Treasure region: North of the River

Craigie Bushland is located approximately 19km north of the Perth CBD in the suburb of Craigie. The reserve covers 56 hectares of bushland, containing a permanent fenced area of 42ha. It is very scenic with very tall Tuart trees presiding over lower levels of vegetation.

 

Craigie Bushland is classified as a City of Joondalup Major Conservation Area and is ranked in the City’s top five bushland areas, due to its high biodiversity values. Craigie Bushland contains regionally significant vegetation and is recognised for its regional environmental significance as a Bush Forever site; site 303.

The Bushland contains three main vegetation communities; Banksia woodland with Tuart, Open Marri Forrest and tall open shrubland. The majority of the vegetation is in very good to good condition, with portions of the vegetation also rated as being in excellent condition.

Craigie Bushland is a Quenda stronghold. The fenced area was established in 2010 and in 2013 Quenda were first trans-located there from Ellen Brook Nature Reserve in Upper Swan and the Twin Swamps Nature Reserve in Bullsbrook.

Resources

Craigie Bushland Management Plan. Download.

Ashfield Flats the largest remaining river flat in the Perth Metropolitan area, is listed as Bush Forever site No. 214 and named in the Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia. The area falls under the management of three bodies — the majority is vested with the WA Planning Commission (WAPC), the two drains are managed by the Water Corporation and the remainder is vested with the Town of Bassendean.

Pre European colonisation the site was used historically by the Nyungar people who would have likely used the marshy river flats and camped on higher ground. Post European colonisation the area has been used for farming orchards, horse agistment and a tip site. Due to heavy usage, regular fires and vandalism, little remnant vegetation remains at the site. Whilst farming activities have long ceased, the area remains largely grassed. The Flats are popular with walkers and dog owners.

The site sits within a floodplain (with flooding occurring at 10% Annual Exceedance Probability) and along two bends of the Swan River. As such, the area is subject to natural erosion process, but these have been exacerbated by the lack of remnant vegetation and anthropogenic use of the flats and the river.

Efforts of local community groups and land managers have aimed at reducing weeds and increasing native species cover.

Information above was kindly provided by the Town of Bassendean.

Ashfield Flats’ variety of habitats make for a very interesting birding experience. Just as at nearby Baigup Wetlands, in the order of a hundred species have been recorded here, encompassing riverine birds, waterfowl, and a good variety of ‘bush’ birds. The photographs in the Gallery below were taken at the Flats.

Latest News

Master Planning for the Ashfield Flats study area commenced in October 2022.

 

 

Ashfield Flats Birds Gallery

 

Yellagonga Regional Park is primarily a wetland system that includes Lake Joondalup, Beenyup and Walluburnup Swamps and Lake Goollelal and is located approximately 20 km north of Perth City and 6km from the Indian Ocean. It  is about 1400 hectares in size and is a Bush Forever site.

Lake Joondalup, the largest of the water bodies, lies in the northern half of the Park. Walluburnup and Beenyup Swamps are located centrally within the Park, with Lake Goollelal situated in the southernmost part of the Park.

 

These lakes and wetlands are a continuation of the chain of lakes that begins 21 km further north at Loch McNess in Yanchep.  Lake Joondalup is of national significance and is listed on the Register of the National Estate.

Bush Forever Site Map   Download.  Bush Forever Description   Download.   Bush Forever Species List  Download.

Landform and Vegetation

Yellagonga Regional Park contains a wide variety of ecosystems from upland forest, fringing wetland and aquatic vegetation to open water bodies. They are surface expressions of groundwater, emerging in interdunal swales within the Spearwood Dune System as a chain of linear lakes and wetlands.

This rich diversity and complexity of ecosystems has very high conservation value within a rapidly expanding urban setting. The wetlands within the Park are some of the last remaining freshwater wetland systems on the Swan Coastal Plain.

The vegetation on the upland areas surrounding the wetlands was once Jarrah – Marri – Banksia (Eucalyptus marginata – Corymbia calophylla – Banksia attenuata) open forest, and Tuart – Jarrah – Marri (Eucalyptus gomphocephala – Eucalyptus. marginata – Corymbia calophylla) open forest.  Small sections remain.

The wetland and upland habitats include Fringing Paperbark Woodland (Melaleuca rhaphiophylla) and Flooded Gum Woodland (Eucalyptus rudis) and these provide habitat for a variety of waterbirds and bushbirds.

Yellagonga’s Birdlife

Many birds inhabit the woodland and wetland areas of Yellagonga. Of the many species recorded in the Park, 18 are known to breed in the area. The wetlands serve as important/breeding grounds for local birds and as a summer refuge for a diverse bird population, including trans -equatorial migratory wading birds.  The Park’s woodlands also provide habitat for a diversity of bushbirds.

When shallow inland breeding grounds begin to dry out in spring and summer, large concentrations of birds can be found in the Park.

 

Significant populations of Blue-billed Duck (Oxyura australis), Musk Duck (Biziura lobata), Hardhead (Aythya australis), Splendid (Malurus splendens) and Variegated Fairy-wrens (Malurus lamberti), Broad-tailed (Acanthiza apicalis), Western Thornbill (Acanthiza inornata) and Yellow-rumped Thornbills (Acanthiza chrysorrhoa), Weebill (Smicrornis brevirostris), Scarlet Robin (Petroica multicolor), Golden Whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis) and Grey Shrike-thrush (Colluricincla harmonica) have all been recorded in the Park.

