Serpentine Falls National Park

Serpentine Falls National Park

Post
Subscribe

Posted 2011-08-22 by Judith Wfollow
is a small national park located about 64km (1 hour drive) from Perth. It derived its name from the waterfall nestled within it. However, there is more to it than just the fall.



To approach the park, you could drive south on the Kwinana Freeway and exit at Mundijong Road. Follow the road until you reach South Western Highway, turn right to continue south, and turn left into Falls Road when you reach the Serpentine Valley. At peak times, a ranger would be stationed at the entrance to the national park to collect a fee of $11 per car. At other times, you'd have to stop at the self-serve payment point and use one of the envelopes provided there.

The carpark to the fall is located at the end of Falls Rd. Adjacent to the carpark is a picnic area that is popular with Perth families. Public toilets, limited number of barbecues, picnic tables, and information display are available there, and if you come early in the morning or late in the afternoon, you might be lucky enough to meet the resident kangaroos. They are quite used to humans so they didn't run away when approached gently. They refused being touched though, so no petting or cuddling opportunities here.



To reach the waterfall, a short walk of 400m from the carpark is required. The path is wheelchair and pram friendly and would take you past the lower pool before ending at the upper pool where the fall is located.



The upper and lower pools are separated by a concrete dam with a gap in the middle to allow water to flow through. Although not officially meant to be a bridge, many visitors use this dam to cross to the other side. This is not for the faint-hearted as it involves jumping over the gap, with water rushing under you from the upper pool to the lower pool. Of course you could also do the obvious and swim. Once across, you could scramble up the rocky hill to the head of the fall. Beware if you decide to do this though as the way is quite steep and there are no safety railings.



Other than this unofficial walk, there are other, safer walks available within the national park. They come with various levels of fitness requirements. If you are feeling energetic, walk up to Baldwin's Bluff or along the brook to Kitty's Gorge . If you don't feel up to it, there are shorter walks which will bring you among others along giant water pipes that are suspended above the ground. It feels like walking on a pedestrian bridge, except that it's the bush below you and you have these two giant water pipes as your hand rails.



is one of those places that you could visit either in winter or summer and you'd still get something out of. Winter or early spring is generally the best time to view a waterfall as the winter rains would provide higher water volume. On the other hand, in summer time you'll be able to swim in the refreshing upper pool. At any time of the year though, the picnic area and the bush would always be there, inviting you to forget the hustle and bustle of the city and just enjoy yourselves and your family for the day.

#outdoor
#national_parks
#nature
#southern_suburbs
#serpentine
%wnperth
208171 - 2023-06-16 06:08:09

Tags

Free
Festivals
Music
Outdoor
Markets
Nightlife
Fundraisers
Family_friendly
Community
Arts_culture
Random
Educational
Food_drink
Holiday
Theatre_shows
Copyright 2022 OatLabs ABN 18113479226