Yanchep National Park is always beautiful at any time of the year. In early winter there were still a few splashes of autumn colour to offset the greens leading down to the lake.
The Woodlands Walk Trail and many other trails all start behind the Yanchep Tea Rooms. The shared path for the trails crosses the road and then, after a short walk, the Woodlands Trail splits from the other trails as you take the path to the right. If you get to the camping ground you have gone too far.
The Woodlands Walk is a narrow sandy trail with minimal elevation. It's not really suited to prams bikes or scooters as sections are quite rough. We came across a family of kangaroos and they were not fazed at all as we passed within arm's reach.
If you have younger children with you be aware that a short way in the trail crosses one of the park roads so don't let them run ahead until you have passed this. Further along you also cross two maintenance tracks but the trail is clearly signposted.
This track probably shines during wildflower season but even in Makuru (June) we found lots of banksia in various stages of flowering, early wattle, some hibbertias and drosera and lots of fungi.
The trail eventually splits and you can follow the loop in either direction before returning to the out and back trail - the best of both worlds: a loop track so you don't feel like you are covering the same path but also a there and back which I enjoy as you you see more on the return journey. There is usually for looking at the bigger picture and the trail ahead while back is for seeking the smaller details.
One drawback is that this trail is in the South East section of the park so you can hear the constant traffic along Indian Ocean Drive. Luckily it isn't too loud and you can still hear the birds. We saw some blue wrens and fantails flitting around.
The trail from the tea rooms and back is about 2.5km and should take about 45 minutes. However once we emerged back onto the shared trail we decided against backtracking to the tea rooms and continued towards the campground. Just before the road (purple trail on map below) we followed the track on our left for a short distance, emerging at Gloucester Lodge, which is currently under renovation. We had a look at Tram 57 and were able to peek inside and see the table set for tea!
We followed a trail parallel to the road back towards the lake. This trail must have been where firefighters fought the December 2019 blaze as one side is green and the other burnt out. There were lots of kangaroos in this section nibbling the emerging grasses in the burnt sections of bush.
The firefighters also did a great job saving Yanchep Inn as the wetlands boardwalk behind it was severely damaged but it has now been repaired and reopened. We finished our walk wandering along the lakes edge and enjoyed spotting a pelican and some egrets out on the lake.
We also wandered up to the building behind the Visitor Centre and discovered an unusual water feature and some non-native trees.
There is an entry fee to access Yanchep National Park, unless you have an annual parks pass (highly recommended). The park has picnic facilities, barbecues and toilets as well as the cafe and Yanchep Inn if you prefer to purchase a meal. You can call in to the Visitor Centre for advice and maps on the numerous trails including the Dwerta Mia, Wetlands, Caves Trail , Yanchep Rose, Ghost House and Cockatoo Trails and also the Yaberoo Budjara which heads south from here all the way to Neil Hawkins Park in Joondalup.
You can also visit the wildflower gardens (spectacular in spring) and the koala enclosure. Wherever you go you are guaranteed to see kangaroos - in fact most of the grassy areas are covered in roo poo!
The maps below show the Woodlands Walk Trail and then the paths we followed from the end of the Woodlands Walk past Gloucester Lodge, the lake and back to the Chocolate Drops tearooms. Please note that Google Maps has incorrectly identified the Visitor Centre as the Koala Boardwalk.
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.
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.
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