Yaberoo Budjara Heritage Trail - WA

This is a great trail for hiking, walking the dog, or mountain biking. Spring and summer are great times of the year to visit due to the amount of flowing native plants. At the start of the trail, there are also some interpretive signs. The trail continues all the way through to Yanchep National Park and consists of compacted limestone with small sandy sections, and quite a few good hills that present a good challenge for MTB cyclists and trail runners. There is a section between Romeo Rd and Lacey Rd that follows a power line service road and this can be a bit rougher than other parts of the track.

Although the Wanneroo local council mud map indicates a start point 2.5km south at Neil Hawkins Park on the shores of Lake Joondalup. (Section 1), this marker presents the most popular starting point, especially for MTB cyclists and hikers with dogs.

Section 2 from this point through to Neerabup Rd is 7.5km. This section focuses on the plant life of Neerabup and the changes made by limestone quarrying in the area. At Neerabup Road the trail goes through a tunnel beneath the road with the nearby 10th Lighthorse Memorial on Wanneroo Road a possible entry/exit point.

Continuing north of the Neerabup Pedestrian Underpass is Section 3 and it's just 3.3km to another Pedestrian Underpass at Hester Drive. At Hester, it is possible to leave cars at the Puma on Wanneroo Road for an entry/exit point. Continuing north of Hester, the trail has a couple of decent hilly sections with varied terrain and is a good workout section for cyclists and trail runners although a little rockier than the rest of the trail. The section ends at Romeo Road (now a construction area for freeway extension and numerous detours are in place).

Section 4 runs north of Romeo Rd the trail runs close to Wanneroo Road through to Lacey Road. There is a lovely but small spot at Lacey Road where you could park to start/end the trail at the beginning of Section 5.

Section 5 is the final section from Lacey Road through a totally different landscape to Loch McNess in the Yanchep National Park. After 4.5km along this section you will cross over Yanchep Beach Road and take a final bush trail for 1km to the picnic shelters and day use area.

Yanchep National Park offers a large day use carpark, picnic facilities and beautiful lawns, toilets, water, and food/drinks can be purchased from the Yanchep Inn.

The name Yaberoo Budjara is translated as the land (Budjara) of the people north of Perth (Yaberoo). The trail highlights features of natural, Aboriginal, and historical significance and is based on local Whadjuk Noongar elder Yellagonga's tribes' movement track. Their track linked together the linear lakes of the coastal plain, and the same track was later used by Europeans as a stock route.