Bald Head Walk Trail, Torndirrup NP (Top trail)

Albany Sticky Bush

This unusual carnivorous plant is found on granite outcrops in WA’s Great Southern Region. On warmer days, it releases a strong scent often compared to cat urine. While it might not sound appealing to us, the smell helps attract insects. Its sticky leaves then trap the insects, allowing the plant to digest them and gain nutrients from the poor soils it grows in.

At night, the scent also plays another clever role, attracting moths that help pollinate the plant. Nature is weird, wonderful and wildly resourceful.

Kaarak | Red Tailed Black Cockatoo

Known as Kaarak or Kurrah in Noongar culture, the Red Tailed Black Cockatoo is far more than simply a bird of the forest. For many Noongar people, Kaarak is a powerful cultural symbol, spiritual messenger and protector, deeply connected to Country, family and ancestry.

The striking black feathers and vibrant red tail panels make Kaarak one of the most recognisable birds of the south west, with their loud calls echoing through jarrah and marri forests. In Noongar culture, these calls are often seen as carrying messages from ancestors and the spirit world, reminding people to listen, reflect and stay connected to Boodja.

Kaarak also holds importance as a totem animal for some families and groups, representing guidance, responsibility and respect for the natural world. Seeing these birds flying overhead is often considered deeply meaningful.

Today, Kaarak is listed as endangered, facing threats from habitat loss, land clearing and climate pressures. Protecting mature marri, jarrah and wandoo woodlands is critical, not only for the survival of the species, but for preserving the cultural connections and stories tied to this iconic bird.

When walking through the trails of the Great Southern, pause for a moment if you hear the unmistakable call of Kaarak overhead. It is one of the many reminders that these landscapes have been culturally connected, cared for and understood for tens of thousands of years.

Kylie | Boomerang

The Kylie is a traditional Noongar boomerang, skilfully crafted and used for hunting, gathering and cultural practices across the south west of Western Australia. Unlike the returning boomerangs often seen today, many traditional kylies were designed to travel straight and fast, making them highly effective hunting tools.

Hakea wood was commonly used to create kylies due to its strength, density and natural shape. Noongar people possessed deep knowledge of the landscape and understood which trees and branches would produce the strongest and most balanced tools. Carefully shaped and smoothed by hand, each kylie was unique and created with purpose.

Beyond hunting, the kylie also held cultural significance, reflecting skill, knowledge sharing and connection to Country. The making and use of tools like the kylie formed part of a broader understanding of sustainable living, where resources were respectfully sourced and nothing was taken without purpose.

Today, the kylie remains an important symbol of Menang Noongar ingenuity, craftsmanship and cultural continuity, carrying stories and traditions that have been passed down through generations.

Remnants of Gondwana

Torndirrup Peninsula one of the Great Southern’s most spectacular landscapes and was once connected to Antarctica, as part of the ancient super-continent – Gondwana.

The area lies within the Albany–Fraser Orogen, a vast belt of ancient rocks formed between 1,200 and 1,400 million years ago when continental plates collided along the southern margin of Australia.

The peninsula is dominated by granite and gneiss — extremely hard metamorphic and igneous rocks that formed deep within the Earth’s crust under intense heat and pressure. In many areas, these rocks have been exposed for hundreds of millions of years as erosion gradually stripped away softer overlying layers. 

Rainfall and powerful ocean swells continually batter this coastline, exploiting fractures and weaknesses in the granite and gneiss. Over time, this erosion has carved some of the park’s most famous geological features.

Along the ridgeline, walkers pass weathered granite domes, exposed rock slabs and dramatic cliff edges overlooking the Southern Ocean and King George Sound.

The coastline also preserves evidence of changing sea levels. Around 55 million years ago during the Eocene period, sea levels were much higher than they are today, and large parts of the Great Southern coastline were submerged beneath shallow seas.