 |
| Swan View Tunnel, part of the original railway line |
 |
| Perth City skyline shrouded by trees on Heirisson Island |
 |
| A resting pelican was cornered by Claudine... |
 |
| ESCAPE!!! |
 |
| Causeway underpass |
 |
| Optus Stadium |
 |
| Matagarup Pedestrian Bridge |
 |
| View of Guildford road bridge |
 |
| At Guildford Road Bridge underpass |
 |
| Guildford Road Bridge with view of the rail bridge |
 |
| Guildford |
 |
| Guildford Hotel, 1886 |
 |
| Guildford Town Hall, 1937 |
 |
| Railway crossings |
 |
| Crossing the tracks |
 |
| Guildford Post Office, 1898 |
 |
| War Memorial, Stirling Square |
 |
| Guildford Grammar School |
 |
| Midland Town Hall, 1907 |
 |
| Midland Junction Lotteries House, 1913 |
 |
| Midland's Grand Central Hotel |
 |
| The Old Railway Bridge |
 |
| The Old Railway Bridge |
 |
| Trail to Hovea Falls |
 |
| Hovea Falls in dry season |
 |
| Hovea Falls |
 |
| Some of the abandoned tracks |
As the newly weds settled themselves into married life, Claudine and VT were left with a free day to explore beyond Perth's CBD. They decided to check out the Heritage Rail Trail at John Forrest National Park; an interest sparked after Claudine saw photos of the trip shared by LTF Chief some time ago.
Starting their day with a McDonald's breakfast, they left via the footpath that runs behind the backyard fences of homes at Melinga Ct. This led them to a viaduct that ran below Walanna Dr and eventually leads to Kent St.
 |
| McCallum Park's separate pedestrian and cycling paths make it perfect for recreational sport |
Making their way up north, they could feel the gradient slowly increasing. Initially, a mild 1% on Hayman Rd, it went up to 4% at George St. This continued on to Banksia Terrace with 3% before a short downhill glide on Canning Highway.
 |
| Graham Farmer Freeway |
Once near the river, they followed the bike path all the way to Graham Farmer Freeway, passing by the Matagarup Pedestrian Bridge and Optus Stadium. Crossing over to the other side of the river bank, they followed the bike path that ran alongside the railway tracks coming side by side with East Perth Railway Station and Transwa Bus Terminal. Memories of their family bike trip in 2016 came rushing back. Back then, they almost had a panic attack searching for the bus terminal for their trip to Busselton.
Soon, Maylands Old Railway Station from 1896 offered a short diversion. Then came the river crossing into Guildford, a town rich in 19th century colonial architecture.
Arriving in Midland, they made their way to Woolworth's, Centrepoint to grab a take out before joining the Great Eastern Highway for John Forrest National Park. By then, bike paths had disappeared leaving them with only footpaths and auto traffic roads to choose from.
 |
| Route 94's Great Eastern Highway |
The climb began right after the major intersection between Route 94 and 95. Beginning from Greenmount all the way to the park's entrance, the climb went on for close to 7 km on 4% gradehill !
 |
| Park Road |
 |
| Glen Brook Dam |
 |
| Lunch at picnic spot near the Park Ranger's office |
 |
- Look who they found beside the tavern!
|
 |
| Park Ranger's Office |
 |
| Beautiful gardens opposite the Park Ranger's Office |
There are several entrances to the Park. As they were short of time, they took the connecting link to Route 201's Park Road. This led them downhill to Glen Brook Dam and later, the Park Ranger's Office.
They met yours truly right outside his office. He was eager to share information of the place and quickly drew out a guideline on what to do and places to visit. He made it easy, suggesting a visit to Hovea Falls before Swan View Tunnel so they could leave the park via Morisson Road, saving them some leg work, backtracking the same way.
At Guildford, they decided to take an alternative route, crossing Helena river into South Guildford. Weathering Great Eastern Highway's busy traffic and noise as long as they could, they were relieved when a bike path, across the road, right after Beverly Terrace offered a respite.
 |
| At the fringe of Kanowna Ave, looking towards Ayres bushland |
 |
| Swan River against Ayres Bushland |
 |
| Beautiful walkway, Ayres Bushland |
 |
| Right under Sweet Bridge, Tonkin Highway |
 |
| Tea break at Ascot's Gold Reserves |
At Ascot's Gould Reserves, they took another tea break. It was interesting to watch a couple looking for scrap metal with their detectors. Swan River Hotel was just next to the Reserves, offering a quieter alternative to the line of hotels by the Highway, all tapping on the close proximity to Perth Airport.
Riding out, they rolled next to the turfs of Ascot Racecourse. Swabs of horse dung lined the footpaths shared with the horses out on a trot.
Nearby is Ascot Brick Works with its interesting kilns. Operating from 1903 to its closure in 1982, the kilns were essential to the development of Belmont and its surroundings.
Following the river, they came to Burswood Casino before taking the same familiar route back to LTF Headquarters. As they were about to sort out their dinner plans, Yow invited them over for dinner saving them from Coles' roasted chicken! That night, Fadhil took over as Chief Chef dishing out pan fried salmon steaks and mussles in clear broth. Of course, food is always in abundance at Yow's place and so were the merriment!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Swan Valley Tunnel, 1895
