1) Walk map - Shows route and waypoint locations

2) Photo from walk  (also see VIDEO & Photos Gallery)

3) 3D map view

4) Google map & Satellite imagery

5) Route profile

6) Walk description

7) Waypoint listing and grid references

Serpentine Falls.  June 2003.

Click on photo for larger version.

More photos & VIDEO.

Click here

for larger frame Google Maps image

of the walk area.

-Use zoom bar

for road details.

Step 1: Left Click here

For fly-in to waypoints and route

 on image of the walk area.

Or Right Click to

 "Save Target/Link As..."  kml file.

Step 2: Left Click here

For fly-in to 3D view

 of the walk area.

Or Right Click to

 "Save Target/Link As..."  kml file.

Hint: For enhanced 3D effect, set 'Elevation Exaggeration'

in Google Earth to "3" (via 'Tools' menu, 'Options' & 'View' tab).

          Route profile

60 kms south of Perth.

17 field kms (40% off-track)

(or see 10-12 km shorter walk options)

MEDIUM   (What does this mean?). But see Caution below.

See Google Map for start point on road map.

(Use zoom ladder for detail. Select 'Hybrid' to add satellite imagery.)

To reach parking spot at Serpentine Falls car park, follow Kwinana Freeway south, then Mundijong Road east to South Western Highway. Then south on Highway to marked road on left to Serpentine National Park and Serpentine Falls.  Entry fee to the Park at is $11.00 per car. There are public toilets and picnic area a short walk from the car park.

Note: Potential alternative access is via Jarrahdale township and the former Gooralong recreation and  camping area (or Stacey's Trail), at the northern end of the walk route. However, that popular picnic area, owned by the Department of Water and managed by DEC, was closed to all visitors in September 2005 due to safety and other concerns.  Plans for a re-opening appear uncertain.

In north, from Gooralong Picnic area by road about 2.5 kms to Jarrahdale Road and Jarrahdale township.

In west, about 2.5kms via Selkirk Road to South Western Hwy. In east, Kittys Gorge Road to Jarrahdale Road.

In south, a short distance to Scrivener Road and then west about 2.5kms to South Western Hwy.

/Highlights:

Part of the walk route follows Kitty's Gorge Walk Trail which was selected by DSR and DEC in late 2008 as one of about 30 bushwalking trails in WA that are to be promoted as TrailsWA "Top Trails".

CAUTIONS:

1) Degree of Difficulty - This walk is a lot more than just the Kitty's Gorge Walk Trail. Walkers with little experience and/or fitness will find the total walk too much of a challenge due to the combination of distance and terrain. A couple of short sections through denser shrublands can be frustrating and uncomfortable if you rush and miss the easy way along worn kangaroo trails! Also the Kitty's Gorge Walk Trail (despite some new signage courtesy of the "Top Trails" program) has become surprisingly neglected and somewhat overgrown in places (in Spring 2010).

2) Serpentine Falls - Walkers should not attempt to descend or climb the 15-20m high cliff at the Falls. Sadly there have been several deaths at the popular Falls (the most recently in Jan. 2011) despite DEC signs giving visitors clear warnings about the dangers of climbing on the cliff or diving into the swimming hole. The WalkGPS walk route described on this page purposely bypasses the top of the Falls due to those risks (as also does the marked Kittys Gorge Trail). 

Note: An intensive weed eradication program is in progress along the section of Gooralong Brook that runs through the former recreation area in the north. Further downstream large sections of the Brook remain severely choked  by four of the worst invasive weeds in the region:   Arum lilies (Zantedeschia aethiopica), Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus), Narrow-Leaf Cotton Bush (or Swan Plant; Gomphocarpus fruticosus) and Watsonia spp.  The Cotton Bush has also intensively invaded the former farmland around Spencers' mud cottage along the walk route and now attracts large numbers of Wanderer (Monarch) butterflies (Danaus plexippus) to the area as the larvae feed on the weed (but don't control it). Watsonia is also invading many other areas at the western edge of the Darling Range, especially around the water courses that cut the Darling Scarp.

Shorter walk options (10-12kms): See WalkGPS Blog article "A late spring in the step" (Oct. 2010) which includes a summary of shorter options (mainly Kittys Gorge Trail and Stacey's Trail) which exclude the southern loop to Serpentine Falls. These are more suitable for warmer weather when the full walk will not be comfortably enjoyable.

Controlled burns:  See DEC's current 6-season indicative burn program.

