Hi everyone. I hope you and yours are doing well.
It is winter here in Australia, and finally the rain has started to fall in the south west where I live.
Last weekend we took advantage of a cool fine day to explore the new Maidens Reserve lookout. Maidens Reserve is a coastal nature reserve featuring lookouts, hiking and walking trails, and picnic and play spaces on the edge of Bunbury, bordering the Indian Ocean.
The new walk paths and lookouts, designed by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, recently took home the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects Western Australia highest honour - the WA Medal - for one of the best designed regional landscape architectures. They also won an award of excellence in the category of parks and open space, and a regional achievement award in the tourism category. Read more at: Bunbury Herald-Maidens Reserve Award
The judges said that as well as a powerful connection to place resulting from their collaboration with traditional owners, the rest points, ramped lookout, and improved pathways extended the reserve's reach to include families, wheelchair users and older people.
We hadn't been out to the Maiden's Reserve for a few years, as it is not one of our close-to-home usual walking tracks, and our previous visits had been along the original sand tracks, so we decided it was time to make a return visit.
You will find the carpark and playground off Ocean Drive in Glen Padden.
Laying the in Kalgulup Regional Park, a Noongar word meaning 'place of fire', his area has been frequented by Noongar people for thousands of years.
The Kalgulup motif represents the woody nut and leaves of the mungite - bull banksia - Banksia grandis - which typically grows in jarrah forest. The Noongar people made a sweet drink or sucked the flowers of the banksia, and the woody nuts were used as a fire stick to carry fire from one camp to another. The wavy lines on the left hand side of the motif represent fire.
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We chose the concrete easier trail winding through the trees with stopping points and views over the city along the way.
When you reach the lower lookout there are seats and views over the city. Then stairs up to the upper lookout. In the lower right photo you can see a stopping point half way up the climb from the lower lookout to the upper lookout. I wish I had taken more photos but there were people on the lookout with children, and then we met someone we knew and photos were forgotten!
Remember safety whenever you go trail walking - let someone know where you are going, stay on the path, and be aware of snakes
There wasn't much flowering when we walked the trail, but it was interesting reading the information plaques, and the uses that Noongar people made of the various plants of the area - nature's pharmacy. However, don't be attempted to sample anything unless you are with an experienced person. We will have to go back in spring to see the wildflowers.
I hope you have enjoyed this little look at the Maidens Reserve lookouts walk trails today.
I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
