John Forrest National Park is a

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

in the

Darling Scarp The Darling Scarp, also referred to as the Darling Range or Darling Ranges, is a low escarpment running north–south to the east of the Swan Coastal Plain and Perth, Western Australia. The escarpment extends generally north of Bindoon, to th ...

, east of

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, Western Australia. Proclaimed as a national park in November 1900, it was the first national park in Western Australia and the second in Australia after Royal National Park.

Name

As early as 1898, the land was reserved for conservation and recreation. Two years later, it was named ''Greenmount National Park''. It was still being identified as ''National Park'' in the late 1930s, and it was not until 1947 that the name change occurred to commemorate Sir John Forrest, the first Premier of Western Australia.

Location

The park is on the edge of the

east of

, north of the Great Eastern Highway. To the west is the suburb of Swan View, with Pechey Road as a natural western boundary. To the south of the Great Eastern Highway the suburbs adjacent are

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

and Glen Forrest. To the east is

Hovea ''Hovea'' is a genus of about forty species of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, and is endemic to Australia. Plants in this genus are sub-shrubs, shrubs or small trees with simple leaves and purple, blue or mauve flowers with a white ...

History

It was bisected by the Eastern Railway when it was constructed in the 1890s and rail traffic passed through until 1966, when the line was closed due to the opening of the Avon Valley route. Swan View Tunnel, Swan View, Western Australia

Swan View Tunnel, Swan View, Western Australia

The alignment through the

Swan View Tunnel The Swan View Tunnel is a former railway tunnel located on the southern side of the Jane Brook valley in the outer Perth suburb of Swan View in the John Forrest National Park on the edge of the Darling Scarp. After its closure as a railway tunn ...

and through the park was commonly known as the "National Park" railway line. During the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

of the 1930s many features near the main park buildings were built as part of relief employment. Some have been restored. It was a popular railway excursion location while the railway was in existence (1890s to 1960s). Initially Hovea was the nearest railway station but in 1936 the National Park railway station was built. Also often photographed were National Park Falls, and the Hovea Falls. After the railway line was closed and removed the formation became part of the Railway Reserves Heritage Trail vested in the Mundaring Shire Council. The section within the park is now known as the John Forrest Heritage Trail.

Current conditions

While larger

kangaroo Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern gre ...

s remain, significant populations of smaller marsupials have been devastated by

fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

es,

feral cats A feral cat or a stray cat is an unowned domestic cat (''Felis catus'') that lives outdoors and avoids human contact: it does not allow itself to be handled or touched, and usually remains hidden from humans. Feral cats may breed over dozens ...

and dogs in this park. Drought and

dieback Dieback may refer to a number of plant problems and diseases including: * Forest dieback caused by acid rain, heavy metal pollution, or imported pathogens * The death of regions of a plant or similar organism caused by physical damage, such as from ...

have affected the

jarrah ''Eucalyptus marginata'', commonly known as jarrah, djarraly in Noongar language and historically as Swan River mahogany, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a tree with roug ...

forest within the park. At the edges of the park, introduced species of weed and problematic vegetation threaten the integrity of the park. In some areas wildflowers remain a feature to the edge of the internal roads despite the changes. Also with rationalising of staff within the Department of Environment and Conservation management, earlier levels of staffing on parks such as this one have been reduced to minimal levels. Significant damaging bushfires occurred in the western and northern sections of the park in the 1990s and early 2000s. In November 2010 a bushfire, believed to have been deliberately lit, damaged a significant area of the park including part of the Eagle's View trail. At various stages parts of the park have been accessed by mountain bike activity.

John Forrest Tavern

John Forrest Wildflower Tavern and Restaurant was opened in 1978. It was centrally located within the park just uphill from the ranger's office. It become a landmark for events such as car club rallies and orienteering clubs. The outside court yard was a popular tourist attraction as native birds and kangaroos, seeking food, approach close to the building. The

Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) is the Western Australian government The Government of Western Australia, formally referred to as His Majesty's Government of Western Australia, is the Australian state de ...

closed the venue in 2022.

Walking trails

John Forrest National Park has several walk trail options that cater for different abilities and fitness level. All walks start at the main picnic area. Walks include: * Christmas Tree Creek Walk () * Eagle View Walk Trail () * Glen Brook Walk () * Jane Brook Promenade ( loop) * John Forrest Bridle Trail () * National Parks Falls Walk () * Wildflower Walk ()

Notes

External links

John Forrest National Park page
at the Department of Parks and Wildlife website {{authority control National parks of Western Australia Protected areas established in 1898 State Register of Heritage Places in the Shire of Mundaring Swan View, Western Australia 1898 establishments in Australia Darling Range Jarrah Forest