Travel: Lane Pool Reserve, Western Australia

By Ken Hay

Jarrah is a hard wood native to the south-west corner of Western Australia: a beautiful, rich-red timber which, in days gone by, was wasted as railway sleepers and even used to pave some of the streets of London.

These days, jarrah is a scarce and expensive timber used principally to make furniture, although some is still used for building.

There are now no stands of natural, fully mature jarrah trees left. The last was logged in the 1960s near Harvey, WA. However, the jarrah forest still exists and continues to thrive under the care of the Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM).

The intrepid eastern-state RVer, circumnavigating the continent, will not regret taking a day to experience at least some of the jarrah forest. There is no better place to do this than in the Lane Poole Reserve.

Into the forest

Situated in the Darling Ranges, only 100km south of Perth, this reserve is easily accessible.

It has good roads, although not all are sealed, which enable visitors to drive to all the beautiful spots and enjoy everything the forest has to offer.

The Reserve covers 55,000 hectares of forest. Its western side includes much of the (other) Murray River as it flows through steep-walled valleys forming both tranquil pools and rocky rapids.

A visit to Lane Poole Reserve begins at Dwellingup, a small timber town 25km east of Pinjarra. Dwellingup has a hotel, stores, fuel, a very good restaurant and a police station. There is a CALM office (call in here for up-to-date information, maps, etc), a Forest Heritage Centre and a small caravan park nestled among the jarrah trees.

Dwellingup is also the headquarters of the Hotham Valley Railway. Run by enthusiastic volunteers, this group runs steam train trips to and from Pinjarra through the picturesque Hotham Valley and several other trips, including several from Perth.

These trips are advertised in The West Australian newspaper every Saturday as well as on the Railway’s website (www.hothamvalleyrailway.com.au).

Environmental history

The Lane Poole Reserve is named after a visionary, C.E. Lane-Poole, who was WA’s first Conservator of Forests and probably the State’s first fully-fledged ‘greenie’.

Appointed in 1918 he resolved to end the 70 years of forest decimation. He had the intestinal fortitude to stand up to the saw millers and other vested interests – and win.

He laid the foundations for the modern forest management that protects the trees and their environment today.

There are no caravan parks in the Reserve but it has eight campsites, of which the Baden-Powell campground and Nanga Mill campsite are most suitable for motorhomes. Some of the others can be a bit tight to get a motorhome into. Most have toilets, tables, barbecues and bins, and there are several sites for day use only. All are on or near the Murray River.

The sites are controlled by rangers and there are strict rules governing the behaviour of visitors and campers. Offensive behaviour such as intoxication and playing head-banging (excessively loud) music may lead to eviction from the Reserve. There is a $5 per adult camping fee.

The best time to visit Lane Poole Reserve is in spring and early summer. This coincides nicely with the itineraries of eastern staters who have gone up the east coast, across the top and down the west side during the southern winter. At this time the jarrah forest is a blaze of colour with wild flowers in full bloom – and it is not too hot.

If your itinerary permits, plan to spend time in the Reserve mid-week. You can take your dog provided you keep it on a leash. It is worthy of note that all areas of WA are subject to fox baiting. All State Forest, national parks and nature reserves are baited four times a year. The baits are made from meat and are extremely attractive, and fatal, to dogs.

Hard wood solitude

Once you are in the Reserve and set up for a night or two, what do you do? The first and most obvious is to sit back, relax and enjoy the solitude. Listen to the birds chattering, brooks babbling and the wind rustling the eucalypt leaves. You are more than likely to see kangaroos and wallabies in and around the campsites especially, at dawn or dusk.

Stroll around the immediate vicinity and down to a river pool. If you are into photography don’t go far without your camera. There are 21 species of native mammals, 21 species of reptiles and amphibia, 10 of fish and 78 bird species known to inhabit the Reserve. Even quokkas, well known on Rottnest Island, live here.

The river pools contain marron, redfin perch, rainbow trout and cobbler. You need a licence to fish in WA and can obtain one from any Australia Post Office or Fisheries WA. There are strictly enforced closed seasons, especially on marron (a delicious fresh water crayfish) and possession of them out of season can result in horrendous fines and confiscation of gear.

If you have a canoe or small tinnie available take the time to explore the pools. There are many canoe launching sites provided to minimise erosion of river banks and facilitate launching and retrieval. When the river is in full flood white water rafting is possible.

There are numerous well-marked walking trails of varying distance and difficulty in the Reserve. For the really serious walker the Bibbulmun Track passes through the Reserve. This track, named after an Aboriginal language group, is 963km long. It begins at Kalamunda – a Perth suburb – and ends at Albany on the south coast. Timber huts have been erected along the track at intervals of a day’s walk.

There are also designated vehicle drop-off points to allow visitors to enjoy short walks of a day or so and be picked up at the end.

You might even want to zip up to Dwellingup for a delicious lunch in the Millhouse Cafe, take a trip on a steam train, purchase fresh fruit from an orchard, taste wine in a cellar and visit the Forest Heritage Centre and Dwellingup History and Information Centre.

There is much to do apart from just lazing away time listening to the sibilant sounds of the jarrah forest.

Lane Poole Reserve is a great place to inspect the jarrah forest and to enjoy its unique features and those of the adjoining districts.

Lane Pool Reserve facts:

The entry station is 7.5km from Dwellingup, about 90 minutes’ drive south of Perth.

There is a caravan park in Dwellingup and basic camping grounds in the Reserve. Baden-Powell and Nanga Mill campgrounds are best suited to motorhomes.

Bushwalking, photography, fishing, swimming and observing the flora and fauna are the most common pursuits in the Reserve.

Visitor information Department of Conservation & Land Management, Dwellingup: (08) 9538 1078, email: dwell.dis@calm.wa.gov.au

Hotham Valley Tourist Railway: (08) 9221 4444, www.hothamvalleyrailway.com.au.