Numbat Trail
Paruna Wildlife Sanctuary
Directions - The Numbat Trail is located within the Paruna Wildlife Sanctuary, an hours drive from the centre of Perth in Gidgegannup. From Roe Highway, take the Toodyay Road exit heading east and drive up the hill, turning left at O'Brien Road. Follow this for 17km as it weaves through the hills and valleys, eventually reaching the signed turn-off for Paruna Wildlife Sanctuary at Avon Road. Continue down the unsealed road to the end, where you will find the car park at the gated entrance.
The Hike - One of Perth's most popular hikes, and one I've enjoyed many times over the years, the Numbat Trail is the longest of the three hikes found within Paruna Wildlife Sanctuary. Run by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC), Paruna is one of many private land holdings around Australia that the AWC have purchased for the purpose of vegetation rehabilitation, wildlife protection and scientific study.
This was one of the first hikes I put on the website, way back in 2014, and despite adding photos from various visits over the years, it was always a page I had meant to re-do at some point. With most of the major trails around Perth having received a refresh in the past few years, the Numbat Trail was the last of the popular ones that I wanted to do. To fully showcase why it's one of the best, I left this until spring, when the wildflowers would be at their best. With this being the busiest time of year for me hiking-wise, I selected a spare weekend in advance and would have to deal with whatever weather came my way. Having lost my Nikon D5600 to bad weather while hiking the Wiilman Bilya a couple of weeks prior to this, this hike would be the first time using my new (used) Nikon D7500. Purchased second hand with only 1100 shots of the shutter, this would be my second D7500 after owning one briefly in 2020 before also losing that to water damage (I have better measures in place to deal with this going forward).
With foggy weather forecast for the morning, I was hoping that it stuck around for a while but not too long. Arriving at the car park after the lovely drive along O'Brien Road, my timing couldn't have been worse. A large tour group was waiting for their last members to arrive, so I hastily got everything into my pack and put my shoes on in an attempt to try and put some distance between myself and the group. The forecast was proving right, with the thick fog providing some atmosphere to the start of the hike. Shooting in more balanced light, even if things were a little grey was fine by me to start with, as this first section heads in an easterly direction and I didn't want to be shooting into direct sunlight. Entering in the code I received after booking and paying for the hike online, I walked down the hill and found the trail markers for all three trails within Paruna. As they all follow the same path for the first section, I headed off along the trail and was immediately impressed with all the wildflowers around.
Splashes of pink and yellow were everywhere thanks to the Calytrix and Verticordia acerosa growing profusely along the trail. Snapping away at everything I saw, over the past couple of years I've made an effort to try and catalogue all the different wildflowers I see, and this means going at a slower pace as I scan the edge of the trail. This first section leading down to the dam is a really enjoyable meander, weaving between curved sections of boardwalk that take you past several granite boulders. It doesn't take long to reach the dam, and with the lingering fog, dead trees and grey conditions, it had a spooky feel to it. That was soon interrupted as I heard the tour group approach. Figuring I was going to be stopping a lot to photograph everything, I made my way to the edge of the trail to shoot a Spindly Grevillea and watched the train go by. It seemed everyone was in conversation with each other and not really noticing anything around them but as they say "hike your own hike".
After enough time had passed and peace was restored, I headed away from the dam and made my way along the edge of the valley lining a small creek. The Wandoo and Trymalium through here was thoroughly enjoyable and just a taste of things to come. Eventually the landscape opens up and you get some really cool views looking down the valley, and across to large boulders on the other side of the hill. Reaching the intersection where the Numbat and Quenda Trails leave the Possum Trail, I wandered down to take a look at the bridge over the creek before doubling back to head up the first of many hills for the morning. Switching between open woodland and thick pockets of Trymalium, this section introduces you to the major theme for the whole hike, stairs. I'll talk more on that subject later but for now I was busy spotting flora that included a Rabbit Orchid and some Lemon-scented Darwinia. Passing a boulder on the edge of the hill, I remembered back to hiking with some old friends here and a picture I have of one of them stood on one of the rocks.
Reaching the first of the lookouts along the Numbat Trail, the dull conditions meant I wasn't going to get sweeping vistas overlooking the valley below, so I instead concentrated on photographing the exposed rock leading back towards the forest. With not much to see, I quickly moved on and finished the last of the climbing towards an area that I've really enjoyed on past visits, the wander through the golden Wandoos. This open section is home top plenty of mature trees in all their golden goodness and the lack of undergrowth provides ample opportunity to admire them as you walk past. While the Trymalium took a break for a while through here, there were still other flora to enjoy including some Cowslip Orchids and Zamia Palms. Rounding a corner as you traverse the eastern and northern slopes of the hill, the Trymalium returns as you finally reach the top of the climb. This is a really pretty section that I made sure I slowed down to enjoy, even though the views were limited thanks to the fog.
