoming a national park was completed in 2022, and this can only be a good thing for the area. I had previously visited Dryandra on the way home from a trip to Denmark in November of 2021 to hike the Ochre Trail, and had been meaning to return ever since.
Often I would say to myself when planning for the year ahead "I think I'll organise a weekend camping trip to Dryandra this year, maybe in July or August", but this never eventuated. In 2024, things would be different but instead of a weekend camping trip, I would get up early and enjoy a day of hiking in Dryandra to experience some of the other trails on offer in the park. With four other marked trails within the national park that I had not yet hiked, my plan was to hike them all in a single day, along with having a memorable Numbat spotting experience. A lofty goal but I'd see how things progressed throughout the day, and reevaluate if needed. Leaving Fremantle before dawn, the drive out to Dryandra would be semi-familiar, as we used to camp on a friends hobby farm near Popanyining as kids, and the drive through Wandering was one of the signs we were close. Bringing back lots of fun memories from those times, I've since looked on Google Maps to see if I can find the property but cannot find it based on my memory of the layout.
Arriving on the outskirts of Dryandra, I followed the signs into the park and immediately set about scanning the fallen logs near the road for Numbats. With my upgraded eyes after LASIC surgery, I was sure that if they were out there, I would see one. Knowing early morning and late afternoon were the best times, I drove slowly and kept an eye out, but they eluded me like most fauna in Western Australia. It would have been nice to see one but I wasn't expecting to be that lucky on the drive into the park. Arriving at the car park for the Woylie Walk and Wandoo Walk, I would tackle these two first, as a warm-up for the Lol Gray Trail, the one that looked the most promising. With both the Woylie Walk and Wandoo Walk using the same trail head and linking path, I had a decision to make in regards to which one I wanted to do first. I decided on the longer Woylie Walk, just in case there were millions of orchids or every log contained a Numbat, and I spent four hours photographing them all.
Heading to the start, there is a nice wooden sign where the walks begin, so I followed the trail ahead to where the junction for both walks is found. From a distance the area either side of the trail seems pretty bare but I was happy to find a small Triggerplant, and my first orchid find, a Little Laughing Leek Orchid. Reaching the intersection, the Woylie Walk turns to the right, indicated by the little Woylie face on the markers that will guide you the rest of the way. Walking towards much better looking woodland, this stretch was really enjoyable thanks to a number of new wildflowers, lots of bird activity including a Twenty-eight Parrot and a Western Thornbill, along with a cool moment with one of the local kangaroos that wasn't too fazed with my walking by (or taking photos). After 400m of pleasant walking through the open Wandoo, it was time to cross Tomingley Road, which feels almost like walking across a four lane road given how wide it is at this point.
Spotting the trail marker on the other side, you join an exposed linking trail that had me interested thanks to many new wildflower species, including one of my favourites, the Blue Leschenaultia. Spotting a colony of Cowslip Orchids, it was nice to see more orchids but their exposed location meant the lighting was a little harsh. Given they are pretty common, I was confident of seeing more along the trail, and if not, this was the start of the loop section, so I could always return on the way home. Entering the woodlands once again, you join an old vehicle track as the gentle climbing continues. Scanning both sides of the trail, the wildflower finds continued with Boronia, Styphelia and eventually some more obvious splashes of colour thanks to the bountiful supply of Rose Cone Flowers. As I got closer to the Rose Cone Flower, I noticed a stand of Golden Dryandra right nearby, perfect given I was walking through Dryandra Woodland National Park.
After 500 metres of pleasant vehicle track walking, a well positioned sign points you left and onto some welcome single track. Now much higher in the landscape, the views to your left start to open up as you walk between the various trunks that line the trail. While I was hoping to see a few Spider Orchids today, I was being spoilt with the excellent showing of wildflowers that continued through here with a fluffy Melaleuca and a few Scented Banjine, always a fun photo with their upside down flowers. The trail flattens out at the top of this hill and you can appreciate a crowded section of Eucalyptus species just down the slope. The views continue as you reach one of a few laterite breakaways along the route. Making a little side trip to the edge, it was cool looking down at the clumping of boulders with the woodland extending down the hill. I stopped and had a good scan for Numbats through here, with no luck, but this was only the first trail of the day.
What I was good at spotting by now was new wildflowers, and with the diversity of Dryandra being so high, pretty much everything I was seeing had a good chance of being new to me, or endemic to the area (or both). One of those was a funky looking pink flower called Chloanthes coccinea that is found in the Wheatbelt region of WA, along with a Dampiera obliqua and a Hibbertia hemignosta. Having developed a love for native flora over the past few years, trips like these to explore new areas of WA now have an extra element of fun to them that continues when I edit up the photos and catalogue everything on iNaturalist. After spending some time on the edge of the laterite breakaway, I moved on and was greeted with a downhill section leading into a most curious area. The trail snakes through what looks like a Mallee plantation, with no undergrowth in sight. Dryandra was previously logged quite heavily for the tannins found in the bark of some Mallee species, with plantations created once it was realised how devastating the practice was.