WalkGPS walk map for OziExplorer users:  A downloadable OziExplorer format MAP file (*.map) for this walk area is included on the Maps, Waypoints & Track Files page. The zipped folder also includes the associated 'base' topo map image file, plus other attached waypoints, tracks/routes, etc in OxiExplorer file formats.

WalkGPS reconnaissance history: Click here for a map of past WalkGPS test walks in the walk area, plus the final route. The final route was selected only after several visits to the area which aimed to achieve a walk that would be the most rewarding.

Other:    Jarrahdale & Yaganing 1:50,000 DEC Conservation Operations Graphic (COG) map series  (current) Sheet 2133-3 & 2133-2; 

or Jarrahdale 1:50,000 Sheet 2133-3 (CALM/DOLA, 2001);

or Jarrahdale 1:25,000 2133-III, NW & SW sheets (Dept. of Lands & Survey, 1984; Series R811) -available on DVD.

Other background

 references :

“Register of Heritage Places – Assessment Documentation – Spencer's Cottage” by Heritage Council of W.A., ca.1994.   - This contains an excellent summary of the history of this colonial homestead of Joshua Spencer and his descendants who had a long association of around 115 years with the 'Carralong' property beginning in 1860. The cottage dates from that time and was entered on the Register of Heritage Places in 1994.

City of Armadale, 1999. Heritage Country Trails - Bushwalks & Trails in Perth's "Heritage Country", City of Armadale, Armadale, WA. (ISBN 0-646-38397-3). This booklet includes brief descriptions and 'mud maps' for a few trails in the Jarrahdale area, including the 1.7km Stacey's Trail (from Jarrahdale Cemetery on Atkins Street) and the Kitty's Gorge Trail. The latter trails partly overlap with this walk. Stacey's Trail passes through a small area of beautiful virgin jarrah forest. It can easily be added as a variation  of the walk route on this page, especially if you prefer to start from the Cemetery car park at the Jarrahdale end and leave out the southern loop of the route (south of Spencers mud cottage).

Also see WalkGPS Google Map for road location map for start point of Stacey's Trail .

"Kitty's Gorge Walk Trail" (5-14 kms) which partly overlaps with this walk is now summarised on the  Trails WA website as one of the W.A. trails selected by DSR and DEC for promotion under the "TrailsWA Top Trails Project".

'Mud maps' for some of the local trails (including Stacey's and Kitty's Gorge) are also available online from the Jarrahdale Heritage Society or from the combined Jarrahdale General Store & Olde Store Cafe in Jarrahdale township.

Family Walks in Perth Outdoors, CALM, rev. edn. 2000, pp.154-155, includes a mud map and brief description for 'Kittys Track', a 4.5km on-track loop walk.

More Family Walks in Perth Outdoors, CALM, 1994, includes mud maps and brief descriptions for the following:

'The Falls Walktrail', pp.164-165, a very short (400m return) walk to Serpentine Falls from the nearby carpark;

'Baldwins Bluff Nature Trail', pp.122-123, a 6km on-track return walk to a prominent ridge just SW of Serpentine Falls, with good views across the Falls and up the valley.

Serpentine National Park Management Plan 2000-2009  by Dept. of Conservation and Land Management (CALM). - See  which also includes all map figures.  The Plan has summaries of the flora & fauna, geology, history, future park plans, etc.

"Serpentine National Park - Park Guide" and "Serpentine National Park Flora & Fauna Guide" by DEC (undated PDFs) on DEC's website also provides a brief summary of the flora and fauna, and history of Serpentine National Park. 

 by DEC (undated pdf; 345KB).

"Serpentine National Park"  leaflet by CALM (undated). This includes a brief 'overview' of the park including a summary of the existing trails.  -The leaflet may still be available at the booth at the Park entrance, but is apparently no longer being printed.

Also, "Serpentine National Park"  article by D.Gough et al, in Landscope magazine (CALM), Vol.11, No.2, Summer 1995-96, pp.28-35. 

Travellers guide to the Parks & Reserves of Western Australia by Simon Nevill, 2001, pp. 52-53 (Simon Nevill Publications), also includes a  brief summary of Serpentine National Park. 