Passing a picnic table, this is one of the many spots along the trail where you can stop and have a sit down. With everything being a bit wet and the views over the Avon River Valley non-existent, I elected to keep calm and carry on. Starting to descend down towards one of the most recognisable parts of the trail, switchbacks make things a lot easier but of course there are stairs here to navigate. Stopping a lot to photograph all the wildflowers along here, I was secretly hoping that if I took my time then the clouds would clear and I would get nice views at the next lookout. This section leading down the hill was full of different species and so I would have slowed up anyway. Spotting plenty of flowers to tickle my fancy, there was a White Spider Orchid, Milkmaids, a Pimelea, Blue China Orchid, False Boronia and more Cowslip Orchids that had some interesting spotty colouring. Instead of the weather clearing up, it got worse and there was a medium drizzle falling as I reached the bottom of the hill.
Keeping my spirits up was a White-tailed Black Cockatoo that flew past and landed on a distant tree skeleton. Unfortunately I didn't get a clear shot of the beak, so not sure if it was a Baudin or Carnaby. With this being the test run for my new camera, I didn't want to notch up another waterlogged camera after one use, so I dug out my jacket again to help keep it dry when I wasn't shooting. Luckily the rains eased off to a light drizzle as I reach the creek crossing where you get see the wooden lookout for the first time. A highlight on previous hikes here, today would be a quick visit to get some shots and wander down to the edge of the little rocky gorge below. With the drizzle still falling, I carefully made my way down the little goat tracks that take you down to the edge of the creek. The rapids were in full flow, although the grey conditions didn't really bring out the colouring of the bare rock that makes up the gorge. Heading back up to the wooden lookout, it just wasn't my luck with the weather today, so I continued along the trail.
Starting to climb a little hill, this next stretch takes you off towards another wooden lookout that provides wider views of the Avon River Valley and the farmland in the distance. Some of my favourite shots from previous hikes were from this location and as I walked through the thick vegetation to get there, the drizzle started to ease, making me wonder if the grey clouds might blow over before I arrived. They didn't but the drizzle did stop, so that was a plus, and the moody skies looking down towards the Avon River and rolling hills provided a different kind of vibe. Taking the short detour off the main trail, a section of boardwalk leads to the wooden lookout and bench, where I stayed long enough for a couple of photos before moving on. Back on the trail, you start to curve around the contours of the hill to head west and then south. I kept looking back here to see if the clouds had cleared and while they hadn't, I saw a One-sided Bottlebrush covered in water droplets that looks nice against the misty backdrop.
The next stretch of walking was really pleasant with a return of the Pink Calytrix that mixed with some Golden Wreath Wattle provided a vibrant flash of colour to the dull weather. Hiding among the pink and the yellow was dots of white and purple thanks to the Fringe Lilies, Graceful Honeymyrtle and White Myrtle that had joined the party. This unfortunately was the last of the nice wildflower areas for now, as you continue along and the landscape becomes a lot more barren and weedy, hinting at the previous land use for this property (farming). There is still enough tree cover, nice views and exposed granite through here to keep the scenery looking presentable but it's definitely noticeable that things aren't right along here. Trying to do the best I could with shooting what I thought were the more positive aspects of this section, I was enjoying the views looking down over the valley, and the taller trees found through here. There is another lookout with a picnic bench, requiring a short detour near some impressive granite and up a hill.
Having not packed a picnic basket, I did the short trip, admired the views over the valley, and continued on my merry way. Rounding a corner, the weeds start to disappear as you descend down through a Zamia and Balga lined part of the trail that brought back some magic to the hike. On my visit there were some massive Zamia cones that if were an emu (one can dream), I would have loved having a peck at. The tree cover through here got thicker as you enter into a valley, and this provided opportunity for some serious twitching. While my camera lens is okay for wildflowers and the occasional bit of wildlife if I'm quick (or it's not fussed about moving), the 140mm zoom has its limits for bird photography. Twitching also requires a lot of time and patience, something I don't often afford myself on these hikes. Today I was fortunate to get a Scarlet Robin stay still for a few seconds, and a New Holland Honeyeater just down the trail. Unfortunately, I noticed that my camera had started to fog up through here, so I stopped on the edge of the trail to do some remediation works, and apply some sunscreen now bits of blue sky were starting to appear.
