Yued Ponar Trail
Lesueur National Park
Directions - The Yued Ponar Trail is located within Lesueur National Park, a three hour drive from Perth. Just after passing through Jurien Bay along Indian Ocean Drive, take the right turn at Jurien Road and follow this until you see the signs for Lesueur National Park. Enter the park, turning right onto Gairdner Road, following this all the way around the one-way road until you reach the Cockleshell Gully Car Park. The trail head is located on the north side of the car park.
The Hike - The Yued Ponar Trail is one I've been meaning to visit ever since my first trip to Lesueur National Park to hike the newly created Yonga Trail that was built in 2021. Having only been opened a couple of years before the Yonga Trail in 2019, the Yued Ponar Trail is also relatively new in terms of WA hiking experiences, and makes Lesueur National Park one of the more hiker friendly parks in the state, with four official trails of varying length.
My fleeting visits to hike the Yonga Trail in 2021 and 2023 meant I didn't have the time to tackle the Yued Ponar, but a Coral Coast holiday to finally experience Kalbarri and the Kennedy Range provided an opportunity to pass through on the way home. Having thoroughly enjoyed hiking in the Kennedy Range, I had a stopover in Geraldton to break up the long journey home. With only a four hour drive to complete the following day, I thought I would detour via Lesueur National Park, and finally hike the Yued Ponar Trail. With most of the trip being cold and wet, it was fitting that I woke up to more of the same, but that was just fine with me, as I'd been eyeing off a cozy little cafe called Piper Lane for breakfast. It completely hit the spot, and that little strip of shops and cafes was something I wasn't expecting from Geraldton. With a full belly and topped up with coffee, I checked out of the hotel and set off into the cold and grey conditions, secretly hoping it would be partly cloudy by the time I reached Lesueur.
The drive was an enjoyable one, with large fields of greenery that were starting to turn yellow as the canola started to flower. Turning off and heading towards the coast, I realised Google was trying to take me the wrong way up the one-way internal road within the park. With plenty of time to get in a hike and head home before rush hour, I could enjoy the drive that took me past the Mount Lesueur car park that is home to the other great trails found in the area. With bushfires having ravaged the interior of the park a few months earlier, the blackened landscape near the Cockleshell Gully car park had me slightly worried the Yued Ponar would be the same. Arriving at the car park, it was a relief to see that the firefighters had stopped the fire from crossing the road here. Being a Wednesday, I didn't expect anyone else, and initially I was the only car here. While I was getting my gear ready and changing into my hiking costume, three more cars rocked up, so I wouldn't have the trail to myself after all.
Given I was likely to be slower than everyone else, thanks to my expectations of numerous species of wildflowers, I waited around for a bit before heading off, so the others could get some distance under their belts (and also not be in my photos). Finally starting (and yes I realise this is now paragraph four of writing and I'm only just starting the walking bit), I had a browse of the impressive looking information boards before crossing the metal bridge that takes you over the seasonal creek. Even though Kalbarri had seen one of the wettest starts to winter in quite a while, I don't think it had reached down here as much, given the creek was almost dry. On the other side of the bridge was the start of the loop, and it just made sense to continue straight and to the left, walking in a clockwise direction. As I'd discover later, this wasn't the obvious choice for others, as some decided to head in the other direction, but hike your own hike I guess.
Heading this way, you start climbing, and won't stop climbing for about three kilometres, gaining over 170m in elevation during that time. Initially you are walking through some nice forest that contained a few large Zamia Palms, but as you ascend a bit further, the landscape changes to be open heathland. With sunny skies and light clouds, this wasn't a bad thing, and as I continued to rise above the creek line, the views got better and better. This also meant looking back to the interior of the park that had that scorched earth look about it, with possibly a chance to be used as the film set for Mount Doom on the new Hunt for Gollum movie. While I said that this was one long uphill, there is a small downhill that leads into a creek valley. These little valleys, especially in drier regions like you find in this part of the state, are havens for life, so I was looking forward to seeing what I might find here. Spotting a couple of new wildflowers, and more Drosera, the real delight here was the creek crossing.
Although it wasn't a super warm day, there was a noticeable difference in temperature as I reached the creek crossing. The water was sole deep on my shoes, so didn't require a stop to assess safe conditions, and I continued towards a pretty cool feature. Eyeing off the relatively steep climb ahead, I set off and then immediately stopped, as I looked to my right and saw a rock wall hidden by the vegetation. Taking a couple of photos, I moved on, and continued the climb that was starting to average double digits in terms of gradient percentage. The stop start nature of the hike so far continued, as I saw something I had been hoping to see on this trail after seeing a few around Kalbarri, a Blue Fairy Orchid. One of the early season orchids appearing in winter, this would be the first of many sightings. Rising up higher, this was the beginning of what makes this trail such a special one. Looking to the west, the azure waters of the Indian Ocean come into view, and you start to appreciate the heath covered mesas.
Coming across the first a few wooden benches, they are perfectly positioned for hikers to take a break, and really soak in the amazing views. Not stopping for a rest, I kept climbing, and reached a fun little wooded area. Initially a few groves of Wandoos were visible in the distance, but then the trail winds around to take you through a larger grouping of them. Under the cover of the canopy, it was a completely different world, like a warm hug from a green and golden friend. Enjoying taking pictures here, it doesn't last long, as you make your way along the edge of the laterite hill. This short respite from the climbing ends as you exit the Wandoo, and it's back out into the open for more uphill. A lone tree provides a nice focal point as you continue to rise, and I believe it's a Western Australian Christmas Tree but nowhere near the time of year when it flowers in bright yellow. Winding around the landscape, the views keep changing through here as you are constantly changing direction, which just opens up new views.
