Australian ringneck Archives

Serpentine Falls is a popular attraction within Serpentine National Park, 55km southeast of Perth in Western Australia.

While the Falls is the main attraction in the national park, there are a number of different hiking trails from short to long and challenging. We were satisfied with a shorter (1km) Serpentine Falls Trail to enjoy the actual waterfall and the flora along the way, then having a picnic while watching the kangaroos and spotting many different types of birds.

Lemon scented Darwinia (above left). Banksia sessilis (above right).

Red Wattlebird at Serpentine Falls National Park

Main picnic area at Serpentine Falls National Park (above left). Red Wattlebird Honeyeater (above right).

The main picnic area in the park is one of the places where western grey kangaroos are extremely friendly, so it was possible to take the shots like these ones.

Serpentine Dam

At the edge of the Serpentine National Park, on the eastern side, on Kingsbury Drive in Jarradale there is a Serpentine Dam picnic area with playground, toilets, picnic tables and bbq. The views of the Serpentine reservoir surrounded by the bushland are quite spectacular and the abundance of birdlife in that area is amazing.

Serpentine Dam (above left). Australian Ringneck (above middle and right).

Australian Laughing Kookaburra (above left). New Holland Honeyeater (above middle). Splendid Wren (above right).

In conclusion, this is a great place to visit as a day trip. It is probably best enjoyed in cooler months. In spring the variety of wildflowers are blooming. Autumn and winter are great for hikes too.

Billiburning Rock was our favourite out of the 4 rocks in Wheatbelt area that we visited during our 9 day holiday through the Wildflower Country and Wheatbelt. Being 35km north of Beacon (the closest town), it is a bit out of the way and thus less popular than other rocks. We were happy to have a lot of space for ourselves with fantastic views.

Camping

The view of the campground from Billiburning Rock

Billiburning Reserve has 3 camping sites, located at the base of the Billiburning Rock. The first one (Gecko Grounds) is an open space, suitable for large vans and caravans. To get to the second (Echidna Expanse) and third ones (Kangaroo Corner), you would need to drive around the rock, crossing a small section of the rock (10 meter section).

Each of the other two sites are rather small, enough for 4-5 campers each, offering the views of the rock on the left and the views of the bush with abundant wildflowers on the right. There is a drop toilet and a water tank next to it with non-drinking water between sites 2 and 3.

We stopped at Echindna Expanse site (number 2) which we shared with another camper for the first night and had it all to ourselves for the second night. The place being so serene, pristine and inviting that we did stay 2 nights there.

Enjoying our time at Billiburning Rock during the day and night

We climbed over the rock to take the pictures of the sunrise.

Then we climbed it again during the day. Later we marvelled at the way the rock looked when the setting sun was casting its last rays onto it, making the colours of the rock look warm and orange. When the sun set, the colours turned cold and blue.