Dog Hike Review: Ellis Brook Valley

We did the Blue Wren and then the Sixty Foot Falls walk trails with the Young Perth Hikers Meetup group with a great mix of dogs and humans. We had five dogs and five humans and all of the dogs got on well. The dogs really enjoyed all of the smells on the hike and the physical challenge. A special shout out to the Friends of Ellis Brook Valley who were out maintaining the trails when we visited. I was particularly excited that there were drop toilets in the Honeyeater Hollow carpark, which is an extremely rare find at a nature reserve.

The Blue Wren trail was an enchanting short trail. The trail was narrow and felt like you were deeply immersed in the bush despite weaving quite close to the road and crossing it at one point. The trail had several board walks, which Zena loved as she has a weird fascination with heights for being such a small dog. There was a great mix of different trees that WA is renowned for, including Wandoo. We were too early for wildflower season, but could imagine that it would be spectacular in several month’s time. The trail had great birdlife including red-tailed black cockatoos that preened for us as we walked past.

We walked the Sixty Foot Falls in a counter-clockwise direction, wanting to do the steeper section as an ascent. The steep climb provided views of the Falls, which sadly weren’t flowing in June despite some recent rain. Once we made it to the top, we were rewarded with excellent views across the Reserve and out over the City. From there, it was a relatively steep descent with a short diversion past the old Barrington Quarry. The steep ascent for the Sixty Foot Falls was a good challenge, particularly for working dog breeds that are keen to be active. Poor Brutus, our four month old chihuahua puppy, needed to be carried over some of the steeper sections of the hike. Zena, our three year old chiweenie, was an absolute star and scrambled up steps that were taller than she was. We saw a few smaller dogs while doing the hike so it’s definitely within their capability. There were look-outs throughout the Sixty Foot Falls section, which were a great point to stop, catch our breath and give the dogs water. Sadly there wasn’t any water in the falls doing the hike in June.

Ellis Brook Valley is a surprising find and I was excited to see so many people out enjoying this slice of heaven in the suburbs of Perth. This was our first time visiting despite having lived in Perth over five years. The Sixty Foot Falls trail would be great for anyone practicing for more challenging hikes as decent hills can be hard to find close to Perth. TrailsWA has included it in their top five waterfall walks of WA. We really enjoyed the walk (and the great company!). Brutus was so tired that he slept in the car on the way home, which is rare for him given his fear of going in the car. Definitely a good option for those looking for a short, sharp walk close to Perth.

We worked out the better route would be to:

1. Park in the Honey Eater Hollow car park
2. follow the Blue Wren trail to the Sixty Foot Falls trail head just past the Valley Head car park
3. Do the Sixty Foot Falls trail loop
4. Return to cars via the Blue Wren trail

Within the Ellis Brook Valley Reserve, there is also:

• the Easy Walk, which is a 750m loop and starts from the Honeyeater Hollow carpark
• the Eagle View Trail (not to be confused with the Eagle View Trail in John Forrest National Park)

• Valley Pocket Map
• Trails WA KML File (Sixty Foot Falls Trail)
• Trails WA KML File (Blue Wren Trail)
• Trails WA KML File (Easy Echidna Walk)
• Trails WA KML File (Eagle View Trail, Ellis Brook)

Note: we found the Valley pocket map sufficient for these walks

More photos of the hike can be found on Smugmug

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