Perry Lakes Reserve covers 57ha and has a number of walking trails weaving around the reserve and the two lakes in it's centre. Although it sits right next door to Bold Park it offers a different experience. Bold Park is hilly - Perry Lakes is completely flat so it is kid and bike friendly. Perry Lakes is a great walk and play destination as it has several different play areas.
There are roads that run through Perry Lakes Reserve so you can drive in and park close to your favourite spot (on weekends roads are blocked to through traffic). We walked through on a school holiday weekday and it was very quiet. The paths and roads are a great place for kids to ride their bikes bearing in mind there is some traffic that passes through so supervision is required.
There are four different play areas at Perry Lakes:
Our favourite was the Ropes Course which is situated at the south eastern end near the boardwalk around the smaller lake The playground is only small but has plenty of variety and will keep the kids happy for a while. Adults can have a go too! At the moment it is quite noisy as there is a large construction site across the road but that afforded us the added bonus of seeing big cranes at work lifting things high into the sky!
The nearby Boardwalk has information signage about the history of Perry Lakes. Scan the QR code to hear stories about the area. The boardwalk also has lights fitted so may light up in the evening.
From the boardwalk if you cross Meagher Drive at the blue artwork you can have a wander through streets which honour the British Empire and Commonwealth Games athletics events held on this site in 1962. You can see various memorials including the Empire Games Score Board which can be viewed from street level as though you were on the finish line of your event!.
The large playground is on the southern edge, walking distance to the ropes course. It is a large sand filled traditional metal playground with limited all abilities access. There are toilet facilities here.
East of the big lake bordering Alderbury Reserve there is a small play area with a spider web, swings and a sand digger.
The Skate Park and large basketball court on the edge of Perry Lakes Drive was the most popular of the play areas during our visit.
There are large open areas including a dog exercise area near the boardwalk and the Alderbury Reserve playing fields near the skate park. During weekend sports fixtures when these playing fields are in use I imagine that the carparks would be almost at capacity.
The reserve has many benches, gazebos and barbecues. There is plenty of grass to throw down a picnic rug or have a kick around on. Look closely at any of the photos and you will see how many large shady trees are scattered through this reserve.
We walked around the outskirts of the reserve before doubling back through the area between the lakes a total of 3.7 km and taking just under an hour. This area has three separate exercise stations and the large Scout Memorial commemorating 75 years of scouting in 1982. Perry Lakes has been the venue for the Australian Scouting Jamboree twice during the summers of 1979/80 and 1994/95.
There was no water visible in the big lake and only a small amount in the little lake at the time of our walk in mid summer. The lakes were still pretty though with the flooded gums, peppermint gums and bulrushes around the edges Like many wetland areas this reserve will look different according to the time of year and the amount of water in the lakes.
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In the spirit of reconciliation Out and About- Family Nature Connection acknowledges the traditional owners of the Wadjak boodjar (Perth land) and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.
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