Ball Creek to Helena
Bibbulmun Track
Start - Ball Creek Campsite
Finish - Helena Campsite
Length - 9.1km (One Way)
Elevation - 278m
Time - 2-4 Hours
Date Hiked - 5th October 2024
The Hike - Having completed my section end to end in 2019, the Bibbulmun Track pages you see on this website are all from my time hiking the track between 2016 and 2019. Most were as part of multi-day trips, where I had the formula for the website posts mostly downpat to capture everything from that specific time. The sections between Kalamunda and Mount Dale however where more a recollection of my collected experience from various trips, with no cohesive narrative to relate to the jumble of photos from different years, and different seasons.
Taking a break from multi-day hikes on the Bibbulmun Track after completing my sectional E2E, apart from a few short overnighters, the opportunity presented itself in October of 2024 to join friends Donovan and Bronwyn, along with Donovan's friend Peter, on the popular overnighter from the Perth Hills Discovery Centre to Mount Dale over two days. Having hiked the PHDC to Helena section many times, along with a few return overnighters between Mount Dale and Waalegh, this would be my first time hiking north to south between Helena and Waalegh. Given these pages for the website were in need of a refresh, I was excited to get them in line with the rest of my Bibbulmun posts, along with spending some time in nature, and seeing a new alignment leaving the Helena Campsite. With good weather planned for the weekend, Donovan and I met Bronwyn at the Dale Road-Omeo Road intersection, left Bonny's car there, before driving all the way to the start at the Perth Hills Discovery Centre.
There we were meant to be meeting Donovan's friends Justin and Peter, as the purpose of the trip was to get some training in for them, in preparation for an upcoming hiking trip to New Zealand. Unfortunately Justin had badly stubbed his toe the previous night, and felt so bad that he had come to the start anyway to show Donovan that he wasn't faking the injury. Reduced to a party of four, we gathered our packs, said goodbye to Justin, and made our way towards the large Bibbulmun Track sign that marks the way to Ball Creek Campsite (or Balls Creek as it's become known in our chat group). It became apparent early on that the group would be divided into two, with Donovan and Peter storming out front, on a death march towards our destination, while Bonny and I would stop frequently to admire/photograph the excellent spring wildflowers on display. It wasn't a big difference early on, as I wasn't stopping to take a million photos of the scenery, given this section wasn't going to be written up for the website.
We reached Ball Creek Campsite pretty quickly, relative to the rest of the weekend, and it's a spot I really enjoy visiting. Being close to a large access point, it's a popular introductory campsite for those wanting to test out their appetite for overnight hiking, and there were a few people around when we arrived. Taking a quick break here, we signed the log book, had a drink, and then set off towards our lunch stop at Helena Campsite. Having experienced a wet winter and spring, it was nice to see Ball Creek with some water in it, as we moved past the Wandoo around camp, and made our way towards the Jarrah/Marri forest to join a winding vehicle track. I enjoy this stretch of walking, as it's a gentle downhill, the track is wide but not too wide, and the forest scenery is pleasant, even if it was a little burnt in places. Anyone who's listened to an episode of Real Trail Talk where Donovan discusses the Jarrah Forest will know his feelings on burnt Jarrah, but I'm slightly more accepting of the look.
Excited to be out in the heart of the wildflower season, Bonny and I were stopping frequently along here, with lots of Cowslip Orchids mixed in with a variety of wildflowers, a sample of which are located in the galleries throughout this post (hover over the photo or click on it for the names). Having hiked this section many times before, it was like seeing an old friend, and my thoughts wandered off to previous trips, either on my own, with friends, or those times when I organised group hikes. The gently curving tracks through here offer up some lovely scenes, and while they may not blow you away, for me it's a peaceful place to walk through. Following the waugyls as you reach intersections, we eventually found Donovan and Peter waiting for us at a critical one, where the wide tracks end, and you veer right onto single trail leading towards Manns Gully. I'm not embarrassed to admit that I've walked straight past this point on an early visit, and that's been a catalyst for me to always remember this turn, even if the track is full of sticks to ensure you know not to continue.