Head south from the carpark ('START') and past the toilet block to follow a dirt road (via waypoints 'K1' and 'K2') which soon climbs steeply. Soon after the road crosses the stream, veer eastward off-track at ‘LVROAD’. After reaching a rocky slope at ‘K4’ turn north and locate a kangaroo trail which descends through quite thick scrub to soon cross a creek at ‘CK1’. Continue approx. north, climbing through reasonably open forest and patches of heath to reach a flatter section with good views to the NW (between ‘VU’ and ‘K7’). Veer approx. eastward to reach a dirt road (at ‘RD’). Follow the road for only about 50m before veering eastward (to r.h.s. of road and climbing across a rocky laterite surface through open forest to reach (at ‘K9’) an old road skirting the northern edge of a grassed paddock.  Follow the road NE to reach a large microwave tower (which can also be seen from the entry road into the park; waypt 'TWR'). Continue NE past the tower, passing initially through a brief patch of low acacia scrub, to descend to the mainly open slope below, with large grass trees (balgas) and excellent broad views across Serpentine River valley and up Gooralong Brook valley.   This is a good spot for a morning rest stop (though no shelter if wet weather). Continue approx NE down the increasingly steep slope via waypt 'K11' (with good view to historic Spencer's mud cottage from rocky prominence) to reach grassed farmland at 'K12' on the SW flank of Carralong Brook valley.  Follow a farm track approx northward downhill to reach a gravelled road. Turn right to pass Spencer's mud cottage at 'K13'.  Soon after the cottage veer left off the road to cross the Serpentine River by a small bridge at 'K14' (and note the nearby historic bridge). Then follow another dirt road (Selkirk Road), skirting a strip of farmland above the western bank of Gooralong Brook. After about 200m veer to the right, off the road, across a grassed area at about ‘K15’ to follow the well-trodden Kittys Gorge Track north along the Brook.  After about 800m (at ‘K16’) the Track starts to climb and the Brook can be seen on the right cascading over granite outcrops. -Very impressive after winter’s rain! After another large waterfall (at ‘WVROC’) the track flattens out again., When the track reaches an old dirt cross-road (at ‘K18’), turn right to cross the Brook at a ford (or walk a little further on the track and cross at a footbridge which is immediately downstream of a water flow gauge station). Then follow the road uphill approx. SSE initially to 'K19', then east (via 'K20' to 'K22'), and finally a short distance north to where the Kittys Gorge track is marked leaving the left hand side of the road (at ‘TRACK’).  Follow the track approx. NE (via 'K24' and 'K25', with some good views west across the valley and to the coastal plain from a couple of rock outcrops, plus reasonable spots for  a lunch stop (halfway point on the walk  is approx. at 'K24').  The track veers eastward to meet a dirt road (just before ‘K26’).  Head north down the road, then briefly off-track to reach the Gooralong camping ground at 'KGRD'. Cross the bridge and walk approx. west up the road to 'K28', then veer left through the pine plantation to cross two dirt roads (the second at ‘K29’), re-entering forest. Then turn SW along the slope and climb slowly to meet another dirt road near the the top of the hill at 'K29'. Follow the road SW (via 'K30' and 'K31') and then west (via 'K32') to a small gully (at ‘K33’). Then veer left off the road and after about 200m head approx. south through open forest to 'K35', with views east across the side-valley. (In spring, keep a look out for the White Spider Orchid along this section of the walk.) Then descend a ridge and take time to pick an easy route through thickening scrub (after ‘K35A’) to cross a small stream and soon after meet Selkirk Road at 'K36'. Turn left to follow the Road back down to Gooralong Brook ('K15') and past Spencers Cottage again ('K13'). 

[An alternative more interesting route back to the Cottage from 'K36' if energy levels are still high is to turn right and walk about 150m NW up Selkirk Road and then take the dirt road on the left, and follow it south steeply uphill to obtain views to the east, then continue south to 'K36A', 'K36B', 'K36C' along the ridge, with nearby farmland to the west. Then descend quite steeply off-track to 'K36C' and then NNE back to 'K14' to cross the Serpentine River at the footbridge.]

From 'K13' follow the road (via 'K40' and 'K41') and then the marked Kittys Gorge Track (via 'K42'), approx WSW along the south side of the Serpentine River. After about 1km below Spencers Cottage past 'K43' the track veers to the left SW-ward up the hill away from the river  to meet the road again (near 'FENCE'). (Note: Before leaving the river bank the track passes a small, old concrete dam wall across the Serpentine River which forms a swimming hole. On a hot day this can be a great place for a cool dip near the end of the walk!) Then follow the road for only about 100m before following a track on the right (at ‘P-L’) steeply downhill  alongside the water pipeline . Then cross the River via the pipeline pedestrian bridge (to 'PIPE') to get back to the Start point at the carpark.  Before leaving the park, make sure you visit Serpentine Falls which is only about a 3 minute walk from the carpark.