Sixty Foot Falls
Ellis Brook reserve
Directions - Ellis Brook Reserve is located about 30 minutes from the centre of Perth, at the base of the Darling Scarp. Make your way to Tonkin Highway and take the Gosnells Road East turn-off, following the signs for Ellis Brook Reserve as you turn right onto Pitt Road, then right again onto Hayward Road. Take a left onto Quarry Road, then another left onto Rushton Road, following this all the way into the reserve. You can park at the Honeyeater Hollow car park just after entering the gates (Ellis Brook reserve is open 6am to 7pm every day), or follow Rushton Road all the way to the end and the Valley Head car park.
The Hike - Located on the outskirts of Perth suburbia, and exploring a stunning little valley, Ellis Brook Reserve is one of those places you don't really expect to see when you're driving out there. Now a popular location for people to take a short stroll in the wonderful mixed forest, the most frequented trail here takes in the climb up the valley to see Sixty Foot Falls, a seasonal waterfall that really only flows after heavy and sustained winter rainfall. Add in a side quest to Old Barrington Quarry that you've probably seen all over Instagram, and Ellis Brook Reserve has the recipe for a fun afternoon spent exploring the mostly natural world.
This was a hike I did in the early days of the website, after being invited by a fellow Perthian to join her and a group of parents/dog owners at one of her events (I don't think they still exist). I attended, had a great time and wrote up that experience for this website in my old post. Unfortunately I didn't take too many photos compared to what I do now, and so the photos were mostly from subsequent visits. With the post not really describing the trail in great detail, and not matching up to the photos, this was always a trail that was ripe for a proper refresh. Having hiked the Eagle View Walk Trail the day before, and given that a much needed update, today it was Ellis Brook Reserve's turn. With a Caris agreeing to come, it meant that the doggos could also attend, making it a proper family adventure. Deciding that an afternoon hike would be best, I was hoping that the crowds might have dispersed a little by the time we arrived. Arriving at the Honeyeater Hollow car park around 2:30pm, we had plenty of time to get in the hike before the light disappeared.
The reason I picked this car park and not the one at the end of Rushton Road, is that I really enjoy the Blue Wren Ramble Trail that connects the two, and having a little extra distance makes the visit more worthwhile. The car park wasn't as full as I expected, a good sign for my love of relatively quiet trails, and we were soon all harnessed up and ready to go. The Blue Wren Ramble Trail starts from the large information sign near the gazebos and is a favourite spot for bird lovers/twitchers to bring their long lenses and photograph the local wildlife. For me, my lens was severely lacking in length for that, so would be concentrating on wildflowers and landscapes today. With Eagle View providing a stunning wildflower display the day before, I was expecting something similar here, and early on things were promising. Early finds along the edge of the Ellis Brook included Honey Bush, Mouse Ears, Winter Donkey Orchids, Graceful Honeymyrtle, Spindly Grevillea and False Boronia.
Along the edge of the brook you do hear and see a lot of birds but most of them were way too quick for me to photograph. The larger parrots were willing to play ball (i.e. just stay still for a second) and I managed to get both a Red-capped Parrot and the iconic Twenty-eight Parrot on camera. After about 500m of lovely wildflower lined trail, you climb up a set of steps and join Rushton Road for a little section. The purpose of this is to both cross Rushton Road and not have to build a separate bridge for walkers over Ellis Brook. Be mindful of vehicles along here, with the trail entering back into the forest on the other side of the road about 100m along (look for the blue poles). Back onto the single trail, this was much better, and the scenery through here is really enjoyable. The wildflower finds continued with Prickly Dryandra, Yellow Buttercups, Coach Honeypot and Two-leaf Hakea located right along the trail. Having secured Sadie's lead to my waist strap, my hands were free to photograph everything I wanted to, although Sadie sometimes had other ideas.
Winding up and down small elevation changes, this part of the Blue Wren Ramble Trail crosses Ellis Brook three times, with little foot bridges at each crossing. These along with the tunnels of Mouse Ears provided some really cool photo opportunities, with the tunnels being some of my favourite scenes from previous visits. Around the third crossing of Ellis Brook, the thicker vegetation starts to disappear and a lovely section of Wandoo opens up. Heading up a hill, the trail looks like it continues right up a steep hill, and while there is a track leading up the hill, it only takes you to an active quarry. Performing a little U-turn, this is the final little stretch of the Blue Wren Ramble Trail before it ends at the Valley Head car park. This is one of my favourite little areas of Ellis Brook, with the golden Wandoo trunks glowing in the sunlight and plenty of wildflowers lining the trail including Blue Stars, Woolly-flowered Grevillea, Lemon-scented Darwinia and Pincushion Coneflower.
Arriving at the Valley Head car park, it was packed with cars, not a surprise given this was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in winter. Walking along the path to get to the Sixty Foot Falls trail head, a couple enjoying a picnic on one of the tables commented on how Kit looked like a Huskey puppy. Having just had a haircut, he did look like a puppy but my old boy is deaf and almost blind these days, and often gets mistaken for puppy versions of larger breeds. Caris decided she needed a rest, so we had a sit in the main gazebo, enjoying refreshments while perusing the information boards telling you all about the area and the local flora. Having already seen a few Winter Donkey Orchids, I was looking forward to spotting some more orchid varieties as we hiked the Sixty Foot Falls Trail. As the main drawcard of Ellis Brook Reserve, Sixty Foot Falls requires a bit of a climb up the valley before you get to see the amazing views of the seasonal waterfall. Unlike other places in Perth like Lesmurdie Falls and Whistlepipe Gully, it really takes a lot for these falls to flow.
