Perth Region

If you are looking for active things to do where you don’t have to travel far from the city, then the Perth region is for you! Perth boasts a wide variety of natural wonders for you to explore that will capture your imagination and attention!

Perth is the capital city of Western Australia and was settled in 1829 by Captain James Stirling, with the settlement initially developing in and around the Swan River. From here the city has expanded both north and south and is geographically bound by the coast and ocean in the west and the Darling Scarp in the east. Most of the development has occurred within what is known as the Swan Coastal Plain (SCP).

The region currently stretches over 6000 square kilometers and is home to an estimated 1 985 640 people.

Under the Metropolitan Region Scheme (MRS), there are 30 local governments in the Perth metropolitan area which is broken into 5 sub regions and includes 20 cities, 3 Shires and 7 towns. The area stretches from the City of Wanneroo in the north to Mundaring in the east and down to Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale, and Rockingham in the South.

The region has a mediterranean climate, which is characterised by hot dry summers and cool, wet winters, with a shift into dryer conditions occurring over time. It is the hot sunny summers that attract people to the stunning coastal areas and the cooler seasons that better suit those more active people who follow activities such as bushwalking, horse riding, mountain biking, trail running and wildflower spotting.

The Perth region has so many unique natural assets that the community loves to get down and dirty and play in.

The gem in the region’s city crown is Kings Park, which is 400.6 hectares of the one of the most beautiful inner-city parks, which is rich in cultural heritage as well as being home to the spectacular Western Australian Botanic Garden. The gardens, showcases over 3,000 species of Western Australia’s unique flora, which puts on the biggest displays of wildflowers over the spring season. To compliment the natural beauty of this bushland and gardens, there are several cafes, bushland walk trails, and a variety of children's play areas for families to enjoy.

Cutting straight through the middle of the Perth city area is the famous Swan River which stretches for approximately 72 km inland beginning at the ocean in Fremantle. The catchment for this river includes the swan coastal plain, the Avon, Canning and Helena Rivers, which covers an estimated 121 000 km2 .

The Swan River was originally named because of the number of black swans found in the area upon European settlement. It has a wide range of aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals that live within and around this important feature. It is also an important space for the surrounding population to recreate in and around and to connect with.

For the First Nations people the Derbal Yerrigan (Swan River), is highly significant as it not only is an important source of food, water and a meeting place, it was created in the Dream time by the great creator snake called the Wagyl, who created all the waterways and landscapes at the beginning of time.

The Perth region is surrounded by National Parks, Regional Parks and State Forests, all with differing levels of protection and acceptable use. Those with the highest protection are the National Parks.

The Kalamunda National Park is located 23 km east of Perth and consists of 375 hectares of rolling hills and valleys. It boasts a mix of vegetation types such as Jarrah, Marri, Wandoo and Butter Gum woodlands and has a spectacular display of wildflowers over the spring months. The area has been identified as a roosting site for Black Cockatoos and is home to many different native species.

 The main activities found in this park are walking and mountain bike trails. It is most noted for being the starting point for the Bibbulmun Track, which is WA’s longest walk trail, stretching 1000 km through to Albany.

Directly adjacent to Kalamunda National Park is the larger Beelu National Park which covers 3000 hectares and stretches south of Mundaring and west of the Mundaring Weir. This beautiful area boasts amazing lookouts overlooking deep valleys and has the same vegetation types as the Kalamunda National Park, show casing areas of Jarrah, Marri, grass trees and wandoo with an explosion of colour from the wildflowers in spring.

The Beelu National Park is home to Perth Hills Discovery Centre, where several Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) nature programs are run for the community. Activities that are the most common in this National park include abseiling, camping, overnight hiking, bushwalking, rock climbing and mountain biking.

For the Mountain bikers, the Kalamunda circuit and the Munda biddi trail pass through the park.

If you are looking for history, then you will love exploring the John Forrest National Park. Located 30 km east of Perth between the Great Eastern Highway and Toodyay Road in Mundaring, the 2700 hectare park was the first National Park designated in WA in 1900 and it was also the second National Park in the whole country.

