Tag: Silvereye

Belvidere campground: Camping on the Leschenault Peninsula

Belvidere campground from above

Less than 2 hours drive from Perth, Belvidere campground within Leschenault Peninsula Conservation Park is an ideal option for a quick getaway from Perth. The campground is set among beautiful Tuart trees with lots of wildlife around.

Facilities

The campground is a medium size, equipped with two toilet blocks on different ends. The place is easily accessed with a 2WD, although the last 4 or 5 km is a dirt corrugated road. Campground is suitable for all types of vehicles and set ups. Having said that, please note that reversing in a caravan or trailer might be an issue due to poles separating the parking and tent area. Sites have picnic tables and fire rings.

A vehicle with tents camping at Belvidere campground

A pro-tip for future visitors: the mosquitoes are quite persistent, so definitely come prepared with repellent and maybe some coils to keep them at, especially in the evenings!

Remember, you need to book your stay online through the Parks and Wildlife website.

Activities at Belvidere Campground

Fishing, especially crabbing is a popular activity there.

There are also a few easy walking trails, varying in length. You can walk from the campground to the estuary and picnic area, along the estuary and all the way to the beach.

If your idea of leisure is a swim or a slow beachcombing wander, Belvidere Beach lies only 2.5 km away. It’s a quick five‑minute drive or a pleasant 25–30 minute walk through tuart and peppermint woodland.

Wildlife

Expect to see kangaroos hoping around the tents. They are even in much bigger numbers near the estuary, which is a fantastic spot to see these incredible marsupials grazing. You can see and, even more so, hear many parrots in the Tuart trees.

Leschenault Estuary is a haven for waterbirds, with more than 60 species recorded.

Bush birds are also abundant here, filling the mornings with cheerful birdsong.

Splendid fairywren female with an insect (above left),  splendid fairywren non-breeding male (above middle),  splendid fairywren female.

Singing Honeyeaters (top left),  Silvereye (top right)

Tuart trees

If you love flora, you will appreciate the beauty of magnificent tuart trees. This Eucalyptus gomphocephala can reach 40m high with a 25m branch span. A true giant with stunning, cone-budded flowers. Simply mesmerizing!

Tuart tree at Belvidere campground

Photography

Apart from wildlife photography, Leschenault Estuary offers many opportunities to capture beautiful shots. The drone’s eye view showcases the stunning contrast of deep blues and earthy marsh tones, forming intricate patterns unseen from the ground. It’s a reminder of the hidden artistry all around us.

Leschenault Estuary

Where is Belvidere Campground

Belvidere Campground sits on the Leschenault Peninsula, about 20 km north of Bunbury. It’s part of the Leschenault Peninsula Conservation Park.

Leschenault estuary

Warren National Park

Heartbreak Trail in Warren National Park

Warren National Park in the South West (15km from Pemberton) is home to some of the most magnificent karri trees (Eucalyptus diversicolor), which are very tall trees. Some of them are as tall as 90 meters and more than 200 years old.

You can explore Warren National Park by driving along 12-kilometer Heartbreak Trail. You can stop along the trail to look at and climb Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree – 68-meter-high, fire lookout tree (below).

Another tree of significance is Marianne North Tree. It is quite a distinct karri tree (Eucalyptus diversicolour) with large bulbous outgrowth around the trunk. The significance of this tree comes from the fact that it was painted by an English artist and traveler Marianne North when she visited Australia in 1880. So, this is how this tree got its name. Marianne North Tree is close to famous Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree on Old Vasse Road, near Pemberton.

Marianne North Tree

Keen hikers and anyone who enjoys nature, would appreciate the Warren River Loop Trail. It is a 10.5km walk through the karri forest and along the banks of the river. The trail can be walked in sections. We only walked from Drafty’s camp to Warren camp and back (3km return). Both camps have a day use area with picnic tables and canoe launching facilities.

Camping in Warren National Park

There are two campgrounds in Warren National Park: Drafty’s and Warren. Drafty’s is a family friendly, nature-based campground in the heart of Warren National Park. It’s a 2WD dirt road accessible along picturesque Heartbreak Trail off the Old Vasse Road, 16km from Pemberton. It is not suitable for big caravans or buses because the road is steep and winding. With 16 camp sites in a big loop and 6 in a small loop, the whole campground is very well laid out, with lots of privacy (it’s literally in the beautiful forest along the Warren River). There are a number of drop toilets, non-drinking water and camp kitchen (small loop only has a drop toilet).

Nearby Warren campground is very similar but it has only 6 sites, all suitable for tents only and there is no kitchen there. All sites in both campgrounds are on a first come, first serve basis and are $11 per person per night, plus national park entry fee. Being a national park, no dogs are allowed.

We initially planned on staying only 3 nights there but ended up staying 5. Every day we enjoyed morning and evening walks along the river, smelling the forest, listening to kookaburras and other birds and delighting in sights of magnificent karri, jarrah, marri and peppermint trees.

Some of the birds we’ve seen: Musk Duck (below left), Red-winged Fairy-wren (below top right), Silvereye (below bottom right).

The campground is a good base for exploring surrounding areas, as it is an easy drive in and out. It is close to Pemberton to stock up on foodand fuel and the surrounding forests are a pleasure to explore, offering a variety of experiences for everyone.

Can you spot someone watching me?