Typically Sixty Foot Falls only flows after frequent and voluminous rainfall over at least a 2-3 month period, so don't expect to come here in May or June and see water (unless we get the record setting amount of June rain we did in 2023). Following the orange trail markers with a lizard on them, the Sixty Foot Falls Trail starts off with a gradual climb alongside Ellis Brook as you make your way through tunnels of thick vegetation. Passing a bridge over Ellis Brook on your left, this is where the loop section joins back onto the trail but we were continuing straight ahead. There are lots of walkways and stairs to ease passage up the hill, and the steep bank on either side made spotting wildflowers easier, as they were closer to eye level. A stunning Fuchsia Grevillea and more Winter Donkey Orchids were cool finds but soon I came across a Blue Fairy Orchid hiding in the undergrowth. The scenery opens up eventually, revealing Sixty Foot Falls ahead, and excellent views looking up and down Ellis Brook Valley.
Choosing to visit in the afternoon was a choice I made so the lighting for this particular section would be at its best. The views looking across to Sixty Foot Falls and the wall of granite where the falls cascade over, combined with the surrounding forest, make this one of the more scenic places in the Darling Scarp. There are several vantage points along this stretch to take in the views, with two main lookouts providing rest points as you climb up the hill. Sadie and I powered up front while Caris and Kit brought up the rear, not enjoying the amount of stairs that were sometimes bigger than he was. We enjoyed a break at the main wooden lookout that provides one of the best views of Sixty Foot Falls, that while flowing today, wasn't a raging torrent. Fluffy white clouds in the background provided the cherry on top of a wonderful scene and I was really happy to be back here with the ability to showcase this place in great lighting. The views looking back down the valley were a little compromised thanks to the afternoon sun but that was something I knew before coming.
After a quick drink, we set off again, with one last set of stairs to navigate before reaching the top of the falls. With the views of Sixty Foot Falls disappearing, they are replaced with wide vistas looking down the valley. The terrain levels out and a wide granite platform is a popular spot for people to sit and have a relax or let the kids have a splash in the gently flowing brook. There were a few groups here when we arrived, and we decided to have another rest. Spotting more Winter Donkey Orchids, I went over to photograph them and saw some tiny Lemon-scented Sun Orchids hiding away. I'd seen these delicate orchids in John Forrest National Park the day before but they hadn't quite opened up like these ones had. After a short break we crossed Ellis Brook and up the last of the hills before a long descent. There is a confusing intersection at the top of the hill but the Sixty Foot Falls Trail heads left, taking you near the edge of a cliff where you get the views looking down the valley once more.
The gentle downhill from here is really scenic, with the occasional wider view looking west towards the Swan Coastal Plain, mixed in with tiny glimpses of the hills surrounding Old Barrington Quarry ahead. We were passed by a couple of young men and it was good to see the youth out and about doing wholesome activities. Different wildflowers appeared along this stretch with a Trymallium species dominating the path but some Boronia mixed in as well. At the bottom of the hill you come across a couple of switchbacks to make the elevation change a bit easier, and I noticed some beefed up security around the top of Old Barrington Quarry. The old fence had holes in it everywhere, making access to the area overlooking the quarry quite easy but there is now a solid steel fence to stop people entering here. I completely understand the decision as sooner or later, someone was going to fall and seriously injure themselves or worse. Continuing on, I spotted something out of the corner of my eye as we headed around one of the bends and sure enough, a colony of Jug Orchids was camouflaged in the undergrowth. The fourth and final orchid species for the hike, that wasn't a bad haul for mid-August in the Perth Hills. On the final descent of this section, another smaller quarry comes into view and provides something different to see.
At the bottom of the hill, take a right turn to head along the wide trail that leads to Old Barrington Quarry. This used to feel like you were breaking into the place but the large gates have since been removed. The quarry is 100m or so down the path and you are now free to explore the disused site that is a sort of unnatural gorge. After a quick look around, we headed back to the main trail to find the last little section of the loop. To find your way, walk across the large open space and to the lookout that provides lovely views from the other side of the valley. From there, the staircase back down to Ellis Brook is visible and you just follow that track. This was a really cool spot with a different feel to it thanks to some Sheoak and exposed granite. Crossing the bridge, you are soon back at the Valley Head car park, where things had quietened down now. With the Blue Wren Ramble Trail left to do before our hike was over, I was happy to see things from a different perspective, along with adding more distance to this wonderful hike. The walk was capped off by spotting a few birds on the way back, along with a brief glimpse of a Quenda before it scampered off into the bushes.
Final Thoughts – This page was well overdue for a refresh and with the Darling Scarp an absolute delight this time of year, I picked a great afternoon to head back and document it again.
After the Covid hiking boom that Perth experienced in 2020 and 2021, it's nice to see that the activity is still relatively popular and Ellis Brook Reserve remains a place that people still enjoy visiting.
With a well maintained trail leading you to some pretty incredible sites, along with an amazing wildflower display from June to November each year, this is a great location if you're after an escape in nature that isn't too far from Perth.
Don't leave valuables in your car as this can be a bit of a hotspot for unsavoury numpties, and as a deterrent I like to open up all my storage areas to show there is nothing worth stealing.
Don't let that deter you though, it's a great place to explore if you love wildflowers, birds and nature.
Get out there and experience it!!!
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