Discover Baldivis: Nature, trails and recreation

Baldivis brings together protected natural areas, marked trails and water sports. The destinations offer distinctly different experiences: the Baldivis Nature Reserve Trail focuses on bushland and seasonal nature watching, while Perth Wake Park offers lessons and equipment hire. This makes it easy to match your travel interests with the available accommodation in Baldivis.

Nature reserves and trails in Baldivis

Baldivis Children’s Forest is a 49-acre public nature reserve at 1399 Mandurah Road. Its landscapes include tuart forests and the Outridge Swamp wetland. You can also see native vegetation along the Baldivis Nature Reserve Trail, where remnant natural bushland with jarrah, sheoak and banksia trees is protected.

The Baldivis Nature Reserve Trail is two kilometres long and follows sand and mulch paths; trail markers indicate the route around Baldivis Oval. To make it a loop, head east at the lower end of the oval, then go north past the tennis courts to the car park. An information board describes the vegetation, birdlife and wildflowers you can see at different times of year. The trail’s length, surface and option to extend it into a loop give you several useful points to consider when planning.

You can access the Tramway Reserve Trail from the southernmost completed compacted limestone bridle path, at Furioso Green on Baldivis Road. This access point is a distinct reference for the trail and should not be confused with the loop around Baldivis Oval.

Water sports and activities

Perth Wake Park offers lessons and equipment hire. The large main cableway has obstacles, and there are also two cableways designed specifically for beginners. This describes the park’s facilities without implying anything about the amenities at your accommodation.

More places to visit in the wider destination of the City of Rockingham

The wider destination of the City of Rockingham complements Baldivis with coastal and nature attractions. Rockingham has 37 kilometres of coastline. The protected Shoalwater Islands Marine Park is home to dolphins, seals, penguins and pelicans; Cape Peron offers coastal views across the marine park. The Shoalwater Islands Marine Park Paddle is an eight-kilometre route along the Rockingham coast for kayaking. The Churchill Park Dive Trail is a coastal dive trail about 60 metres’ wade from the Rockingham Foreshore. Point Peron is known for coastal diving and snorkelling among limestone caves and swim-through caves; kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding are also listed activities there. The Pond in Safety Bay is a spot for windsurfing and kitesurfing. The City of Rockingham is also known for safe swimming in calm, shallow water and sandy beaches.

Trails in the wider destination also vary in length and theme. The Anne Mueller Environmental Walk is an easy, three-kilometre loop around Lake Richmond, with abundant birdlife, including Australian pelicans, black swans and white-faced herons. A boardwalk at Lake Richmond offers a view of an endangered thrombolite community. On Penguin Island, a 1.5-kilometre boardwalk gives walkers close-up encounters with the local flora and fauna. Little penguins live there, also known as blue penguins or fairy penguins; they are the only penguin species that lives permanently in Australian waters.

Culture and local information

Historic attractions in the wider destination of the City of Rockingham include Day Cottage, one of Rockingham’s oldest surviving houses and a rare example of a colonial-era limestone cottage. The Rockingham Museum is housed in an Art Deco building, the former Rockingham Road Board Building from 1946/47. Its exhibitions cover Rockingham’s history and are intended to inform and educate visitors and children. The Rockingham Arts Centre offers professionally curated exhibitions, workshops and development programs.

The Rockingham Beach Cup brings visitors to Rockingham each year. If the event is important to your travel plans, check the latest dates. The wider destination of the City of Rockingham is a short 45-minute drive or train journey from Perth.

Go to the wider travel overview: City of Rockingham.