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Find Perth Hills attractions including bushwalks, waterfalls, gardens, lookouts, heritage towns and scenic day trips from Perth.
Last fact-checked: 2026-09-24
Hills Transport
Perth Hills attractions can have very different public transport, driving, taxi, rideshare and walking requirements. Check the complete route and return before adding a trail, garden or town stop to the day.
Perth Hills attractions are best for John Forrest National Park, Lesmurdie Falls, Araluen, Mundaring, Kalamunda, walking, waterfalls, gardens and a cooler-feeling break from the coast and city when conditions suit.
Outdoor conditions matter. Summer heat, limited shade, trail closures, bushfire-season warnings, rain, road conditions and facility access can change a hills day quickly, so confirm official information before travelling.
Perth Hills can combine with Swan Valley or a city base, but it works best as a focused outdoor day.
Best Attractions
Choose a practical Hills outing with five named destinations, realistic pairings, current access notes and useful official sources.
Park
John Forrest rewards a full day more than a rushed waterfall stop. There are picnic sites, winter-flowing falls, historic railway country and tracks ranging from a short stroll to a more demanding walk. The park is also being improved, so check the current trail and parking notices before following an older map.
Park
Lesmurdie Falls is a Hills waterfall you can approach by a short lookout walk or fold into a longer bush circuit. Those are very different outings. The cascade is most dramatic after rain; a photograph of peak flow is not a promise of the same scene on a dry spring or summer day.
Park
Araluen sits in a sheltered Roleystone valley, so a visit feels different from a flat city garden. Spring brings the tulip festival, but the established trees, paths and changing plantings make it worth considering outside festival dates as well. It is a ticketed park; look at the current calendar before deciding when to go.
Park
Lake Leschenaultia is a popular Hills swimming and picnic area, with sandy edges, shaded lawn and bushland beyond the beach. It can also close quickly in dangerous fire conditions. A visit works best when you check the lake notice on the day and treat the water, bike tracks and camping as separate activities with separate rules.
Park
Bells Rapids is best approached as a river walk with changing conditions, not as a guaranteed white-water spectacle. The bridge and surrounding countryside draw people during the Avon Descent and after winter rain. The river can rise quickly; the same water that makes the rapids dramatic makes the banks and rocks dangerous.
Park
Mundy Regional Park is a network of bushland, granite outcrops and viewpoints rather than one single car park. Lesmurdie Falls is the best-known stop, but there are shorter and longer routes through the wider park. Decide on a trailhead first; a map pin labelled only ‘Mundy’ may leave you far from the walk you intended.
Attraction
Kalamunda History Village gathers former railway, school, cottage and work buildings around the old Upper Darling Range railway site. It is a place to follow how hills residents travelled, worked and lived, rather than a single preserved home. Opening hours vary by weekday and the last admission is before closing.
Free
Park
John Forrest rewards a full day more than a rushed waterfall stop. There are picnic sites, winter-flowing falls, historic railway country and tracks ranging from a short stroll to a more demanding walk. The park is also being improved, so check the current trail and parking notices before following an older map.
Park
Lesmurdie Falls is a Hills waterfall you can approach by a short lookout walk or fold into a longer bush circuit. Those are very different outings. The cascade is most dramatic after rain; a photograph of peak flow is not a promise of the same scene on a dry spring or summer day.
Park
Bells Rapids is best approached as a river walk with changing conditions, not as a guaranteed white-water spectacle. The bridge and surrounding countryside draw people during the Avon Descent and after winter rain. The river can rise quickly; the same water that makes the rapids dramatic makes the banks and rocks dangerous.
A walking routes guide for parks, foreshore walks, lake reserves and national park walking areas.
Families
Family
The Perth Hills offer different sorts of outings, from a grassy lake picnic to a waterfall lookout. Pick one place and its conditions before you set off; a bush trail can feel much longer with a tired child.
Park
Lake Leschenaultia is a popular Hills swimming and picnic area, with sandy edges, shaded lawn and bushland beyond the beach. It can also close quickly in dangerous fire conditions. A visit works best when you check the lake notice on the day and treat the water, bike tracks and camping as separate activities with separate rules.
Park
Araluen sits in a sheltered Roleystone valley, so a visit feels different from a flat city garden. Spring brings the tulip festival, but the established trees, paths and changing plantings make it worth considering outside festival dates as well. It is a ticketed park; look at the current calendar before deciding when to go.
Park
John Forrest rewards a full day more than a rushed waterfall stop. There are picnic sites, winter-flowing falls, historic railway country and tracks ranging from a short stroll to a more demanding walk. The park is also being improved, so check the current trail and parking notices before following an older map.
Rainy Day
Attraction
Kalamunda History Village gathers former railway, school, cottage and work buildings around the old Upper Darling Range railway site. It is a place to follow how hills residents travelled, worked and lived, rather than a single preserved home. Opening hours vary by weekday and the last admission is before closing.
A weather-aware guide to indoor and covered attractions around Perth.
Without A Car
A transport-aware guide for planning Perth attractions by train, bus, ferry and walking links.
A walking routes guide for parks, foreshore walks, lake reserves and national park walking areas.
Choose a practical Hills outing with five named destinations, realistic pairings, current access notes and useful official sources.
Official source: Transperth JourneyPlanner
