After walking the Railway Reserves Heritage Trail recently between Darlington and Glen Forrest we went back to explore the trail between Darlington and Boya. This section is only 2.1km each way so a round trip of just over 4 km which we completed in an hour. The trail is multi use so beware of cyclists. From Darlington it is downhill to Boya which means you are steadily climbing on the return.
You can park at the old Darlington Railway Station which has long since disappeared but is marked by the concrete platform and signs stating where the station buildings were located. The track west basically runs between Coulston Rd to the North and Pine Terrace to the South so we found that the constant traffic noise a bit intrusive. There are several road crossings so be mindful that your kids know to stop before crossing if they are running or riding ahead of you.
In mid Spring the Darlington end of the walk was full of beautiful wildflowers (and not so wild flowers) putting on a colourful display. Where the track has been cut into the granite it was lovely and shady with trees either side. The water was still running in the ditch next to the track in some sections but in other places it was already still. This water runoff meant the entire ditch was full of stunning flowers before the water ran off down the hill towards the road.
After the little bridge the landscape became drier although there were still plenty of wildflowers about. This section runs on the southern edge of Boya Quarry Reserve. Boya Quarry is another quarry used by rock climbers.
There is an information sign when you reach Boya (the only way you know you have reached your destination) after crossing over Coulston Road. We didn't follow the trail further and considered taking the dirt track heading up towards Mountain Quarry but as it was quite a warm day we decided to leave it for next time. Mountain Quarry is also used by rock climbers.
On return to Darlington we wandered the township following the Darlington Village Walkabout Trail. Many of the buildings no longer exist so this wasn't interesting in the sense of finding historic buildings but hilly Darlington is a pretty spot to walk around. We discovered a small playground, picnic benches and public toilets near the oval and tennis courts at Darlington Park on Owen Road.
On the drive to Darlington we side tripped to Greenmount National Park to go to the Greenmount Lookout. A gate is across the road so you have to park and walk the last 500m (10 minute walk) along the road. There were some lovely views off to the north and limited views south. The lookout faces north and offered sweeping views across the North and Eastern Coastal Plain. There were various unmarked walking tracks so we shall have to investigate them another day.
As always when hiking in the bush please help to reduce the spread of Phytophthora Dieback by sticking to the tracks and paths, staying out of quarantined areas and, if possible, clean your shoes before and after hiking.
For more blogs on the Railway Reserves Heritage Trail:
Darlington to Glen Forrest : https://www.outandaboutfnc.com/post/2019/08/31/railway-reserves-heritage-trail-darlington-to-glen-forrest
Glen Forrest to Mahogany Creek and Mundaring https://www.outandaboutfnc.com/post/railway-reserve-heritage-trail-mundaring-to-mahogany-creek-and-glen-forrest
Mt Helena to Stoneville and Parkerville https://www.outandaboutfnc.com/post/railway-reserves-heritage-trail-mt-helena-to-parkerville
Mt Helena to Sawyers Valley : https://www.outandaboutfnc.com/post/railway-reserves-heritage-trail-sawyers-valley-to-mt-helena
Parkerville to Hovea Falls (John Forrest National Park) with Park Falls
https://www.outandaboutfnc.com/post/railway-reserve-heritage-trail-hovea-falls-to-parkerville-including-park-road-falls
Hovea Falls to Swan View Tunnel in John Forrest National Park https://www.outandaboutfnc.com/post/2018/07/01/john-forrest-national-park
To read more blogs go to:
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 emerging and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.