Blackberry Pool walk trail

The forest surrounding Blackberry Pool walk trail is a fine example of re-growth forest, selectively felled for its superb timber just 40 years ago. Forest workers used axes and cross cut saws to fell trees, and paths for a rail line were cleared with pick and shovel.

Jarrah railway sleepers were fashioned from the timber and workers constructed a railway track that followed the men into the forest. Once the track was complete logs were loaded aboard a steam train and railed to Pemberton's specially designed sleeper mill. Thousands of these sleepers were laid across Australia for the Transcontinental Railway. Tough jarrah sleepers were exported to Belgium, England and Switzerland for road and rail works.

Some of the felled trees, in particular Karri trees, were utilised for local construction, while others were cut for use in the underground mining industry. When a section (coupe) of the forest was cleared of useful trees the train tracks were lifted by the same crew who laid them.

The sleepers and steel rails were transported to a new coupe and the back breaking work continued. Left behind were the old gnarled giants considered less than first grade by the foresters. These became homes for birds, insects, reptiles and mammals.Trees too small for use continued to grow, and develop their own sapling colony around them. These saplings compete for the open canopy created by the felled trees and the forest community regenerates.

Photo: Blackberry Pool Walk Trail

The Blackberry Pool Walk Trail map

The Cairn Rock walk trail

The walk passes through areas of recently clear-felled forest as well as through river or riparian zones which normally are not logged in Western Australia. Cairn Rock itself consists of a large outcrop of Pre-Cambrian granite standing 190m above sea level, upon which a pyramid of rough stones has been erected. It was named by the returned soldiers and their families who arrived in the late 1940's, shortly after WW2. Some say it was built by the Murrum Aborigines before European settlement but the true origin of the cairn is unknown.

At the start of the walk trail, on the corner between Muirillup and Depot Roads a supply depot was built by the settlers. This depot serviced the needs of the returned soldiers, providing an outlet for food, tools and tobacco seeds along with a community tractor.

Next to the supply depot stood a school for children of all ages and a saw mill that supplied timber for construction. Little evidence of these buildings exists today. However, some Northcliffe farms still have the characteristic tall drying sheds with a "double" roof that were used for drying and storing tobacco. There is a particularly good example on Boorara Road and easily visible from the road.

The Jane Forest Walk Trail
The Jane Forest is a true old-growth forest. Most of it is programmed by C.A.L.M. to be clear-felled. Individual trees may be up to 300 years old or more and the ecosystem of the forest has remained relatively unchanged for thousands of years.

The trees which dominate the forest are the karri (Eucalyptus diversicolor), which grows to 80 metres tall and has a smooth pink/grey bark; the jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) grows to 60 metres and has striated bark and lighter green leaves; and the marri (Eucalyptus calophylla) which grows to 50 metres, has thick green foliage and abundant flowers that develop into the characteristic gum nuts.

There are more than 1500 species of flowering plants in this forest and 99 species are unique to the south-west of Western Australia. Trees such as banksia, blackbutt, casuarina and peppermint are common and the dense understory contains everything from tiny orchids to large creeping vines. Naturally, birds and animals are attracted to the old growth forest due to the provision of a rich food supply and the protective canopy of vegetation.

Marsupial populations have grown after government baiting programs have reduced predators such as the domestic cat and fox, using a natural poison, 1080, which is harmless to native species.

McCullock's Meander

When the town site of Northcliffe was surveyed in 1923, this section of the forest was included. The area was designated town land for division into building blocks. The land was never utilised for this purpose and could not be officially logged due to the zoning regulations. As a result the area remains a relatively untouched example of old-growth forest.

Unlike its nearby neighbour, Northcliffe Forest Park, McCullock's Meander is not fed by a river or stream resulting in soils that are sandy in nature and acidic due to the leaching of nutrients. These soils encourage the growth of smaller species of plants and ferns, some of which are unique to the south- west region.

Even macro-flora common to the area may be stunted in growth when compared to the giants that proliferate in the richer Karri loams. A variation in soil types over a relatively small area also allows us to see some of the diversity of forest types that occur around Northcliffe.

For more information about these walks please contact the Northcliffe Visitor Centre

The Bibbulmun Walk Track also passes through Northcliffe