Category: Western Australia

Dalwallinu is a sheep and wheat farming town located three hours’ drive north of Perth along the Great Northern Highway. Dalwallinu is the first town along the Wildflower Way, a route that stretches north to Mullewa and showcases beautiful wildflowers carpeting the countryside. The wildflower season is from July to October, and during this time thousands of nature enthusiasts make the trip along the Way. Every September, Dalwallinu hosts the Wattle Week Festival to celebrate the wildflower season. A street parade, market day and cabaret are some of the festivities. Dalwallinu has an interesting history. The first graziers in the district were Benedictine monks from New Norcia who shepherded sheep on vast pastoral leases taken up in the nineteenth century. However, European settlers arrived at Dalwallinu in 1907 with the ambition to develop the area into a wheat-growing region. In 1909 the land was surveyed and in 1910 it was opened up for selection. The first crops were sown the same year. Pioneers in the area demonstrated tremendous strength and diligence as they endured basic living standards while they established their first crops. Towns formed along the railway line that was completed in 1914. Previous to European settlement, the first known occupants of the land which now comprises the Shire of Dalwallinu were Aboriginal groups who had no strict boundaries, but used the area for hunting and gathering in the nomadic fashion. The Badima people live in the northern tracts of the shire, while the Galamaia people occupy land throughout the shire and beyond. Accommodation is available at a hotel/motel, bed and breakfast and caravan park.

Azelia Ley Homestead, Manning Park and Lake are enjoyed by many, especially balmy evenings when the free concerts are held. Cable Water Ski Park is a lot of fun for participants and spectators. Sparkling blue waters and gleaming white sand at Coogee Beach invite you to swim, wind surf, jet ski or try your luck at fishing. Woodmans Point Recreation Reserve provides paths for walking and cycling.

A pleasant 40 minute drive east of Perth, through the Darling Ranges, will take you to the town of Glen Forrest. Glen Forrest, originally called Smiths Mill, was one of the first ‘villages’ in the Hills. The Octagonal Hall, meeting place for the Eastern Hills branch of the Wildflower Society, and Morgan John Morgan Park are interesting places to visit. The Park is the site of one of the original stations on the first railway line from Perth to York. This line is now part of The Railway Reserve Heritage Trail. Accommodation ranges from luxury cottages hidden in a valley of the Darling Scarp to a traditional bed and breakfast on the bridle trail. Glen Forrest has two restaurants, a gourmet cafe, a pizza and fish and chips shop and a bakery.

Just five minutes’ drive north of central Perth is the shopping, cafe and restaurant rich precinct of Mount Lawley. The area holds fine examples of 1900 to 1950s architecture, including Federation and Colonial style dwellings with isolated examples of English Vernacular Revival, Art Deco and Californian Bungalow styles. The Astor Theatre is well known for its fine art deco designs. Most retail development in Mount Lawley is situated on Beaufort Street, centering on the Walcott Street intersection. There are also several local delicatessens and groceries in the suburb to satisfy local needs. Recreation opportunities are provided by a number of small local parks. Mount Lawley has a variety of casual and cafe style dining establishments, as well as pubs and fine restaurants. Motels, bed and breakfasts and holiday apartments provide accommodation in Mount Lawley.

Located at the tip of Cape Naturaliste in Geographe Bay and within close proximity to Dunsborough, Yallingup and Busselton lies the very scenic and affluent Eagle Bay. Many of Western Australia’s rich and famous have holiday homes in Eagle Bay. With an abundance of marine life, the shallow, sheltered waters of Eagle Bay provide a perfect environment for snorkelling. Fishing is also great in the area. Walk trails around the Bay provide excellent vantage points for enjoying the beauty of Geographe Bay. Eagle Bay provides an ideal base for exploring the world famous Margaret River Region. Dining is available in nearby Dunsborough, which has a range of cafes and restaurants. Accommodation is available at Eagle Bay including Bed and Breakfast, chalets and exclusive beachfront houses.

Mount Magnet, the oldest surviving gold settlement of its region, is four and a half hours’ drive east of Geraldton on the Great Northern Highway. The first pastoralists, Watson and Jones, walked their sheep from Geraldton to Mount Magnet in the late 1870s and settled at Yowergabbie and Boogardie stations respectively. Gold was discovered here in July 1891 and amazingly rich areas around the settlement were found, including Poverty Flats ‘where they dug it up like potatoes’. Mount Magnet was proclaimed a township soon after these gold discoveries. The remains of other settlements nearby, such as Lennonville, can still be seen. There is much to see here; remains of the early gold rush era, magnificent granite breakaway country and, in season, spectacular carpets of wildflowers. The prominent hill rising above the township was named West Mount Magnet in 1854 by surveyor Robert Austin who noticed that its magnetic qualities interfered with his compass. It has since had its Aboriginal name reinstated, ‘Warramboo’, meaning campfire camping place. Mount Magnet provides easy access to the historic towns of Cue, Sandstone and Yalgoo. There are many opportunities to do one-day self drives from Mount Magnet to surrounding attractions. After the winter rains, the bush comes alive with colour. Go on a wildflower tour to see carpets of everlastings, mulla mulla tails, and delicate flowers of native bushes. The season is best between July and late September. After this varieties of ground cover, late species of everlastings, and flowering trees and plants can still be seen. The area is also a treat for the bird watcher as there are many beautiful species of birds to be found. An open air film theatre operates during the summer months. Horseracing meetings are usually held between May and October, and there are other interesting attractions to see: the Historical Society Museum, a variety of historic buildings, Mount Warramboo Tourist Lookout, The Granites, an amphitheatre, heritage walk trails, heritage drives and gold detecting. The town is well serviced by two supermarkets, two roadhouses, three hotels, a cafe, butcher, nursing post, post office and a number of roadhouses plus mechanical and engineering services. Hotels, motels, a caravan park, backpacker hostel, a lodge, and nearby station stays are available.