Karl (fire) has been used by the Nyoongar Aboriginal people for tens of thousands of years in caring for the countryside. Many native plants actually rely on periodic fire for their survival as a species.
honkey nuts
Heading south from Seven Day Road, walkers descend through mixed jarrah and marri forest before returning to karri. Marri (Corymbia calophylla), a unique WA eucalypt, has large woody fruits known as 'honkey nuts', made famous by May Gibbs' "Gumnut Babies".
falls and flowers
Shortly after entering Beedelup National Park, the Track reaches the shore of a deep, tranquil lake formed by the damming of Beedelup Brook. Beedelup Falls is the focal point of the Park and is framed in spring by blossoms of golden waterbush, starry white crowea and purple tree hovea.
railways and regeneration
North of Pemberton the Track passes the Big Brook Arboretum, a popular picnic and camping area featuring mature, exotic trees. Three mills were here in the early 1900’s and cut half a million railway sleepers for the new Transcontinental line.
After passing Big Brook Reservoir the Track joins the Rainbow Trail, once a railway and now a scenic drive overlooking Lefroy Brook. This entire area was clearfelled between 1920 and 1928. Sparks from a bush locomotive started a fierce wildfire in the debris which littered the forest floor. The fire stimulated the surviving karri trees to shed millions of seeds onto the rich ash-bed. The result of the thousands of seedlings, which then sprouted, is today's dense, lush forest.
diverse landscapes
The Track edges along the deep, damp valley of the Warren River, taking the walker through some very impressive old growth karri forest.
Closer to Northcliffe, in the Gardner River valley, the soils and landscape change dramatically with the karri forest giving way in places to deep sands, gentle undulations and low scrublands.
See more photos from this section.
See information about Donnelly River Village and Pemberton.