Ellis Brook Valley Reserve

Ellis Brook Valley Reserve is recognised as the richest wildflower location in Perth Metropolitan area. It is home to over 550 varieties of spring flowers.

Wildflowers at Ellis Brook Valley Reserve

The best time to visit the park is during spring when most of the widlflowers are blooming. It can be very hot in summer and sometimes the park is closed during hottest time.

One of the most fascinating wildflowers in Ellis Brook Valley Reserve for me was Drosera. It is the plant that loves insects and insects love this plant :). Drosera (or Sundews) capture and digest insects using their long tentacles with a sticky gland on top. These droplets look like dew glistening in the sun (hence the name Sundew). They are very pretty to human eye, and attractive to insects. The glands also produce enzymes to digest the insects. How creative nature can be!

Birdlife

The reserve is home to a lof of birds, including splendid fairy wrens, cockatoos and honeyeaters.

Walking trails

Ellis Brook Valley Reserve is also an excellent hiking place. There are four hiking trails of various length and difficulty. Reserve also has picnic facilities with bbqs, picnic tables and toilets.

Sixty Foot Falls trail is the most challenging but definitely worth the view. It looked quite magnificent in September with the water flowing at the waterfall.

Location

Ellis Brook Valley is located on Rushton Road in the suburb of Martin, in the Gosnells region and is half an hour drive from Perth.

Best waterfalls around Perth – Lesmurdie Falls

Lesmurdie Falls, located within Mundy Regional park, approximately 22km east of Perth, in the hills, is one of the most spectacular waterfalls around Perth. You can view this 50 meter waterfall from a number of a places within the park, approaching it from the top or the bottom.

We started our day with the Cascade trail – a centrally located, 300 meter trail. As we walked along, admiring many different cascades, we absorbed the sounds of nature – the gurgling of the flowing water, the cheerful chirping of the birds and crackling of the dry leaves under the feet. It was a bright sunny day but without the heat of summer.

After the lunch we walked to the top of the Falls, where there are a couple of viewing platforms.

Lesmurdie Falls

Then we hiked down to the bottom of the Falls (2km return trail) to get the best view of the Falls. It was a picturesque trail, where we spotted lots of wildflowers and a kookaburra.

Lesmurdie Falls is a great place to go hiking, relax and enjoy nature. Spring is the ideal time to visit, when waterfall is flowing and wildflowers are blooming.

While we do not have dogs, I must mention that it is a dog friendly place.

What a wonderful day, full of impressions and exercise, it was!