This was actually a really nice spot to stop and have a break, as the views looking across the valley towards a bare section of granite were almost rivalled by the new wildflowers finds along the hill. When my camera had eventually defogged, I went about photographing the Mountain Kunzea, Parrot Bush, Wavy-leaved Hakea and Granny Bonnets. Eventually moving on, the sunnier skies and little rest had perked me up and I was excited to explore this next stretch, as I had pleasant memories from my previous visits. Descending more stairs, you reach the bottom of the valley before starting to climb back up again. Crossing a wide trail, you continue along the single trail and through one of the best parts of the whole Numbat Trail. Walking alongside a small creek, the exposed granite with carpets of green moss looked magnificent, and the light barked woodland that leads up the hill was the cherry on top. The wildflowers continued to be excellent, with Morning Iris looked splendid as they held on to glistening water droplets.
Spotting another White Spider Orchid brought a smile to my face as I climbed up to where the Numbat Trail departs the Quenda Trail. With the Numbat Trail not really being a full circuit walk, it's more of a double loop with a linking trail, you end up returning to this spot eventually. Continuing to climb, the excellent native vegetation is a companion as you wind your way up the hill, with the aid of some stairs in strategically placed sections. A highlight through here was passing by a small rock wall, along with getting better views looking down towards the Avon River Valley again. Eventually you cross a vehicle track and near the top of the hill you are greeted with some exposed land that is filled with a mass of yellow flowering weeds (I think daises). Unfortunately, this is the start of where I lost interest in the trail, due to a few factors I'll go into detail further on. It wasn't all bad through here, with a lone kangaroo hiding in the little woodland patches you walk through to start the loop section of this part of the Numbat Trail.
Joining a vehicle track for a short while, you eventually come across a wooden "Numbat Trail" sign pointing you down the hill, via a series of switchbacks. My podcast partner has noted in the past that I may have have a hand in accidentally changing the name of this trail from Numbat Track to Numbat Trail. When I first visited, the walk notes clearly stated the Numbat Track in places but when I added the walk to the website way back in 2014, I labeled it as the Numbat Trail. Having also added it to TrailsWA (one of my original photos is still used on their site), I also used the trail moniker. Looking back at the trail notes they provided to me in 2014, they used both track and trail when referring to the walk, so now I'm as confused as ever. Their updated notes now call it the Numbat Trail but is that because the term was popularised through my website along with TrailsWA and that's just the way it was called, or was it always the Numbat Trail and they wrote the notes incorrectly in 2014? A mystery until I hear something to explain it I guess.
Back to the trail (or track), the stairs here brought back some memories as my friend Robert severely sprained his ankle here once and we had to call in the AWC caretakers to get him back to the car. Being careful not to replicate that scenario, I hopped down the stairs that leads to one of the redeeming parts of this loop section, the creek and waterfall. Waiting for me there were a small group of people that I deduced were part of the larger hike tour but elected not to do this second loop. As they were all in the photos I wanted to take, I decided to keep going and hope it was clear when I came back this way. Following the trail as it runs parallel to a creek running down the valley, the walking is pleasant enough thanks to the surrounding trees but there is a lot of non-native grass through here, along with more yellow daises. Stopping at one of the little rapids along the creek, I noticed some movement in the water and on closer inspection, some baby ducklings were trying to get from the bottom of the small rapids to the top. It was both cute and hilarious to watch them but I didn't want to scare them, so kept my distance.
Moving on, the trail leaves the creek and you start the largest climb of the whole trail. I started to notice through here that random piles of timber had been left along the trail and I quickly deduced that this meant they planned on installing more stairs. This is the area that I believe most people have an issue with (see the comments section that I've left in from the previous iteration of this post) and I can see why. I imagine the meeting when they were planning the trails here going something like this... "So...stairs, how many are we thinking?". "Yes". I kind of understand that erosion could be a problem on this hill, as the main goal of physically building a trail is controlling water but I would have thought that removing all the weeds and revegetating this area would have been a much better idea than just adding more stairs. With proper water bars and trail building, you shouldn't need many stairs along a slope of this gradient, so to keep adding them in just creates a poor user experience. I've never liked stairs as they force you into an unnatural rhythm and you are constantly stopping your entire body weight with each step. The climb is one that I just wanted to get over, as it was just weeds and steps and didn't provide much excitement to me, so I didn't really stop much.
