Winter in Perth is gorgeous. We have a fine blend of cold brisk days with howling winds and heavy rains, and beautiful sunny days which are warm in the sun but crispy cool in the shade. Those are the days everyone heads outdoors, looking for an adventure.
This was the case for us when we went to Noble Falls in Gidgegannup. I had found out about this dog friendly walk trail and could not wait to get out there but it was not going to be a good trip to make unless the sun was out. Sure enough we snagged a perfect day after the rain, so packed up our picnic, grabbed the dog and headed out early in the morning.
Noble Falls are off Toodyay road in Gidgegannup. This makes it really easy to get to. It is also on Waze or Google Maps which is helpful. The drive out becomes lovely once you leave the main highway and head into the hills. The road curves around and rolling green hills seem to tumble right onto the road. Farm houses sit nestled amongst trees and hills and you catch glimpses of cows and horses grazing in the green fields. There is a quiet energy that makes you relax deeply into the landscape.
We were impressed with the setup at Noble Falls. The carpark is large and on the day we went it was pretty full. We parked up the other end away from the main picnic area, near the entry, as it was less crowded. We found ourselves in a secluded area with picnic table and BBQ at the ready. We decided to walk first and unbeknownst to us, we misread the map we had and headed off down a track in the opposite direction to the falls.
Now, this was not a total disaster. We were all alone, in the middle of the bush alongside possibly the loveliest brook this side of Albany, and we weren’t lost. Pretty soon we came to a ‘bridge’ made up of two fallen trees and questioned how the map suggested this was a proper bridge. That was when we really started to question our bearings and discussions started about who read the map wrong. Anyway, we made it across the ‘bridge’, some of us by crawling, some of us by scootching along, and some of us walked like trapeze artists. Noodles just did a hop skip and a jump and he was over.
We walked back up the other side of the river, taking time to explore rocky outcrofts, until we reached the main picnic end and could hear the rapids of the falls – oohhhhh, now the penny has dropped. Yes we did misread the map – not the map creators fault, totally our own. It’s a thing of ours I try not to broadcast too loudly.
We tried to find our way across the river at that end, but we were unsuccessful. So we just back tracked. Not a big deal because it was a really short walk, maybe only half an hour.
We recrossed the ‘bridge’ the same way as the first time and made our way back to the campsite. By now another family had found our table, damnit. But I had the picnic blanket on backup so no problem, we set up riverside and while the kids ran around exploring the area and climbing small rocks, SB cooked our BBQ and we prepared our lunch.
Once we had eaten we decided to try the walk again, this time with more success. We checked out the full area and walked part of the walk trail. It was lovely to see the falls flowing and it is a great area to walk around.
The correct bridge to cross
Overall Noble Falls is a really easy user-friendly place to experience some of Perth Hill’s loveliness, and a great picnic area to bring visiting friends and relatives. On the way home you can easily stop into the Swan Valley to check out a few wineries or the Chocolate Factory.
Details
Where: Noble Falls, off Toodyay Road, Gidgegannup
Dog Friendly: Yes
What: large brook with rapids and falls, picnic grounds, electric BBQ’s, playground, toilets, and easy walk around the falls. Free entry.
Bring: Your picnic, water, hat, sunblock and dog
For more details check out: http://www.gidgegannup.info/noble-falls-walk-trail/