I just love Kalamunda. I love the bush, the sweet village vibe, not to mention the coffee at Mason & Bird. But what I really love about the Kalamunda Hills area is the range of places to go hiking and exploring. There is always somewhere new to discover on every trip out there.
One of my favourite spots in the Kalamunda area is Jorgensen Park. Not only because of the size of the area, but because it is a great dog friendly place for you to explore.
Getting there is really easy too. Head into Kalamunda, go down Crescent Road and you will find a big car park next to a community building, playground and picnic area.
Dogs need to be on the leash in and around the playground, but when you are off exploring let your pooch run wild.
Jorgensen Park was actually once farmland belonging to family on my husband’s side. It was then purchased by the Shire and some of the locals. A golf club was created on a large chunk of the land and named after one of the owner’s sons. Hence the Jorgensen name.
The golf course is now closed and wonderfully overgrown to create this exciting stomping ground. What you will find are old fairways to easily traverse, and then a range of little tracks that run off these that you can explore. These little pathways twist and wind through the thick bush offering a range of adventures from just bush bashing to travelling over rocky areas. The Bibbulmun Track runs along the northern edge of the park and there are markers around to let you know which path is what.
Our first trip out there we decided to just go and get a bit lost. So after walking up a fairway for a short while we headed into the thick bush to see what we could find. Noodles went off leash and had a great time running around sniffing the doggy social media channels, rock climbing (who knew??) and taking in the occasional views down the hill towards the city. We loved the adventure of finding new turnoffs on the little bushy pathways, and just kept heading off in any old direction we fancied until we found our way back to the picnic grounds.
In the picnic and carpark area you will find toilets, BBQ’s, a few tables with benches and a small playground. So be sure to pack up your picnic and make a day of it.
Details
Where: Hedley Jorgensen Park, Crescent Road, Kalamunda.
What: Carpark, toilets, playground, BBQ’s, a few tables and chairs.
Distance: Around 3km give or take, but it really depends where you walk and for how long. That’s the beauty of this place – make it your own.
Grade: 2/3 again depending on where you go. Stick to the fairways for more even predictable ground. If you take any of the little offshoot tracks the ground is uneven with rocky bits, uppy and downy bits but nothing too tricky.
What to take: pack a picnic, water, hats, sunblock, snacks, water and a leash for your dog.