Perth weather
Day Trips
Choose a practical Hills outing with five named destinations, realistic pairings, current access notes and useful official sources.
Last fact-checked: 2026-09-24
The Perth Hills are best explored one part at a time. Choose the Kalamunda and Lesmurdie side for a waterfall walk and a town stop, Mundaring for forest and water-supply heritage, or Roleystone for Araluen's gardens. Trying to fit all three into one day leaves much less time outside the car.
This guide brings together places with different kinds of days in mind: a short walk, a garden visit, a picnic, a swim at a recreation lake or a longer national-park outing. The suggested durations are our planning estimates, rather than official tour lengths.
Visitor information checked 24 September 2026.
| Place | Best reason to go | Suggested time there | Main planning point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lesmurdie Falls | Waterfall views and a short bushwalk | 1-2 hours | Choose the upper picnic area or a longer walk deliberately; they have different access demands. |
| John Forrest National Park | Forest, picnic grounds and walking trails | Half a day | Park entry fees apply; follow current construction and access advice. |
| Araluen Botanic Park | Gardens and seasonal flowers | 2-3 hours | Buy the correct seasonal ticket and check the entry time. |
| Mundaring Weir | Dam views and water-supply history | 1-2 hours | There is no swimming in the reservoir. |
| Lake Leschenaultia | A family picnic, recreation lake and time outdoors | Half a day | Day entry is free; check fire-related closures before leaving. |
Travel, meals and stops on the way are additional. If you want a slow day, the main attraction and one nearby town stop are enough.
Lesmurdie Falls is a good starting point for visitors who want a waterfall walk without committing to an all-day hike. Water flow is seasonal, so plan for the views and bushland as well as the falls.
Start at the Lesmurdie Falls picnic area on Falls Road. DBCA lists toilets, picnic tables and shade shelters, with free entry to Mundy Regional Park. The Lesmurdie Brook Loop is 1.5 km. The Foot of the Falls Trail is 2 km return, and includes a descent towards the base and the climb back.
For an easier visit, decide on your walking distance at the upper area before heading down the escarpment. Keep back from edges and supervise children closely around the waterfall.
The main car park has accessible bays, and a sloping concrete ramp leads towards the picnic and toilet facilities. Paths beyond the picnic bench include steps, so a visit to the facilities and a visit to the falls are not equivalent access options. Check DBCA's detailed accessibility page.
Pairs well with: a meal or a short town visit in Kalamunda. Add another walk only if your group still wants one.
John Forrest National Park suits visitors who want a larger forest outing with picnic areas, walking trails, railway history and seasonal waterfalls. Park entry fees apply. Choose the actual walk before arrival so that a short family visit does not turn into an ambitious circuit.
Access is changing as improvement works continue. As checked in September 2026, DBCA reports that the 250 m Glen Brook elevated walkway is open from the eastern side, using a temporary approach while work continues near the West Ridge amenities plaza. Do not assume the completed accessible connection shown in project designs is already available end to end.
DBCA also reports that part of Scenic Drive is one-way and that some walking trails have been realigned. Follow current road signs and trailhead maps. The official improvement-project update explains the changes. Pack a picnic rather than relying on a future cafe shown in redevelopment plans.
Pairs well with: Mundaring town. Treat a substantial hike here as the main event of the day.
Araluen Botanic Park at 362 Croyden Road, Roleystone is a paid garden visit. Its lower gardens and terraces offer a different day from a bush trail, with time to look at planting, take photographs and stop for a break. Paths include sealed, stone and unsealed surfaces; some parts are steeper than others.
For spring visitors, the official 2026 Yates Springtime Tulip Festival is advertised for 4 September-18 October. Displays depend on flowering conditions. Check the festival page and choose the correct date when buying tickets. Follow your booking's entry instructions and plan to arrive well before late afternoon.
Araluen lists ACROD parking and accepts Companion Cards. Ask staff for a suitable route through the lower gardens if steps, slopes or loose surfaces are a concern.
Public transport needs an onward connection: Araluen advises taking the train to Kelmscott or Armadale and then using a taxi or rideshare, noting that the nearest bus stop is around 4 km from the park. Arrange the return trip too.
Pairs well with: a meal in the Roleystone area. Give the gardens time rather than adding distant northern Hills stops.
Mundaring Weir is a useful choice for reservoir views and the story of Western Australia's water supply to the Goldfields. Visit the dam wall and viewpoints, then choose a short heritage walk if you want more time on foot. It can make a manageable outing for people who enjoy stopping to look and read rather than covering a long distance.