After a short flat section, where you get some limited views to the east, and some impressive granite outcrops, the downhill continues, and the forest gets thicker and lusher. Seeing the first Dampier's Rose of the weekend, I always love seeing a Diplolaena species, as the red flowers are super photogenic. Bringing up the rear, I always slow down through here, as there is a magic to this spot, with the temperature drop that comes with descending into the valley, the closed in feel of the thick vegetation, and eventually the waters of Manns Gully. While not the prettiest of creeks, thanks to the overgrown vegetation and muddy tracks, it gets a lot better as you ascend up a small hill to arrive at a series of granite platforms along a better looking version of Manns Gully. With a wealth of new wildflowers appearing, including Fringe Lillies and a Smokebush, everyone was waiting for me, as this is a natural stopping point to admire the scenery along Manns Gully.
I took many photos along here, trying to capture the Wandoo on the other side of the gully as best I could, but the morning sun didn't make things easy. The remnants of an old gauging station and fence can be seen near the upper part of the gully, with the lower section looking a lot more natural. Saying hello to everyone, it was nice to be back as a group, as we headed along the single trail leading towards Allen Road. This is the same road that leads away from the PHDC car park, albeit gated to deter vehicle traffic. It's a brief jaunt on Allen Road, being used to cross Manns Gully without a footbridge, before you turn right onto more lovely single trail as it continues down the hill. This is a great area for wildflowers, and I made sure I was at the back of the pack here, so I could meander along at my own pace looking for new and interesting species. There are some impressive boulders on the right of the trail, where Manns Gully flows downhill over the granite, although the vegetation has started to obstruct previously clear views.
The end of the downhill walking comes to an end, as you reach an exposed platform that is a mix of sand and granite. A wonderful spot to walk through, you get views of the forest looking to the west, along with coming across a smaller creek that flows into Manns Gully. Bonny and I spent a lot of time here because of the bounty of orchids in bloom. First there was a Banded Bee Orchid looking splendid in the sunshine, then a small Yellow Spider Orchid hiding away, and just as I was about to cross the water flowing over the granite, I noticed a Pink Enamel Orchid just off the trail. It's pretty fun doing the Pokemon collecting, as Donovan likes to call it, and I feel lucky to live in the South West of WA where we have a lot of different varieties. Buoyed by these finds, we set off again, ready to tackle the long uphill that lasts until right near Helena Campsite.
Stepping off the granite platform, you head back into the Wandoo covered hills, and here we discovered more wildflower species including a Melaleucas parviceps, a Crinkle-leaved Poison, and the thistle looking Blue Devil that doesn't look native but only grows in WA. Starting to climb, the vegetation remains thick as you pass plenty of boulders strewn across the surrounding hills. This is some of the best forest scenery of the section (plenty more to come between Helena and Waalegh), and I was making sure I savoured it. Bonny and I were together again, enjoying the variety of wildflowers through here, stopping frequently to photograph something interesting. The wildflowers weren't the only thing I was photographing, as we reached higher ground, the views looking back to the west provided some noteworthy vistas.
After passing through a dense section of vegetation that surrounds a small creek flowing down the hill from right to left, you start to come across more exposed parts of the trail. Rocky outcrops reduce the available shade, more noticeable now the day was getting warmer, but these provided opportunities for different flora, such as a decent clumping of Yellow Spider Orchids. This variety in my experience seems to flower in big clumps, and they're always a fun find when I'm out hiking. Moving slowly because of the search for new flora, and also the ascent up the hill in the warm conditions, we soon found our fist Blue Lady Orchid of the trip, and not the last. Heading back into the forested section was a relief, and soon we reached a left turn that took us onto a vehicle track I remember well. One of my favourite photos from a previous trip was capturing three hikers from our group climbing up the hill, with a sea of yellow Wattle in flower all around. With Donovan and Peter in the distance, I tried to recreate the photo, but it was lacking the same mass of yellow flowers.
Bonny and I continued on together, and heard a familiar but annoying noise in the distance. Soon enough we were passed by a dickhead on an unlicensed dirt bike, ignoring that this is a Disease Risk Area, and off limits to vehicles. It's a common sight/sound in this area, as they know the chances of being caught are limited, and it really ruins the peace and quiet out here. Moving on, we continued the climb that leads up towards a feature of this part, the old concrete water tank. While one of the steeper small climbs of the section, I enjoy the towering forest around here, and the reward at the top is some flat walking. Donovan and Peter were nowhere to be seen when we reached the water tank, evidently keen to get to the campsite and have some lunch. It wasn't long before we reached the start of a pine plantation, a place I didn't really notice was a pine plantation until it was harvested around 2018/19. There was a border of native vegetation along the edge of the trail, and I probably wasn't as observant on my earlier visits.
