A free self-guided heritage walk around WA's first timber town, plus Kitty's Gorge and the other trails that start in Jarrahdale.
Jarrahdale makes an easy detour on a ride through the hills south-east of the city. It’s a tiny town tucked into the forest, and it calls itself WA’s first timber town, with logging going back to the 1800s. These days it’s a National Trust Historical Town, and the easiest way to see it is on foot.
Quick facts
- Where: Old Post Office and Museum, 631 Jarrahdale Road, Jarrahdale
- Distance: Heritage Walk 4.5 km (short) or 4.8 km (long), about 2 hours
- Difficulty: Easy (Class 2)
- Cost: Free (optional booklet for sale at the museum)
- Dogs: Yes on the Heritage Walk
- Getting there: About an hour’s drive from the Perth CBD
The Jarrahdale Heritage Walk
The walk starts at the Old Post Office and Museum on Jarrahdale Road, which is where you can pick up the booklet if you want the detail behind each stop. There are two loops, a short one of about 4.5 km and a long one of about 4.8 km, and either takes around two hours at an easy pace. Along the way there are 29 interpretive signs telling the story of the mill town, and the route passes the old 1920s timber mill and the Mill Manager’s House.
It’s graded easy, there’s a car park, toilets and a picnic area at the start, and it’s dog friendly, so it’s a good one for a slow Sunday. The Trails WA page for the walk has the map.
Shorter trails around town
If you’ve still got legs after the heritage loop, there are a few more trails close by:
- 1872 Heritage Railway Trail: 9.8 km, or a 4 km loop if you want it shorter. Moderate, and dogs are fine on a lead.
- Mundlimup Timber Trails: an easy 3 km along an old 1890s tramway, with wildflowers in spring.
- Stacey’s Loop: 1.9 km from the Kitty’s Gorge trailhead, with little bridges over Gooralong Brook.
Langford Park, just out of town, is also where you’ll find the local mountain bike trails.
Kitty’s Gorge, if you want a proper hike
Kitty’s Gorge is the big one. It starts from the car park opposite the cemetery in Jarrahdale and follows Gooralong Brook and the Serpentine River down to Serpentine Falls, around 17 km return. The Western Australia tourism page warns about steep loose sections and uneven ground, and the reviews agree.
“Unbelievably beautiful trail”
Vedhanth V, Google review
“Relatively steep and somewhat tricky even for my partner and I who are both very fit and able.”
Caz, Google review
“Plenty of wild flowers along the track.” … “I would recommend a fly net as it’s full of flies.”
Gabriele S, Google review
Take that fly net advice seriously in the warmer months, and check Parks and Wildlife alerts before you go. If you’d rather drive to the falls and just swim, I’ve written up swimming at Serpentine Falls separately. And if you like this kind of hills day out, the Kalamunda Zig Zag and Lesmurdie Falls are good ones too.
Featured image: Jarrahdale Heritage Mill by Calistemon, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons, cropped.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are two versions: a short walk of about 4.5 km and a long walk of about 4.8 km. Allow around two hours. Both start at the Old Post Office and Museum on Jarrahdale Road.