This is a drinking-water reservoir. Swimming, fishing, marroning and contact with the reservoir water are prohibited. Choose Lake Leschenaultia instead if swimming is the purpose of the day.
Water Corporation currently lists closing times of 5pm from May to October and 6pm from November to April. It aims to open by 8:30am, but operational and weather closures can affect access. Toilets close with the site. Check the official Mundaring Weir visitor page before departure.
Pairs well with: Mundaring town and a picnic. Keep your chosen walk within the available gate-opening time.
Lake Leschenaultia, at 2135 Rosedale Road, Chidlow, is a recreation lake with lawns, beach areas, picnic facilities and a playground. Day entry is free; camping, equipment hire and reserved facilities are separate services.
The Shire normally opens the gates at 8:30am on weekdays and 8am on weekends, closing half an hour after sunset. Fire conditions can restrict access or close the lake, so check the current notice before setting out.
For a family visit, allow enough time to settle in rather than making the lake a brief stop between several attractions. Supervise children around the water and read the lake's safety and use restrictions. A recreation lake still needs careful water-safety decisions.
Pairs well with: a Chidlow or Mundaring stop on the way. If swimming and a picnic fill the day, there is no need to add another park.
Begin at the upper Lesmurdie Falls picnic area. Choose the Brook Loop or a shorter look around the upper area according to conditions and the group's ability. Continue to Kalamunda for lunch and a town stop. This is a better fit for a relaxed day than descending to the base of the falls and then trying to squeeze in Araluen as well.
Spend the morning on one chosen walk in John Forrest National Park, then have lunch in Mundaring. Add a short Mundaring Weir visit only if you have enough time before the gates close. If you choose a long hike at John Forrest, keep the rest of the day simple and leave the weir for another trip.
Choose Araluen plus Roleystone for gardens, or Lake Leschenaultia plus Chidlow for a picnic and recreation lake. These are separate day plans. Choosing between them avoids spending the middle of the day transferring between different parts of the Hills.
A car makes the stops in this guide easier to combine, because parks, gardens and town centres are separate destinations. Enter the named visitor entrance or car park into your navigation app, then follow signs on arrival. A pin in the middle of a park can lead to the wrong approach.
For public transport, use the Transperth JourneyPlanner for the exact destination, travel date and return time. A bus to a town does not necessarily reach a trailhead. Check any final walking section, including its surface, gradient and lighting.
If a taxi or rideshare is needed, arrange both legs. For a tasting day or several rural venues, consider a booked tour or driver so that transport is settled before you start. See getting around Perth for the wider transport choices.
Cooler weather: useful for longer walks, provided paths are open and rain has not made the chosen route unsuitable. Waterfalls are seasonal, so photographs from a wet winter do not predict the flow on your date.
Spring: a good reason to consider gardens and wildflowers. At Araluen, check the current festival dates and flowering updates rather than assuming every garden bed peaks together.
Hot weather: choose a shorter visit with shade and a reliable exit. Do not plan a strenuous exposed walk simply because the Hills appear green on a map. Fire conditions can change the suitability of the entire trip.
Before a bushland outing, check DBCA park alerts for the park and Emergency WA for current warnings. Bring drinking water and use the latest official trail map. If conditions are poor, change the activity rather than trying to complete the original itinerary.
Choose the experience at the level of a particular path or facility. A park may have accessible parking and toilets while the route to its main lookout has steps. Ask about the route from the arrival point to the attraction, and about the return gradient as well as the outward walk.
Useful starting points are Lesmurdie's published access notes and Araluen's advice on lower-garden routes. At John Forrest, confirm the temporary approach to the Glen Brook walkway before relying on it. For children, keep enough time for a picnic and breaks, and avoid making every stop another walk.
You can have a worthwhile day in one part of the Hills. Choose a main attraction and a nearby town or second stop. The full area needs more than one visit if you want time to walk, eat and explore.
Entry to Mundy Regional Park, including the Lesmurdie Falls picnic area, and day entry to Lake Leschenaultia are free. Other activities, equipment hire and transport may cost extra. John Forrest has park entry fees, and Araluen requires a ticket.
No. It is a drinking-water reservoir. Lake Leschenaultia is the recreation-lake option in this guide, subject to conditions and local restrictions.
Start with one destination you can reach on the date you are travelling, rather than trying to follow a driving itinerary by bus. Confirm the final connection and return. A booked tour or transfer can be more practical for gardens and parks away from bus stops.
For another day out, compare Swan Valley, browse Perth day trips or return to the Perth areas guide.
Perth Hills
National 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.
Walking area
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.
Botanic garden
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.
Regional 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.
Lake reserve
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.
Walking area
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.
Official source: Official visitor website
