Mosman Park Heritage Trail - Keanes Point to Minim Cove Riverside
- Out and About
- Mar 30, 2018
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 2
It was a cool summer's morning when we met at Keane's Point Reserve in Peppermint Grove. The kids had a little play on the playground while the adults got their coffee fix at Freshwater's Cafe (great location and excellent coffee) before we set off along a section of the Mosman Park Heritage Trail.
Walking along the Mosman Bay Foreshore we appreciated the stunning views out across the Swan River. This area is obviously a popular sport for all sorts of boats. Passing the famous Mosman's restaurant the path starts to climb quite steeply alongside Jabe Dodd Park before curving back along the cliff tops at Bay View Park.
You will pass the Dragonfly statue as you enter Bay View Park before coming to the Bay View Lookout. If you are unable to manage the steep uphill section there are several parking bays here and also a memorial wall but the stand out is the VIEW! Spectacular views over Mosman Bay to the city skyline and then swooping around to Point Walter.
We followed the footpath along Owston Street enjoying looking at all the beautiful homes in this area and catching glimpses of the sea way in the distance to the west.
If you have the time for a detour turn into Saunders Street and wander down The Coombe - a steep road that winds downhill past magnificent mansions emerging at The Coombe Reserve. There are loads of boats stacked up on the edge of the cliff, a grassed section and if the river levels are low you can wander around the rocky point to another grassed area tucked under homes built right on and into the cliff face. I don't think these residents want people to know about their secret piece of paradise! It's a bit of a hike back up the hill so maybe save this for a shorter walk section or drive down another time. We cheated - we drove down.
Continue along Owston Street and turn left onto Wellington Street which skirts the Mosman Park Golf Course. This is a long, less interesting section so if you wanted to break the walk into smaller sections maybe walk from Keane's Point to The Coombe Reserve and back.
Otherwise turn right at the end of Wellington Street into Bateman Street. There is another detour here along Caporn Street and Chidley Way to Chidley Point Reserve. If you drive here there are lots of parking bays on the upper level and you can also drive down to the point where there are limited bays. Stairs will take you from the upper carpark to the beach on Chidley Point where the Swan River enters Blackwall Reach.
From the upper car park wander down Chidley Way to the left to discover Green Place Reserve, another tiny reserve tucked below riverfront homes. There are a few parking bays here and a short path leading to a grassy area and jetty.
If you have walked down to Chidley Point you can shortcut by turning left onto Caporn Street and then right onto Bird Street or Riverside Drive which will take you through to Marshall Street to rejoin the main trail which turns left onto Marshall Street at the end of Bateman Street.
Marshall Street curves around following the edge of Blackwall Reach. On the other side of the river is the Jenna Bidi Yorga trail which follows the southern side of Blackwall Reach. Just past the parking bays along Marshall Street the path diverts into the bush - first on a paved path which then becomes a boardwalk bringing you down from the cliff top to the river foreshore.
This is where the Cottesloe Refinery operated from 1930 -1997 when it was demolished. The 5 storey red refinery supplied WA's sugar needs and dominated Point Roe. Now there is little trace of the area's industrial past and the river is pristine with grassy parklands and a small river beach reserve for wading birds complete with bird hide.
This is also where you will find the amazing natural playground Russell Brown Adventure Playground which was our destination on our first time walking this trail. The kids loved the playground which has loads of hidden activities. It was almost kid free while we were there so they had the run of the giant swinging rope, the cubby, the climbing trees, ropes and swings. Of course the running water in the stream was the most popular activity. Parking can be found at the nearby Tennis Courts but will be limited on days when they hold lessons or tournaments. If you don't mind a short walk (not as far as we ventured) there is parking at Tom Perrott Reserve and there were a few bays along Marshall Street.
The walk from Keane's Point had taken about an hour at small kid's pace and excluding detours at The Coombe and Chidley Point which we explored on another occasion. We had in mind to play Nature Play WA's Bingo along the way but the phone screens were quite hard to read. Next time we will print a sheet out, take the photos and upload them when it is easier to see the screen.
After a play we set off back up Stone Street, around Ladner Park and onto Owston Street which took us back around the golf course and to where we had turned off earlier at Wellington Street. This route, although hotter as the breeze off the water was missing, was a little shorter and our return took about 40 minutes.
Back at Keane's Point we had a picnic lunch on the grass before the kids explored the little beach area. They loved hunting for shells in the shallow water and had a splash around before it was time to head home.
The walk was a great combination of walking and play for the kids so everyone was happy!
The Mosman Park Heritage Trail, one of the Whadjuk Walking Trails, is 10.5 km long so we chose to walk a small section of it.
They publish a very good map which highlights the easy and steep sections and there are plenty of toilet and rest stops along the way. https://www.mosmanpark.wa.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Heritage-Trail-Map.pdf
A few years later we explored parts of the Mosman Park Heritage Trail from Mt Lyell to the Russell Brown Adventure Park. This was a much shorter walk (20 minutes each way) to get to the playground and had the bonus of passing the Spider Sculpture Park.
Blue = Section of Mosman Park Heritage Trail. Orange = The Coombe Reserve Detour.
Yellow = Chidley Point Reserve Detour. Gray = Shortcut on return journey.
And many years later still we finally managed to walk the western section of the Mosman Park Heritage Trail from Minim Cove to Keanes Point via Buckland Hill and Memorial Park
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I love wandering along trails, both marked and unmarked, and sharing my discoveries with my Out and About FNC community. If you enjoy reading my blogs please consider a small donation which will be used towards the costs of keeping the website up to date and relevant.
In the spirit of reconciliation Out and About- Family Nature Connection acknowledges the traditional owners of the Wadjak boodjar (Perth land) and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.