Notley Late Easter Excursion: Waterways Around Perth Metro. DRBNats, Monday, 16th May 2022
The walk commences at a white gate with a Kalamunda National Park sign; an uphill rise keeping the brook on the right-hand side opens up large slopes of trees over granite rocks that form outcrops. After the Bibbulmun track crosses over the path, an outcrop resembles a ram’s head.
A grey-green canopy of rocks dominates the walk. There are rock sheets with abundant lichens and moss growing over them. There are many eucalypts and saplings, Eucalyptus wandoo, Darling Range Ghost Gums (Eucalyptus laeliae), mainly Marri (Corymbia calophylla), and Powderbark (Eucalyptus accedens) with closer to the track Parrot Bush (Banksia sessilis) not yet in flower. Overall, the geology is typical of the area with specimens of granitoids of the Archaean Yilgarn, Craton.
The Piesse Brock wasn’t flowing due to low rainfall. The walk has been enhanced by an interpretive plaque showing flora and fauna in the area. A large section of Sedge, possibly Carex longebrachiata, was found on lower land to the right of the path about 0.8 km in. There were no signs of the recent rain having left any puddles, and the pool was completely dry.
The City of Kalamunda map and trail information of the walk does have a circular route; however, it is best to return by the same 1.7 km track as there are significant paths uphill and downhill climbs as many as 29 storeys were recorded on my iPhone and many unmarked tracks to detract from the blue marker pathways.
Arlene Quinn