Jarrahdale
Jarrahdale is a small historic town nestled in the hills just 50 Km south of Perth. Situated in the Jarrah forests of the Darling Scarp, there is much to see and do in Jarrahdale. It is the perfect place to visit for a day or a week.
The area around Jarrahdale includes some of Western Australia's most popular parks, art galleries, restaurants, wineries and wildlife. The scenery within the many forests, parks, rivers, and other natural attractions offers the perfect location for a traditional Australian barbecue or bushwalk. The area is a true depiction of Western Australia's country lifestyle with many farms, orchards and historic country towns. Some of the old buildings house heritage and museum collections, arts and crafts and tea gardens.
Its rural setting has inspired many artists to establish their homes and studios in the area. Jarrahdale was Western Australia's first timber town in 1872 and was recently classified by the National Trust. It is a picturesque, historic town with numerous old timber cottages surrounded by forest. There are many beautiful walk trails through the area, and delightful picnic spots in Gooralong and Langford Parks.
Bed and breakfast and chalet accommodation is available or, for something different, there are modified and restored railway carriages sleeping two or four people.
Built in 1896, the Old Post Office tourist centre provides a wealth of information on the attractions of Jarrahdale, its rich history, as well as a range of local crafts at reasonable prices. The Old Post Office not only serves as a tourist centre, but also as a museum, documenting the history of the area.
Serpentine Falls National Park Is best known for the waterfall that cascades over a sheer granite rock face, abounds with the scenic beauty of ancient landforms and verdant forest. The Falls Walk Trail is a 400m walk from the Serpentine Falls carpark. The walk is basically a gravel road which is not accessible to vehicles, and leads to a viewing platform for the Falls. There is also access to the Serpentine Falls from the viewing platform. The walk takes you through bush surroundings, with rocky outcrops.
The scenic features of Serpentine National Park together with its close proximity to Perth have attracted visitors for almost 100 years. Set in a naturally beautiful cleft at the foot of the scarp, the park stretched up the steep slopes if the Serpentine River valley, past a sheer face of granite polished smooth by the rushing waters. Past weathering has resulted in distinct landscapes of lateritic uplands, minor and major valleys and abrupt scarps.
The best time to see the wildflowers is from July to November. The finest displays are in September, when the hillsides and wooded areas become ablaze with colour. The park abounds with bird life, some 70 of the 100 bird species known to live on the Darling Scarp have been recorded in the park. While picnicking here, it is also quite common to be joined by western grey kangaroos. The echidna, mardo, quenda, brushtail possum, western brush-wallaby and possibly the quokka are more secretive and less visible.
The town of Jarrahdale has lent its name to the Jarrahdale pumpkin, a variety that originated in New Zealand and is extensive grown here. Jarrahdale pumpkins are quite large, with ribbed silver-grey skin. Inside, their flesh is orange and quite sweet. Jarrahdales are good boiled, pureed, or used to make desserts and are said to be the best pumpkin to use for pumpkin pies. They re available all year round. Jarrahdale pumpkins are nearly identical to 'Queensland Blue' and 'Sweet Meat' varieties.
Serpentine Dam is one of the major water supply dams for Perth, Western Australia. The dam is used to store water which is released at a controlled rate to regulate the level in Serpentine Pipehead Dam, which in turn feeds water to the metropolitan trunk main network depending on demand. Construction of the dam was completed in 1961.
The main Serpentine Dam and smaller Pipehead Dam are not only precious sources of fresh water for the people of Perth, but also the perfect place for a family day out. Plenty of attractive picnic spots, barbeque facilities and play areas are available at both dams - all of which have spectacular views. The refurbished Cafe on the Dam, including a woodcraft gallery is now open at the main dam. Serpentine Dam itself has a large picnic area, free gas barbeques, a playground and toilets. Recreational areas at both dams are managed by the Water Corporation.
Boutique vineyards are scattered threough the Perth Hills with an abundance of outstanding wines on offer. Stand out varieties include Shiraz and Viognier, with the more unusual Tempranillo, Mourvedre, Zinfandal and Durif. The region is uniquely characterised by charming cellar doors owned and operated by local families with many young and progressive winemakers who are passionate to create vibrant award winning wines.
One of the region's finest is Millbrook Winery, a classy winery and restaurant superbly set among the hills outside of Jarrahdale. The Millbrook Regional range is produced from ultra-premium fruit sourced from the Geographe, Margaret River and Great Southern regions. This range consists of Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Viognier, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Malbec.
Wine Sales Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm. The restaurant is open for lunch Wednesday to Sunday.
The Winery's 2009 and 2010 Gold Plate winning restaurant offers lunch from Wednesday Sunday and has a fantastic seasonal menu of local produce. The ingredients are sourced locally or produced on the farm, as there is a 50-year-old orchard and heirloom vegetable garden operational on the property.
Location: Address: Old Chestnut Lane, Jarrahdale, WA. Phone: (08) 9525 5796
