Wooroloo Brook drains a sizeable catchment area (536 sq km) and during a wet winter it flows quite swiftly in its lower few kilometres, dropping about 50m overall as it passes through its narrow, quite rugged valley westward of the bridge at O’Brien Road (Gidgegannup) to its confluence with the Swan River in Walyunga National Park near the western edge of the Darling Range. The walk is centred around this lower section of the Brook.
This is a very rewarding walk route which provides plenty of variety and some small challenges for the keen walker; These include the steepish (in places gorge-like) valley sides which require some energetic uphill climbs, and also three crossings of the Brook which usually can’t be achieved without getting your boots and/or feet wet! The hill climbs also provide many excellent sweeping views across and down the valley to the Coastal Plain and along the Swan River valley. A short optional but very worthwhile diversion involves a scramble up a rocky side gully where small waterfalls should be on display in winter.
The walk includes only short off-track sections because much of the valley slopes and the banks of the Brook are blanketed in quite dense shrublands which can make off-track walking in the area very frustrating and difficult, though the route does include one short section as a sample! –The shrublands include Trymalium sp. (similar to Karri hazel), Calothamnus sp. (One-sided bottlebrush), and various Grevilleas, Hakeas and Melaleucas etc. These might be a challenge to the off-track bushwalker, but in spring they offer a rich and varied wildflower display. Apart from the extensive shrublands the walk route also passes through mixed jarrah, marri and wandoo forest on and around the hill tops, and through heathlands surrounding the scattered granite outcrops. Sadly, along the banks of Wooroloo Brook, as occurs along many other rivers and streams near the Darling Scarp, the invasive pink- to red-flowering weed Watsonia is gradually taking over areas previously occupied by native vegetation.
The western one-third of the walk area lies within Walyunga National Park whereas the remainder is within land reserved for parks and recreation under the Metropolitan Region Scheme. Parts of the reserved land are currently privately-owned but are not actively farmed and are ultimately destined to become Crown land. (The walk bypasses the western end of Valley Farm (off O’Brien Road) which is not reserved land and is actively farmed.)
Together with the Avon Valley National Park and Paruna Wildlife Sanctuary to the NE, Walyunga National Park is an important area for native fauna conservation along the Swan-Avon Valley. Animals re-introduced by DBCA/AWC include the tammar wallaby and black-flanked rock wallaby. In recent years however, in the absence of serious culling, feral goats have reached damaging, plague proportions.
Alternative easier walks:
To avoid off-track section – The main walk is relatively short and not difficult for a fit and experienced bushwalker, but others may prefer to avoid the off-track section (between ‘7’ and ‘9’). That can be easily avoided by commencing the walk route in the reverse, anti-clockwise direction via waypoint ‘50’, ‘49’ etc around to ‘19′ and then following the good track up the hill from waypoint ‘19’ to rejoin the ridge near ‘38′. Then retrace the route from there back to the Start point.
To avoid crossing the Brook – If the Brook happens to be high and/or fast and unsafe to cross when you visit (see Alerts / Issues) you can follow the Option in the Route notes below which allows all three brook crossings to be safely bypassed, but adds 3km to the total walk distance. Other options are easily possible by commencing the walk route in the reverse, anti-clockwise direction and later using some combination of the alternative tracks during the return leg.
Walyunga Lookout extension – If you opt to avoid the river crossings as above, you could also vary the route to link into part of the eastern section of the Walyunga NP Walk route (to Walyunga Lookout) in the NW via ’28A’ and/or ‘26’.
Alternative combination with part of Walyunga NP Walk: Western parts of the Wooroloo Brook walk can easily be combined with eastern parts of the Walyunga NP Walk, by starting at either:
– Boongarup Pool carpark in Walyunga NP – then cross the Swan River via the nearby ford and follow the vehicle track to cross the railway tracks, etc, and link into the walk at ‘23’ via the track up the Wooroloo valley); or,
– Walyunga Lookout carpark at end of Ewing Rd in the north (off O’Brien Rd) – then link into the walk at ‘26’ or ‘28A’.
The eastern part of the walk route can then be bypassed by following a vehicle track up/down the hill between ‘19’ and ‘38’.
Thanks Dave – I loved this walk. Although we only did half (cut uphill and around after the 1st brook crossing); the brook and side gully were so beautiful as was the view over the ridgeline in the off trail section.
If anyone’s wondering how deep the crossings will be before they get there, you can check the stage information for the Karls Ranch gauge (at ‘3′) from the public website at http://kumina.water.wa.gov.au/waterinformation/wir/reports/publish/616001/616001.htm.
e.g. Last time I did this walk in September 2016, the stage level was reported at 10.400m, and we found the last crossing point at ‘23’ to be about 60cm deep.
Of course, you will need to use your own judgement and take care, as mentioned on this website and in other comments.
Yes, that info is included under Alerts/Issues button on this page (see sub-heading Current levels and conditions). Important to check the Alerts/Issues info before heading off on any of these walks.
Thanks, Dave. I missed it probably because it was so obvious. 🙂
I kept the note from my last walk there so I knew what the depth would actually mean when it came to getting my feet wet. On that occasion, we stayed on the south side of the brook, following a foot track that was overgrown in places. Only crossing at that last point (23) around lunchtime, giving us some time over lunch to change into dry socks.
One of the nicest walks around Perth we have discovered for a long time. Thanks so much WALKGPS!! I did half of this one a few weeks ago but because it took so long to get through a very fast flowing brook, we cut the walk in half up one of the exits (easy to do). The following weekend young Ross Lambert and I headed back up there to knock the whole walk off with 3 significant water crossings (TAKE CARE!) What a beautiful time of year to walk though, flowers just sneaking through, mist in the mornings – YES!