This National Park includes a plethora of railway history with the Swan View train tunnel and the Old Hovea Train Station. The main activities that can happen in this park includes bushwalking, horse riding, picnicking cycling and mountain biking.

Environmentally the views are stunning with sweeping valleys, undulating hills, two waterfalls, granite outcrops and streams and beautiful wildflowers. The main vegetation types include Jarrah, marri, flooded gums, swamp peppermint and paperbark trees. These all support an amazing number of native wildlife that can be spotted at any time.

Heading 35 km north-east, out of the main city area is the Walyunga National Park. This park is still located within the Darling Scarp, covers an area of 1800 hectares and has the Avon River passing through. This has created rolling hills, stunning granite outcrops with steep valleys that are covered with a variety of species such as Jarrah, Marri, Wandoo, Flooded gums and so many more.

The main activities in this park include, picnicking, bushwalking, canoeing, kayaking, fishing and camping.

Another significant park located within the Perth Region is the Yanchep National Park. Located 48 km north of Perth and found on the Swan Coastal Plain (SCP), it covers an area of 2799 hectares and is home to seven vegetation communities, four wetlands and over 1000 caves, making this park a very important area of conservation on the SCP. It is also home to the endangered Carnaby cockatoos, along with many other significant species.

This park has some mixed uses where there is a visitor centre (McNess House), golf course, Koala board walk, walk trails, tree top adventures, two caves to explore (Crystal and Yonderup) and campsites available. Needless to say, with these attractions, the park has over 250 000 visitors a year.

There are many other regional park, state forests and reserves scattered throughout the region in an attempt to keep some of the original native vegetation preserved and to keep a level of connectivity across the landscape as the growth and development of the Perth region continues.

Community landcare and environmental groups you can join

As the Perth region is so greatly populated, there are many amazing people doing fantastic work in order to preserve and restore areas of bushland, creeks and rivers. There are too many groups to list here. Some of these groups (not all) are WALN members and you can find them right here.

Perth NRM

Perth NRM is the main natural resource management (NRM) group for the Swan Region, incorporating the greater Perth area. The region covers approximately 619 000 hectares including the catchment areas of the main tributaries that flow into the Derbal Yerrigan (Swan River) and includes islands such as Wadjemup (Rottnest Island) and Meeandip (Garden Island).

This area stretches approximately from Mogumber and Two Rocks in the north, then across to West Toodyay, Wooraloo and Wundowie, with the most easterly areas following the Mundaring State forest, Helena National Park, Jarrahdale State Forest, and the Dwellingup State Forest. To the south-east the boundaries include Flint, and Mount Cooke, stretching north of Byford then across to Singleton to the south.

The organisation focusses on community engagement to empower people to act for positive ecological impact. Through strong relationships they support First Nations Peoples to work on Country, the protection and enhancement of the coastal and marine environments, sustainable agriculture for quality food production now and into the future, and restoration of biodiversity through conservation initiatives for threatened species and by encouraging the establishment of sustainable gardens to bring nature back to urban environments.

First nations Land Management Activity links

The traditional owners of the Perth Region are the Whadjuk people. The Whadjuk people are located south of the Yued and north of the Pinjarup people.

The South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council is the lead body supporting the Regional Corporations across the state.  In the Perth region the Aboriginal Corporations with Indigenous Land Use Agreements include:  

  • Whadjuk Aboriginal Corporation – Based predominantly within the Perth region and stretching out to Wundowie, Chidlow, Bullsbrook and Toodyay. The Whadjuk group is recognized as one of the six individual Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUA) covered in the South West Native Title Settlement. The South West Native Title Settlement recognizes the Noongar people as the traditional owners of the South West region, acknowledging their continuing cultural, spiritual, and social connections to the land.
  • Bibbul Ngarma Aboriginal Association Incorporated- This group is an aboriginal-led charity located on Whadjuk Noongar Boodja in Perth. The organisation is currently focussed on addressing the decline of river health by creating a new type of community catchment plan. This initiative is initially working on improving the health of the Helena River.

Ranger programs

Land use in the Region

The Perth region has an annual gross regional product of $186.1 billion. There are a wide range of land uses in this region including urban development, industry, agriculture, forestry, conservation and natural environments.