Popeye Lake Loop - Herdsman - Ngurgenboro
- Out and About
- Jul 7
- 3 min read
Herdsman Lake is a wonderful trail for a walk or a cycle but at 7km it is perhaps a bit long for little legs. Why not try the shorter loop around picturesque Floreat Lakes from Popeye Lake either on foot or by bike?
The best place to start this trail is the Herdsman Lake Regional Car Park off Jon Sanders Drive. The lake here is named Popeye Lake and there is a small dated playground here. The shared use path goes right around the lake and we have walked this loop on a different occasion. For the shorter loop head west passing some information boards and skirting Popeye Lake before walking around Floreat Lakes. Essentially this walk loops around Floreat Lakes but Popeye Lake has a much better ring to it so I named the blog Popeye Lake. My recommendation is to walk clockwise around Floreat Lakes starting on the eastern edge so that you can enjoy the city views - contrary to how we walked it.
We started our walk from a small unpaved carpark off The Lane which is off Pearson Street on the western side of the lake. From here you can follow the Yange Kep Bidi trail briefly to intersect with the lake loop trail just north of Maurice Hamer Park.
The trail then takes you past Floreat Waters Tennis Court and over a bridge spanning one of the small channels. Across the bridge you may opt for a short 200m side trip to see Herdsman Lake
Settlers Cottage.
Once back on the trail take the path to the right passing a small wetland.
The trail then leads you around the eastern edge of Floreat Lakes between the lake and the channel. Keep your eyes peeled for lots of waterbirds including pelicans, swamphens, ibis, coots, black swans, herons and ducks.
The trail winds it's way along the edge of the lake seamlessly crossing over the channel at one point. At the northern end the trail loops west and there is an opportunity to follow a side trail to the lookout which gives stunning views across Herdsman Lake to the city in the distance.
Back on the main trail continue to the bridge and cross to the west before following the paved trail south along the western edge of the lake. You will pass some magnificent homes overlooking the lake and come across the Statue in the Lake on a small island. The 3.7m bronze statue depicts four figures and originally sat atop a building in the city but was saved when the building was demolished. The statue was later bought for $60,800 and placed in it's current position as public art in the Floreat Waters development.
The bitumen path eventually gives way to an unpaved pathway which soon links back to the original trail.
The trail around Floreat Lakes is about 2km and will take around 30 minutes plus an extra 1km (15 Minutes) for the side trails to the cottage (blue) and the lookout (green). You can also park at Herdsman Lake Carpark (pink) at the northern end of the lake, off Jon Sanders Drive to access the trail. There is a small playground here. There are no toilet facilities.
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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, present and emerging and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.
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