#OurWAPark of the week: Walpole Nornalup National Park

Photo: Tourism Australia

Walpole Nornalup National Park is expansive, covering over 20,000 hectares of the Walpole Wilderness Area. It extends some 40 kilometres along the coastline, surrounding the Walpole and Nornalup inlets.

Within the Park are towering open forests, heathlands and wetlands, while the coast is marked by granite headlands, sandy beaches and picturesque coves.

Walpole–Nornalup National Park is renowned for its forest of rare red tingle trees, known as the Valley of the Giants. These ‘giants’, the most massive of all eucalypts and unique to the Walpole area, can be seen from the breathtaking heights of the Tree Top Walk, which leads through the canopy.

How to get there:

  • Walpole is just over 400km south of Perth, and the park lies east and west of Walpole.
  • Scenic drives through this park include Valley of the Giants Drive through magnificent karri and tingle forest to the Tree Top Walk; Hilltop Drive, a 24-kilometre-loop drive leading to Hilltop Lookout, Giant Tingle Tree and Frankland River’s Circular Pool; and the 5-kilometre Knoll Scenic Drive through beautiful karri forest with panoramic views of the inlets, as well as access to good picnic areas and fishing spots.

What you may not know about the park:

  • The town of Walpole sits nestled in the centre of the park, on the northern side of the Walpole Inlet.
  • The park contains 19 species of mammals, 109 species of birds and 22 species of reptiles.
  • You can view the whales on their migratory journey along the southern coastline from the lookout at Conspicuous Cliff.
  • The red tingle trees are known as the Ancient Empire, and about 400 years old.
  • Established in 2004, the Walpole Wilderness covers more than 363 000 hectares and incorporates seven national parks, including Walpole Nornalup National Park.