The pine plantation has been replanted (or maybe just left to seed), but still looks quite bare compared to what was here before. The native vegetation has staked its claim where it can, with some Old Man's Beard covering a young pine tree, and some Parrot Bush, possibly a survivor of the chop, doing quite well. It's an unpleasant scene to come across, and I've always wondered why the catchment area of Lake CY O'Connor is littered with these patches of pines, which means DBCA are compelled to continuously burn to "protect assets". The Bibbulmun is getting realigned completely from Manns Gully to Helena Campsite, so it won't be passing through pine plantations, or having extended sections on vehicle tracks for too much longer. As we were admiring the native flora survivors, we heard a noise from behind, and along came a trail runner, who gave a friendly hello before disappearing onto the single trail ahead. We soon followed, crossing Allen Road for the last time, continuing up the hill towards the She-Oak grove ahead.
I've always enjoyed this linking section of single trail that takes you to Driver Road, as the flora is excellent, and the She-Oak provides something different. Hoping to see Donovan and Peter at the weird lookout after crossing Driver Road, they were not there. The track takes you to a spot on the edge of the hill, where you get limited views looking across the Helena River Valley, before taking you back to Driver Road. I suppose it's better than just turning left onto Driver Road but it's not exactly a view to write home about given the area below the hill is all cleared pine plantations. Now on Driver Road (different to the one near Dwellingup), this takes you all the way to the Helena Campsite. Settling in for the last part of the journey before lunch, the flat walking towards the double bend in the road is pleasant, and is a good time to walk at a faster pace. The real fun begins when the forest to your right starts to disappear, and you see the expanse of granite running up and down the hill.
Following the contours of the terrain before heading up the hill, Driver Road takes a wide semi-circle that is a great place to stop and admire the views, along with the wildflowers that are well fed by the run off of the creek that runs through here. Bonny and I took our time through here, spotting Verticordias, Pincushion Coneflowers, Spindly Grevillea, and Lemon-scented Darwinia. The views were amazing too, although the skeletal trees from the 2018 bushfire that tore through here means it's not as nice as it once was. With one last climb before lunch, I powered up the hill, and was soon near the summit of Mount Hall, ready to tackle the final stretch into camp. It felt longer than I remembered, and I was expecting to see the sign pointing you down the hill into camp right after the top of the hill, but it took a while to arrive. After a kilometre, I was happy to see the turn-off, and began the steep descent towards Helena Campsite, and our planned lunch stop.
Passing the toilet block, with some of the best views from such a facility along the track, I arrived at the unique shelter to find Donovan and Peter sat down and preparing their lunches. The Helena shelter was lost in the aforementioned 2018 bushfire, with the rammed earth replacement built much bigger than any other shelter on the track to accommodate more hikers. Given this is a popular overnight destination from the Perth Hills Discovery Centre, this was a good move. Bonny eventually arrived, and we all had a chat about our mornings, given we'd not spent much time together. Enjoying a protein bar and some beverage, I had a wander down the granite hill in front of the shelter to see what flora I could find, and was rewarded with a Brown Falcon sitting in one of the skeletal trees left from the fires. We ended up staying here for about half an hour, regrouping our strength for the second half of the day leading towards Waalegh Campsite.
Final Thoughts - Not a bad way to start a two day adventure in the heart of the wildflower season. The PHDC to Helena section is a popular day hike, and one I'd not done with a loaded pack since 2017.
This section is a bit of a mixed bag, with some lovely scenery after Ball Creek, either side of Manns Gully, and the final stretch into camp, but there are some areas that really take you out of the feeling that you're trekking through the bush. This is mainly the pine plantation, and the extensive use of vehicle tracks, that are more frequently becoming filled with dirt bike riders and 4x4s.
If you're overnighting here, the views you get from the campsite are fantastic, and if you get a special sunset, it's an unforgettable experience. I enjoy that they've catered to the increased numbers that this spot can attract, and if you're not one for crowds, the elevated tent sites are a pretty magical place to set yourself up at.
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