Reaching the plateau section, the climbing ceases to be as steep, as you can relax slightly. Whether you want to slow down or not, the scenery around you makes it hard not to. With a beautiful piece of trail design, you are walking on the edge of the flat top mesas that are a feature of Lesueur National Park. This not only produces some amazing photos, with the trail snaking along the edge of the sharp drop-off, but the views are the pièce de résistance. Looking back to the west, you can see the Indian Ocean and the farmland leading towards the coast, to the south is this giant bowl of a valley, with those groves of Wandoo clinging to the edge of a lower mesa. It really was a stop and admire moment the first time you encounter these views, and I had a massive smile on my face as I slowly walked along the edge. Add in a few Blue Fairy Orchid sightings, and this was confirmation that it was a great decision to stop in and hike the Yued Ponar Trail.
It was a real struggle to choose where to look, and photograph, so I found my self stopping quite a bit just to savour the views. You never know when you're hiking when things will suddenly change, but luckily it doesn't take much energy to stop. Adding to the spectacle was the smattering of Grass Trees rising above the low heath, and providing yet another thing to photograph. The rolling hills on your left are dotted with Grass Trees too, and the gentle slope leading up to the blue skies fill with white clouds was looking picturesque. Hoping this would last a while, I was lucky that it did just that. For about a kilometre you are treated to this magnificent scenery, and it really was a highlight of the whole two week trip. The trail follows the edge of the mesa as it turns to the north, and the good lighting disappears as I was now shooting right into the winter sun. Up ahead was the intersection and an optional side trip for the Mount Peron summit.
This is where two other groups of hikers, and myself met up and enjoyed a break, all entirely by coincidence. I met the two other groups on the little platform at the end of the trail, and not wanting to take photos as they were trying to enjoy the spot, made my way to a clear spot and photographed the surrounding landscape instead. The conversation was the typical "where are you from" and "have you visited here yet", and one of the groups that was from Queensland kept mentioning all the Emerald Orchids they had seen so far. A bit confused, I realised they were talking about the numerous Blue Fairy Orchids sprinkled along the edge of the trail. I left the two groups to enjoy the Mount Perron summit a bit longer, and continued on towards the second half of the hike. Reaching the intersection again, I turned left, and started the extended downhill. It didn't take long before I was stopped in my tracks by a few wildflowers, and as I was taking photos, the couple that was heading in the same direction as myself overtook me.
This was actually quite handy, as they were within sight for most of the next couple of kilometres, and I could make a note when one of them stopped and stared at something along the trail. Most of the time this wasn't necessary, as the wildflower or special feature was easily seen, but it was still fun to catch up and see what was there. As you sweep around the contours of the hill, the views looking to the east are spectacular, with seemingly endless heath spreading out towards the horizon. This is WA, so eventually you'll reach vast amounts of cleared land, but one can indulge the imagination occasionally. After 500 metres you reach another little side quest, this time to a small hill that is home to a rock cairn that was used to signal that a water source was here. The cairn is visible from the lookout, but please stay on the trail and don't go trapsing into the heath. This spot is another fantastic opportunity to gaze out over the unique landscape of Leusuer National Park, which was looking splendid on this perfect winters day.
Back on the main trail, this next kilometre or so is some lovely walking. Still on the side of the hill, you switch between exposed sections of trail, and walking between little groves of Wandoo. The wildflowers continued to be excellent, with lots of discoveries that I had not yet seen today, and an interesting looking cave/cliff that was below the trail. Taking photos from a distance was as close as I was going to get, but some things are best left a mystery. Continuing on, I left the sweeping vistas and entered the land of the large Zamia Palms, and a sandier path until the finish. With a change of soils, there were different wildflowers, including a couple of different Triggerplant varieties, and my first ever sighting in the wild of a Marble Hakea (I have one in my garden after I found one for sale at Australian Native Nursery). While you still get the occasional vista to gaze out over, the thicker, tunnel like vegetation is a change from what you get on the higher slopes.
This was no bad thing, as the shoulder high plants were usually a Banksia variety, and although not in flower during my visit, the seed cones were still in plentiful supply. Still descending, you get some great views looking south, into the interior of the park (aka Mordor), but the white fluffy clouds balanced out the burnt landscape. Descending down towards the wetter parts of the terrain, the trees returned in greater numbers, and this was a good opportunity to do some bird watching. There were plenty about, with lots of chirps and calls, but getting a photo of anything proved to be a challenge, and I didn't have the time to stand still for 5-10 minutes at a time. Moving along and hoping for a perfect moment where one would appear on a nearby branch and stay still, this never eventuated. It was still pleasant to walk near the creeks and hear them go about their daily business. Reaching the end of the loop, I got one shot of a Grey Fantail just as I was about to cross the bridge back towards the car park. Walk over, I had a little rest in my car, reflecting on what a fun experience that was, before setting off to end a thoroughly enjoyable two weeks exploring this part of the state.
Final Thoughts - Having hiked the Yonga Trail a couple of times, and coming away impressed with the quality of the hiking, and the landscape/flora, I was looking forward to what the Yued Ponar was all about.
Even though I wasn't in the peak wildflower/orchid period, this was one of the best hikes of the trip. The combination of wide open terrain, excellent views, the flat top mesas, the wildflowers, and the patches of Wandoo, all went into creating a great hike.
Best walked between July and September, the Yued Ponar is more than worth it if you're passing through the area, or want to spend a few days exploring the Jurien Bay region.
If you've found this page or the website helpful and you want to show your support then consider making a small donation by visiting our Ko-fi page. You can give as little as a dollar with no sign-up required and everything will be put towards the website, creating new content and promoting the trail community.