uncomplicated & unrefined: Serpentine National Park

When I left Colorado, I left with it my hiking boots and other remnants of mountain living. Never did I imagine I’d need them in Perth where flips flops (or even your bare feet) are the favored footwear.

As it turns out, they may have come in handy. Sitting quietly in the shadow of Perth’s spectacular beaches, an hour east of Perth, lays the Darling Range or Perth Hills as they are more commonly called. Their low-profile provides a quieter way of life nestled in the trees where kangaroos trim your lawns and charming antique shops and bed and breakfasts are dotted along the way.

Friday saw our first real rainfall in several months – washing away the dry heat of a Perth summer and ringing in a beautiful autumn weekend. Yesterday was the perfect day for a hike. Thanks to some assistance from toptrails.com.au we decided upon Kitty’s Gorge in Serpentine National Park, 45 minutes southeast of Perth in "the Hills".

Kitty's Gorge is a 14km round trip hike originating in the historic town of Jarrahdale (named after the Jarrah tree) and ending at Serpentine Falls which is open to the public (at $11) for some good old fashioned waterhole swimming.

Kitty’s Gorge follows the Gooralong Brook which is mostly dry this time of year but I imagine quite beautiful in the spring after the winter rain. We walked through a forest filled with tall lanky Jarrah trees, big bushy grass trees, ferns, palms, and Marri trees - a member of the eucalypt family whose fruit is referred to as “honky nuts”. I like to think of it as the acorn of WA. We also encountered a pine forest which is not native to the area. Pine forests are often planted for the use of their wood. This group of trees would have been plated years before it became a national park and is now a part of the scenery.

Noisy black Cockatoos and a few cheeky Kangaroos entertained us along the way. White Cockatoos and pink and grey Cockatoos are common (pests actually) in Perth but these were my first black Cockatoos.

We wrapped things up with lunch at the Jarrahdale General Store where I rated the best BLT in Perth. I was so excited about it that I finished it off with scones with jam and cream and destroyed any benefit gained from my long hike.