Whadjuk Trail - Bidi Bo Djinoong - City Beach
- Out and About
- Jul 27
- 6 min read
Updated: 20 hours ago
Bidi Bo Djinoong translates to "trail with views forever" and there are certainly some splendid wardun (ocean) and city views along the way. The ocean and Rottnest Island are woven into the dreaming stories and song lines of the local Noongar people whose culture has a strong spiritual connection to ‘country’. QR codes on interpretive signs along the trail reveal some personal Noongar reflections.
Bidi Bo Djinoong is a 6.2km one way trail linking parks and remnant bushland areas to the Indian Ocean and heritage trails using both paths and roads. There are a number of access points allowing the trail to be walked in sections. The trail marker depicts a quondong and trail markers point in one direction flowing from south to north - I recommend you also follow this direction as walking in reverse means trail markers are not always visible. We managed to extend our walk to 7.3km as we took some wrong turns and made short side trips. Trail information including a map can be accessed at: https://whadjukwalkingtrails.org.au/trails/bidi-bo-djinoong/
We started the trail at the Wollaston Crescent Carpark off Rochdale Road. Initially the trail follows Rochdale Road before turning north along West Coast Highway to the underpass before
following Challenger Parade for some distance alongside the City Beach Dunes. Keep your eyes peeled as the dunes are one of the only metro coastal locations where the White-winged, Splendid and Variegated wrens occur together. You may also see Fairy-wrens flitting around and fanning their stunning feathers. Males are brightly coloured with blue plumage while the females and juveniles are mainly brown with just a hint of blue on their tail.
There are several side trails to the beach along Challenger Parade and you could enjoy a walk along the beach and a swim instead of the roadside footpath if preferred. On our beach side trip we enjoyed views down the coast to the Fremantle cranes and north up the coast to Scarborough.
We almost missed the slight diversion at Falmouth Avenue onto a path through remnant bush between houses and the dunes. Look for the abundant Cockies Tongue found in the area and listen for the noisy and colourful Twentyeight parrot (Tunyard). For the Noongar people this bird is known as the bringer of happiness and it was only hunted in times of desperate hunger. The path takes you to a high point where you can enjoy views across the Indian Ocean.
The trail then crosses Challenger Parade at Jubilee Crescent. We took a wrong turn here and ended up in the carpark before backtracking to the road access. If you end up in the car park there is an access path from the carpark to the beach footpath and you can continue along the beach. The trail takes you past the groyne, where the waves were crashing, the Surf Life Saving Shelter and then the City of Perth Life Saving Club. There are toilets here.
As you round the corner to a small park head north to see The Life Project sculpture near Clancy's Fish Bar. Created by Simon Youngleson in 2020 the sculpture is dedicated to organ and tissue donors whose generosity has given new life to fellow Australians through transplantation.
FLOREAT BEACH NATURE WALK SIDETRIP
A pleasant side trip if you have the time is to continue walking past Clancy's Fish Bar up the coast to Floreat Beach (1km each way) using the boardwalk at the Floreat Beach Nature Walk. There are several playgrounds along this section sure to keep the kids happy.
This is also an alternative on your return walk from Bold Park Aquatic Centre. Either follow The Boulevard to the coast, stopping at Beecroft Park for a play, then head south (2.4km) or wend your way through the suburban streets finding your own adventure.
Otherwise head to the HERE sculpture to rejoin Bidi Bo Djinoong which heads south, passing the various restaurants where you can break your journey. Make the side trip to view the ocean from the high point then continue past the small fenced playground before crossing Challenger Parade near the roundabout with it's signature red rings onto Oceanic Drive.
We noticed a small playground on the southern edge of Jubilee Park, the closest sporting reserve to the coastline in the area. As you head east along Oceanic Drive the path climbs steadily with the road on your left (a little noisy) and the peaceful bush of Bold Park on your right.
Turn left at Kalinda Drive and then walk uphill past City Beach Residential College to join the Kulbardi Walk at the water tower.
Kulbardi Walk passes through banksia woodland in the northern section of Bold Park and is best walked west to east to enjoy the stunning city views. Kulbardi Walk passes the water reservoir to your left but has lovely bush on your right. Look for Quandong trees which produce magnificent red fruit in summer which were traditionally used by the local Noongar people as a food source and for medicinal purposes. Kulbardi Walk is uneven and quite steep in places so bicycles are not permitted but there is a detour for cyclists or those with prams. Bidi Bo Djinoong finishes at Bold Park Aquatic Centre, where it meets the Yange Kep Trail.
To return to the start you could return the same way, head back along some of the Bold Park trails or head east to Floreat Beach and then follow the coast south. If you prefer not to walk take a bus back to City Beach or grab an Uber.
We chose to follow the Yange Kep Bidi a short distance towards Perry Lakes Reserve. As you walk along Bold Park Drive you pass the site of the Skyline Drive In which operated from 1955 to 1986. You will also pass the Town of Cambridge Administration Centre before crossing Oceanic Drive
After a short walk east along Oceanic Drive we turned onto Scenic Walk which leads back into Bold Park rising steeply to Reabold Hill.
Take a sidetrip to the summit of Reabold Hill for spectacular views.
We then took the western section of the Zamia Trail (thankfully downhill) back to Wollaston Road. Our return through Bold Park was just over 5km, You can link to the Bush to Beach Trail at Reabold Hill or at Wollaston Road.
It took us 1 hour and 45 minutes to walk the Bidi Bo Djinoong from Wollaston Road to Bold Park Aquatic Centre stretching it out to 7.3 kms with a few wrong turns and side trips. We did not walk the Floreat Beach Nature Walk this time as we had walked that on a previous occasion - a return side trip will take you another 30 minutes return.
We chose to return through Bold Park taking Scenic Walk and then the western half of the Zamia Trail walking 5.2km in 1 hour and 15 minutes. In total the full loop was 12.5km and took 3 hours but there are several options to have shorter loops.
The most enjoyable section of this walk was from Falmouth Avenue, along the beachfront and then along Oceanic Drive on to the Kulbardi Walk.
If I did the trail again I would park at City Beach and go from there. If you do walk from Wollaston Rd (or an alternative is the Banksia Park Car Park also on Rochdale Road) a more pleasant route away from the major roads would be along the trails in Bold Park (Zamia Trail), exiting at the West Coast Highway access near Helston Park however you will need to cross busy West Coast Highway.
The trail is dog and cycle friendly but dogs must be on lead through Bold Park and bicycles are not permitted through Bold Park including the Kulbardi Walk.
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For walks nearby:
Bush to Beach Trail https://www.outandaboutfnc.com/post/whadjuk-trails-bush-to-beach-trail
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.
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. A spray of 70% methylated spirit and 30% water can be effective.