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Cockatoo Walk Trail, Yanchep NP

Whadjuk & Yued Noongar Country

Part of Yanchep National Park network

One sided bottlebrush +10 Gallery
Bush Walk
Trail difficulty
The track can be sandy underfoot, particularly after dry weather.
Trail difficulty

Moderate trail that may have short steep hills, rough surface, many steps or some rock hopping. Directional signage. Some bushwalking experience and moderate fitness required.

  • Length 17.5km
  • Est. time Full day
  • Circuit / loop
Today

18°C

18°

14°

Part of Yanchep National Park network

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Read more about this trail

The trail, marked with posts bearing the cockatoo symbol, departs from the McNess Visitor Centre. Several kilometres after it crosses Wanneroo Road, it forks and forms a circular route, connecting with the Coastal Plain Trail for about 5km. The trail is through coastal vegetation, with little tree cover, so is not suited to summer walking. The track can also become sandy underfoot. During spring the wildflowers are spectacular.

McNess House Visitor Centre

(08) 9303 7759

National Parks

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Flora and Fauna Statistics

260+
Bird species
800+
Flowering plant species
40+
Reptile species

Yanchep National Park features a rich mix of coastal woodlands, pristine wetlands, and limestone cave ecosystems that protect a high diversity of native West Australian wildlife and seasonal wildflowers. Located on the northern Swan Coastal Plain, its distinct landscapes support everything from nomadic bird populations to ancient plant communities. 

The northern and western ends of the Park retain major conservation value and show a range of landscape forms, from tall tuart forests, jarrah and marri forest, lush wetland vegetation surrounded by coastal paperbarks, banksia woodlands and kwongan heath. Distinctive native plants like Balgas (grass trees) and Zamia palms form a core part of the park's ancient understory. Wildflowers are prolific in Spring (August to October), where the forest floor blooms with vibrant native flora, including the iconic red and green Kangaroo Paw (WA's floral emblem), Yanchep rose, wattles and native orchids.

Easy to find, large mobs of Western Grey Kangaroos graze openly on the lawns and golf fairways early in the morning and late in the afternoon. The bushland protects the more shy native species including echidnas, western brush wallabies, and quendas. Over 260 bird species inhabit the park, making it a hotspot for birdwatching. Grebes, swans, pelicans, cormorants, egrets, kingfishers, parrots, wrens and honeyeaters can be found throughout the woodlands and wetlands. Lesser Long-eared and Southern Forest Bats mainly roost in tree hollows, thick vegetation, and small rock crevice. Interestingly, a koala colony was established in the 1930s,  and whilst they are not native to Western Australia, they thrive safely within this managed habitat.



Keep an eye out for these species:

White-faced Heron

Egretta novaehollandiae

Animalia: Aves

Northern Snake-necked Turtle

Chelodina (Macrochelodina) oblonga

Animalia: Reptilia

Moaning Frog

Heleioporus eyrei

Animalia: Amphibia

Yanchep Rose

Diplolaena angustifolia

Plantae: Equisetopsida

Grasstree

Xanthorrhoea preissii

Plantae: Equisetopsida

Tuart

Eucalyptus gomphocephala

Plantae: Equisetopsida

Zamia

Macrozamia fraseri

Plantae: Equisetopsida

Blue Skimmer

Orthetrum caledonicum

Animalia: Insecta

Be trail ready

Here is everything you need to know before visiting this trail.

Time / Duration

Full day

Length

17.5km loop

Fees

National Park fees

Trail Access

Road

Trail Start

Mc Ness House, Yanchep National Park, 50km (one hour) north of Perth

Get directions

Trail End

When to go

May to September

What’s the weather like?

Bush Walk

Class 3

Moderate trail that may have short steep hills, rough surface, many steps or some rock hopping. Directional signage. Some bushwalking experience and moderate fitness required.

Additional information

The track can be sandy underfoot, particularly after dry weather.

What To Pack

Hazards & Warnings

Not suitable for summer walking

Facilities

These facilities are in Yanchep National Park at the start of the walk.

  • BBQ Facilities
  • Cafe
  • Car Park
  • Coach Parking
  • Kiosk
  • All accessible parking
  • Picnic Area
  • Public Toilet
  • Shaded Area
  • Sheltered Area
  • All accessible toilet facilities
  • Visitor Information Centre
More tips for being Trail Ready

Today Jun 10, 2:16pm

18°C

Feels like 18°C

Max 18°

Min 14°

Precipitation: 50%

Visibility: 10km

Wind: 6.57km/h N

8-day forecast

Wed

18°

14°

Thu

18°

16°

Fri

18°

15°

Sat

18°

14°

Sun

18°

14°

Mon

16°

14°

Tue

16°

15°

Wed

19°

15°

Weather data provided by:

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2 trail goers have rated this trail as 2 out of 5!

We love to hear from people who've been on our Western Australian trails, so it would be most appreciated it if you wanted to leave a review.

Brendon Burns

Reviewed 30 May 2023, 2:12pm

It's a reasonably decent walk (17.5km), although not particularly strenuous over a predominantly flat & sandy path. Plenty of kangaroos abound (pun intended) & some bird life. Not a very scenic or pretty trail, no great views/vistas to speak of. I hiked it in late autumn (May) so only a few wildflowers out.
Brett Michaels

Reviewed 12 Feb 2018, 4:56pm

Myself and partner are quite avid hikers, hiking bibbulman, cape to cape and various other hikes around WA. Personally, this wasn't a scenic hike at all nor were the facilities at Ridges Hut well kept. We did the Northern part first then the Southern part returning back to the main road. There was a lot of broken glass around the fire pit at Ridges Hut that appeared to have been sitting there for quite some time based on the decomposition of the glass. There was a few meters of loo paper and general rubbish laying around. The trail in our eyes was extremely boring. We weren't in wildflower season, however even with the flowers its just a very basic, flat sandy track with not much to look at besides arid bush. The southern loop section gave us the impression that whoever created this part was drunk or high or both who blindly walked through the bush with a chainsaw to cut a random track. By the time we hit this section about 13kms in we were playing eye spy to keep ourselves entertained.
What did we see? Well we saw 2 birds, a dishwasher, one kangaroo (who appeared to be thinking "what are these two doing out here) about 30 big juicy spiders hanging in their huge webs covering the track, a dead lizard and a dead spider. If wildlife wasn't out there we were surely wondering what we were doing out there. Ultimately we were very grateful for the hike as it was 17kms of exercise and we took away quite a few jokes and memories that will stick with us for years to come.
Luckily, we didn't pay the $13 to park our car in the national park area. We parked elsewhere and walked to the start of the track. Whoever maintains the track, I am glad I kept my $13, you've done a terrible job at maintaining the track.

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