Three bird species recorded in the Park, Carnaby’s Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus latirostris), Australasian Bittern (Botaurus poiciloptilus) and Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) are specially protected under the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950.

Cultural Values

Yellagonga Regional Park is significant to the local Aboriginal people (Nyungars) because it was an important camping area used widely for watering, food-gathering, camping and tool-making, hunting and corroborees, and summer social life.  There are seven listed Aboriginal sites within the Park and another four adjoining the Park.

Recreational Values

Yellagonga Regional Park is of high recreational value as it provides opportunities for a wide range of passive and active recreation. The lakes, wetlands and bushland areas provide visitors with recreational opportunities including picnicking, bushwalking and bird watching.

Two heritage trails are located within the Park.

The Lake Joondalup Trail is a 27km self-guided walk/drive trail, which traces the development of Wanneroo around Lake Joondalup.

The Yaberoo – Budjara Heritage Trail is a 28km walk trail which links Lake Joondalup and Yanchep National Park and highlights features of local Aboriginal and non- Aboriginal cultural significance in the area.

 

Further Information

A popular place to start your visit to Yellagonga Regional Park is the Neil Hawkins Park on Lake Joondalup, accessed from Lakeside Drive.  Access and walks map.

The material presented here is sourced from the Yellagonga Regional Park Management Plan 2003.

There is also a wealth of resources at the Friends of Yellagonga Regional Park website.

Yanchep National Park is a large park (2,799 hectares), situated 48 km north of Perth, on the Wanneroo – Lancelin Road.   The Park contains seven vegetation communities, four wetlands that have had little modification, and over 1000 caves, all of which provide a wide range of habitats for a variety of fauna.  It is an important conservation area on the Swan Coastal Plain.

The northern and western ends of the Park retain major conservation values and show a range of landscape forms, from tall tuart forest, lush wetland vegetation, and mixed banksia and kwongan heath on the uplands. Wildflowers are prolific in Spring and early Summer.

Nestled in tuart and banksia woodlands, the park is home to many different water and bush birds including grebes, swans, pelicans, cormorants, egrets, kingfishers, parrots, wrens and honeyeaters. Endangered Carnaby’s cockatoos are a spectacular daily sight. Western Grey kangaroos are commonly seen on the walk trails or grazing on the lawns and golf course.

Yanchep National Park provides an important example of the Swan Coastal Plain habitat types; more so given the loss of much of the natural encvironment of the Swan Coastal Plain to urbanisation and agriculture.  Many other wetlands on the Swan Coastal Plain have either been filled in, or modified and subjected to pressures such as pollutants and clearing. Yanchep NP is a Bush Forever site.  Bush Forever Site Description

Wetlands

Wetlands are a key feature of Yanchep National Park. The key wetlands are three permanent lakes (Loch McNess, Yonderup Lake and Wilgarup Lake) and a swamp in the north-east of Ridges State Forest, all of which are fresh, as well as Pipidinny Swamp, close to the south-west boundary.

Loch McNess has three well defined sections that differ in their vegetation types. Its total wetland area is 255 ha and comprises a sedge complex (149.3 ha), Swamp Banksia/Paperbark (56.6 ha) and open water (49.5 ha).

North Loch McNess, compared with other metropolitan lakes, is relatively natural due to lack of modification (little or no clearing of vegetation has occurred and it has none of the impacts associated with urban or rural development). The lake appears shallow but the bottom is actually an unconsolidated peat mat through which water flows to a depth of about 6 m. In summer, some of the shallower areas dry out. A dense growth of sedges covers much of the lake.

Yonderup Lake Loch McNess is believed to overflow into Lake Yonderup. This lake has seasonal variations in water level annually by 0.6 to 0.8 m. There is a variety of habitats which support a diversity of fauna, particularly birds.

Wilgarup Lake This wetland (16.8 ha) is more a swamp than a lake, and does not have as wide a range of habitats as the two other lakes, but is less disturbed.

Recreational Opportunities

Yanchep National Park has many visitor facilities and great walking opportunities abound. There are nine established walk trails including the more challenging Ghosthouse Walk.

Over 250 000 visitors per year visit Yanchep National Park, the highest number of visitors to any single area of a national park in the State.  Visitors can participate in many activities including rowing on Loch McNess, picnicking and walking along the  nature trails.

Source of Information

The material presented here is largely sourced from the  Parks Management Plan or from Park brochures.

(Werillyiup means ‘swampy place’ in Noongar).  This is a 2.5km loop, starting at car park 23 in Mussel Pool. This walk encompasses Horse Swamp, a seasonal and spectacular wetland, which is alive with the waterbirds breeding there from July to October, when water levels are their highest.

A bird hide on the western edge of the Swamp allows an outstanding view of the  wetland birds and the kangaroos that graze on the swamp fringes in the morning and late afternoon.  A lookout provides an aerial perspective of the wetland and an appreciation of the size and significance of the site. Download the trail map.

Whiteman Park has two accesses.