For no other reason than the experience, earlier this week Chrissie and I decided on a different and somewhat challenging experience. Starting from Boya in the Perth Hills, we walked the old railway heritage trail to Mundaring and back, a trip of around 25km. It was pretty much uphill all the way to Mundaring so thankfully downhill on the return. The walk took us six hours including two coffee stops and a light lunch at Mundaring. Considering we normally only cover half that distance on our normal daily walk (and most of that is flat) we were pleased with our effort but very glad to get back to the car.
The trail is built on the old railway line that ran to Toodyay. It was built in the 1880's and closed in 1965 when many railway lines and stations were closed in Western Australia. The path is gravel and open to walkers, cyclists and horse riders.
The walk from Boya to Darlington is 2.2km. There are two cafes there and for coffee quality we chose the wrong one. However due to Covid19 it would be unfair to critique any of the three outlets we visited as they are operating under testing circumstances.
The next stop is 2.5km away at Glen Forrest where there is one cafe. This part of the trail is probably the steepest but with great views into the valley below and some interesting dry rock embankments. It is still in fairly good condition considering it is probably 140 years old.
The next section to Mahogany Creek was the longest between villages we visited that day. The 3.8km was relatively flat and we were rewarded with a spectacular and close encounter with four magnificent Red Tailed Black Cockatoos providing us with a great display of their vibrant colour. There is a hotel at Mahogany Creek but it was closed due to Covid 19.
Walking another 2.9km brought us to the town of Mundaring which provided us with a choice of places for lunch. We had arrived just 3 hours after setting out with only coffee, a shared savoury muffin and fruit toast to sustain us to that point. We opted for a toasted sandwich and coffee at A Patch of Country Cafe and weren't disappointed with either. It was nice to give the legs a rest.
The walk back to the car was mainly downhill with a lot more birdlife during the afternoon than we had encountered in the morning. We did the return trip non-stop so our muscles were aching and our feet sore by the time we arrived at our car.
The Railway Heritage Trail is not difficult and it doesn't require anything more than a good pair of walking shoes and a small back pack with some water. Evidently Spring, when the wonderful wildflowers of Western Australia are in bloom, is the ideal time to do the walk but I imagine it would be a lot busier.
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