I'm not sure if this was one of those plantations but the difference to the first part of the walk was evident. It wasn't all doom and gloom, as my recently renovated eyes spotted something familiar just off the trail. A few Slender Snail Orchids were loving life in the scattering of peeled bark on the floor of the woodlands, the third different orchid species of the day so far. After getting down on all fours to photograph the delicate orchid, I was back up and moving through the Mallee towards the next stretch of vehicle track walking. Turning right, you follow this section of vehicle track for a while as it winds up a small hill, returning to more natural looking woodland. The thicker undergrowth included some She-Oak, and I spotted more Cowslip Orchids, now in better lighting. Rising up the hill, the She-Oaks disappear and the golden trunks of the Wandoo are on full display. There are some lovely mature examples dotted around, as the trail does a little right-left chicane.
To your left, the landscape starts to open up, with lots of head high plants of different species. A return of the Rose Cone Flowers, lots of Golden Dryandra, along with some newer species like the Tangled Petrophile and the Variable-leaved Conebush was great to see. Over the years I learned to do a double take on flowers, as there are many species that look similar but are subtly different, and this was the case with a few plants through here. Meandering along the vehicle track, it was peaceful walking among the thick boi Wandoos but eventually it became a bit more exposed as you head east, and lose the cover of the trees. Luckily it wasn't a warm day, so I was able to continue enjoying my wildflower hunt, which as you can probably guess by now, was extremely fruitful. At one point there were many new species, including a fruiting Bitter Quandong, so I decided this was a good spot to have a break, drop the pack, and apply some sunscreen.
Getting going again, I reached the end of this particular vehicle track, with a very short section of single track taking me to the crossing of Gura Road. Another wide crossing, the network of roads around Dryandra aren't such a bad thing, as they are mainly used by people driving very slowly to see if they can spot a Numbat on one of the many fallen trees. Much like the Mallee section with no undergrowth, this next part of the walk felt completely different to the rest. The Wandoo had been replaced with She-Oak as the dominant species, which is not unusual in itself but the emergence of non-native species made things feel very unnatural. It would continue for a while, with the thick green grasses looking out of place compared to the native undergrowth that I'd seen for most of the walk. Having walked at quite a slow pace so far, I decided to shuffle through this section at a quicker pace given it wasn't very photogenic.
That plan halted a few times as I reached patches of Lindley's Everlasting meadows. A welcome addition to the weedy greens, the Everlastings provide a wonderful photo opportunity if you get down low and get as many flowers as you can in one photo. Popping back up to my feet, I continued on and was thankful to see a return to the Wandoo, even if the green carpet on the forest floor remained. The grass wasn't as thick as I moved along, and as a result the scenery improved. Switching between a closed in feeling thanks to nearby trees, and a more open experience, I eventually reached a vehicle track, and a turn to the right. Continuing along the wide track, it isn't long before you cross Gura Road again, and stare ahead to the next stretch of walking. While still on a vehicle track, this one seems to have been left alone for a while, and has subsequently grown over. This is a good opportunity to look out for wildflowers on your right, and notice the logging history of Dryandra on your left.
The quality of the woodlands is still good but the scattering of stumps that can only have been cut by man suggests this area was previously logged. With this now a national park, along with the ban on native logging, this woodland can be left to thrive from now on. Walking up a small hill, near the top is where you leave the vehicle track and head right onto single trail once again. Getting up close and personal with the native woodlands was a nice return, with lots of colour about thanks to the Pingle and Golden Dryandra. This is the last hill of the trail, taking you up to another laterite breakaway that provides nice views over the rest of the park. Being all downhill from here, it's a relaxing walk to finish the loop section. The first part of the descent sees you walk down to a left turn, where you begin walking along the edge of a seasonal creek that has been carved into the landscape over the years. This is some of the best walking of the trail, and a lovely way to finish the circuit section.
With an abundance of lovely Wandoo around, the minimal undergrowth and the way the trunks kind of lean over the path goes a long way to producing some nice photos. The winding trail kept producing fantastic scenes, and I was stopping a lot to take photos. Reaching a patch of thick undergrowth was a welcome surprise, and seeing a number of small birds flitting about made me stop once again to try and get a photo. They were too quick for me, so I instead photographing the wildflowers, before moving on to finish the loop. After more enjoyable Wandoo and Mallee, I had one last delight before reaching Tomingley Road, with a single Sugar Orchid hiding down and to my left. After a couple of quick snaps, it was time to cross Tomingley Road to join the spur trail, passing a young family who were out enjoying the spring morning. The spur trail was just as enjoyable as the first time I walked it, spotting a Purple Tassell that I missed earlier on. Back at the intersection, I headed left and was soon back at the car park.
Final Thoughts – With a benchmark of the Ochre Trail as my expectation, I was looking forward to seeing if the rest of the hikes in Dryandra were of the same quality.
Having not heard anything, good or bad, about the Woylie Walk, I went in with an open mind and was pleasantly surprised. Utilising some of the old vehicle tracks but not overdoing it, this trail is a good mix of quality scenery, and an opportunity to stretch your legs with a longer walk.
While I didn't manage to see the Spider Orchid I wanted, or a Numbat, four other orchid species and a host of different wildflowers was a good haul. A fantastic first walk of the day, this trail is worth hiking if you love Wandoo and wildflowers.
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