Foot of the Falls Trail, Lesmurdie Falls

Location: Foot of the Falls Trail, Lesmurdie Falls

Distance: 2km return

Grade: 3

Trail Marker: Green triangle with footprint

Duration: 45 minutes - 1 hour

Cost: $0, free entry

Toilet Facilities: No

Dog Friendly: No

Date Hiked: 12th March 2018

Lesmurdie Falls is by far one of my most favourite places in Perth for many reasons and it's definitely one of the most visited waterfalls in Perth.  What makes it so popular is the fact that it's only 400m to the base of the falls from the Palm Terrace carpark, it's kid and dog friendly and has a network of trails throughout the National Park offering varied terrains, views and degrees of difficulty. The views from the top of the falls are second to none and if your lucky enough to get a perfect Perth day you can see the flat land of the swan coastal plain sweeping out over Perth city to Rottnest Island on the western horizon. Entry to the foot of the falls carpark is off Lewis Rd in Lesmurdie which runs off Welshpool Rd at the bottom of Perth Hills. The start of the walk begins and finishes at two locations. You can do the short walk to/from the foot of the falls or you can go all the way up to the top. For todays purpose I am starting at the Palm Terrace carpark at the orange sign but you can check out the Walking at Lesmurdie Falls sign which shows you just a few of the trails available.

The Foot of the Falls Trail follows the babbling Lesmurdie Brook all the way up to Lesmurdie Falls. Off season you can literally walk right along side the brook but when the falls are at their best you would need to stick to the main trail. For this trail though continue on till you get to the bottom of the waterfall. From here, you have the option of returning back along side the brook on the same trail you came in on or if you are like me and don't like backtracking on the same track you can head back to the first orange sign you see that points up to Lions Lookout and head up via the trail to the the top. The trail is quite steep in places and uneven so take care especially in wet conditions.

The views from the top are some of the best in Perth. From here to have the option of turning left and continuing on to the Head of the Falls Trail or right to head into a loop back down to the carpark. It can get a little tricky making your way down to the bottom on the right trail but don't worry too much as most of them heading down end up back down there anyway, some are just badly overgrown. As you come off the main ridge watch out for the arrow pointing left which directs you to another sign pointing right to head down, look for the pink gecko symbol and take the track downhill. Someone has actually put a white arrow on the ground to help too. The rest of the trail is pretty straight forward from here, with switchbacks taking you down to meet up with the bottom trail you initially walked in on, turn left and then back out to the carpark.