As you get higher, there is a much nicer section of Wandoo and the views overlooking the valley go a short way in making up for the slog up the stairs. Reaching the Bilu Lookout, this is where I found the bulk of the tour group, not hard to miss as there was a lot of noise. I snuck in to the picnic table area and got a couple of shots overlooking the valley to the north, which was looking much better than when I was there a couple of hours ago. Moving on, I left the group and climbed the final part of the hill into a really nice stand of Wandoo that takes you to the descent back towards the waterfall. Down more stairs, you eventually cross a creek and then hike past some bare granite, before descending down to finish the loop. I had the creek and waterfall to myself this time, apart from the friendliest Shingleback Lizard I've ever seen in my life. Most of the time they either scamper away when they hear you, or open their mouths and expose their tongues as a warning. This one just wanted to be my friend. After almost stepping on it, I got down low to take some photos before it ran away but it kept following my camera. After taking a few photos, I headed off to the waterfall and shot that from various angles before returning to the picnic table to find my lizard friend. Here I took more photos and it eventually came right up to me and was super curious, checking out my shoes and camera without showing any aggression.
I was a bit sad to leave it but after hearing the tour group coming down the hill, I made my exit to stage left. Ascending the stairs to head back to where the Numbat Trail and Quenda Trail meet, I was looking forward to getting back to some more natural looking scenery. Walking the link trail improved my mood and this continued as I reached the intersection once again. With the rest of the hike following the Quenda Trail, I remembered the finish being an enjoyable experience. It was certainly busy through and I could hear a few groups up ahead. Enjoying the wildflowers as I climbed more stairs, the thick Trymalium through here provided some nice photo opportunities. At the top of the hill there is a side trip you can do to check out one of the John Forrest cairns that were built in the late 1800s as he surveyed this area. It also provides a great vantage point for your last views overlooking the Avon River Valley and I finally had clear-ish skies. Returning back to the main trail, you walk along the edge of a hill and get even better views looking to the west and the areas you've just hiked through. While the darker clouds on the horizon didn't make for great photos, I at least had some blue skies today.
Moving on, you descend down into the Wandoo Woodlands and the golden trunks provide plenty of nice photo opportunities. I was pleased to see another Cowslip Orchid through here, and I met a nice man having a break in front of some large granite boulders. Strategically shooting around some fellow hikers that I had caught up to, the trail eventually reaches a vehicle track that takes you towards the last hurrah of the hike. After climbing up the winding vehicle track, you reach a turn-off onto some single track that leads you onto a boardwalk. Here I was pleased to see bright yellow Many-flowered Honeysuckle on the edge of the trail, and a sea of yellow extending along the boardwalk. The boardwalk is there to protect the granite that leads to another wooden lookout, one providing the most expansive views of the interior of the reserve. There were already a couple of other hikers there, so I took a couple of photos and left to their conversation. Returning back to the trail, you end up reaching the fence line and hike along that, until completing the final descent to the car park. Along here I spotted a Giant Sundew in flower, and a Prickly Dryandra. Arriving at the gates, it was a satisfying ending to my return here, although I think I'll return in 2024 to write-up the Quenda Trail on its own, hopefully with better weather.
Final Thoughts - The Numbat Trail was one of the first trails I added to the website way back in 2014 and has been a really enjoyable hike throughout the years when I've returned.
As one of the best trails in Perth that is of a decent length (>10km), it rightly deserves the praise it gets, something I've certainly added to over the years. A staple of the Perth hiking community, we are better off for having this trail and a big thank you has to go to the AWC for allowing people to hike in the sanctuary.
Visiting in spring after many years of hiking different trails and enjoying different aspects of hiking, I was excited to see how many wildflower and orchids species I could find in the middle of September. On that front, this trail was great but the areas that were once grazing land are starkly different to the rest of the sanctuary.
Because of that, I'd actually recommend only doing the Quenda Trail if you're after that type of experience. If you want the extra length or really want to see the waterfall then extend out to the full Numbat Trail but there is nothing on that second loop that you don't get on the Quenda Trail (apart from excessive weeds).
As I said previously, I'd much rather see the second loop have a bit more revegetation work done to it, rather than money be spent on adding more stairs. I absolutely love the work that the AWC does all over Australia and donate money every year to help them achieve their goals (which if we're honest should be a much bigger priority for all the Parks and Wildlife departments around the country, instead of private enterprises leading the way in conservation).
So there you have it, maybe I'm being a bit of a old grump when it comes to the weeds and the stairs but that's just how I found the experience. It won't stop me coming back but as I mentioned, perhaps only to do a purer version of the hike, and only walk the Quenda Trail.
Get out there and experience it!
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