“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.”
“I don’t much care where –”
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
Every time I get together with my friend Sally we end up chatting for hours. We usually end up bemoaning the fact that we don’t get enough exercise and that we should get out more. Sally is quite new to Perth and its surrounds so with this in mind, we decided to combine our love of walking and chatting, whilst discovering new areas of Perth.
Our first outing found us in Maylands prepared to walk the easy 2km round trip from Banks Reserve to Claisebrook Cove. The walk takes you along the river past the old East Perth Power Station, on to Claisebrook, with a view to Victoria Gardens, over the pedestrian bridge connecting Victoria Gardens and Royal Street, around Claisebrook Cove inlet past the waterfront restaurants, where you could stop to eat whilst enjoying the views, before returning back to your starting point.
We parked the car in the car park at Banks Reserve, grabbed our water bottles and set off on our mini adventure.
Unsure of whether to go left or right and having absolutely no sense of direction we set off like Alice in Wonderland following the White Rabbit.
As we walked along the side of the river there were lots to pique our interest; an assortment of birds and waterfowl, sailing boats, and a lovely view across the river to the new Matagarup Bridge and Optus stadium. The shared walkway and bike path were flat making it easy for even the most casual of walkers, mums with prams, or for wheelchair access.
Chatting as we went, we strolled through Bardon Park and Berringa Reserve, passing Maylands Yacht club, the old Maylands Brickworks, the Maylands Peninsula Golf Club and, after a short deliberation, veered left towards the lakes we spied through the bushes. As we approached, we discovered that we were not in fact in Claisebrook, but at a lovely park around Lakes Bungana and Brearly, next to the Maylands Foreshore. The parkland has been beautifully developed with footpaths, gazebos, places to sit, and a children’s nature playground. As we had now already walked about 4km we came to the conclusion that we had obviously either set off in the wrong direction or completely lost our way, and East Perth was in the opposite direction. But as Lewis Carroll said “ If you don’t much care where, then it doesn’t matter which way you go”
So maybe we didn’t get to have lunch at one of East Perth’s waterside restaurants, but we had a very enjoyable morning exploring a part of Perth we had never visited before and even managed to clock a good 8kms by the time we got back to the car!
Need to know
Banks Reserve: Joel Terrace, Mount Lawley
Parking- Roadside parking on Joel Terrace
Small car park at Banks Reserve
Walking difficulty- Easy to moderate ( Hill from Joel Terrace)
Wheelchair, pram or bike friendly-Yes
Toilets- Banks Reserve and BardonPark
Children’s playground- Banks Reserve and Bardon Park
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[…] Walks along the Swan River are relatively flat, making for an enjoyable and leisurely stroll. An easy 2km walk is from Banks Reserve, Maylands to Claisebrook Cove, East Perth. The walk takes you along the river, past the old East Perth Power Station, on to Victoria Gardens, over the Claisebrook pedestrian bridge and around the Claisebrook Cove inlet, Here there’s waterfront restaurants and cafes, where you could stop for refreshments, before returning back to your starting point. Read all about it here. […]