About the Walking Trail

Climb high above the picnic grounds on this walk through Bundaleer Forest.

Highlights include:

• The Forest Temple of the Sun lookout, located along a 1800s stone wall, with views over Bundaleer Valley to Jamestown. The walk is a short side-walk through the eucalyptus forest, on the hill above the Conservator’s Hut.
• The Conservator’s Hut, built in 1890 and used as overnight accommodation for the Conservator of Forests when undertaking inspections of Bundaleer. The hut is now used as accommodation, but includes a public toilet and rainwater. When not booked, there is a picnic table that can be used. The accommodation can be booked through the community group mybundaleer.com.
• The Bundaleer Arboretum, first planted in 1876 with a variety of trail plantation species. There are picnic tables here.

The walk begins from Gate BN12, also labelled with Bundaleer Greenway Mawson Trail signs, on the main Springs Road dirt road, just 150m beyond the entrance to the picnic grounds on Springs Road, Bundaleer North. You can park in the picnic grounds and easily walk over to the gate.

Following the 2013 Bundaleer North Bushfire and 2014 Bangor Bushfire at Wirrabara Forest, the plantation forests here at Bundaleer and Wirrabara were no longer considered commercially viable. The forests have now been leased out to private operators, however some forest access has been retained with the Bundaleer Greenway which includes the 1,200km Heysen Trail and 900km Mawson Trail (cycling), and the four trails around the Bundaleer Picnic Ground. The Bundaleer Forest Community Areas Association (BFCAA Inc) now manages the picnic grounds and recreation trails around the Bundaleer Picnic Ground. In early 2020 they opened a new playground at the picnic grounds, and a new function centre is expected to open in late 2020.

Other trails in the Bundaleer Forest, which all start from the Picnic Ground, are:

•   Maple Walk, 1.5km, 30-45 minutes (marked in yellow on maps)
•   Sculpture Walk, 850m, 25 minutes (marked in purple on maps)
•   Scenic Trail, 4.6km, 1.5 hours (marked in blue on maps)

Some trailmarkers along the trail are old and deteriorated, however the trail is easy enough to follow as it is along forest trails. We hope in time the Bundaleer Forest Community Areas Association (BFCAA Inc) will be in a position to update trail signage. Much of the forest the trail passes through has now been felled, and is being rehabilitated or re-used as farming land. As much of this walk is on leased land, the trail itself following the Greenway, you will need to stick to the trail.

The trail is suitable for walkers, dog walkers and mountain bike users.