Rich in settler stories, Noongar culture, timber, rail and orchard heritage, the Perth Hills are one of WA’s best places to time‑travel for the day. Just 30–40 minutes from the CBD, you can wander museums, historic taverns, leafy parks and old rail formations that once connected mills and townships.
Museums: Step Inside the Stories
Just off the main street, Kalamunda History Village is the largest open‑air museum of its kind in WA. Wander through relocated and beautifully restored buildings – a school, post office, railway station and sweet workers’ cottages and you’ll get a feel for early life in the Perth Hills. The old Kalamunda Railway Station recalls the days when timber and fruit were sent down to the city, via the iconic Zig Zag.
Found at the Perth Hills Armadale Visitor Centre, the Bert Tyler Vintage Machinery Museum showcases the legacy of prominent local resident Bert through engines, tools and machinery that powered local farms and businesses. The working displays highlight just how inventive early settlers had to be. Best of all, it’s free to visit.
The volunteer‑run Hugh Manning Tractor & Machinery Museum in Serpentine celebrates the region’s orchard and farming heritage. Rows of vintage tractors, engines and farm machinery show the evolution from horse power to horsepower. Kids will enjoy the interpretive play and discovery area too.
The compact Mundaring District Museum at the Perth Hills Mundaring Visitor Centre focuses on stories of people and places in the shire. The Old School Building’s exhibition traces the story of the school itself, and of the students who passed through its doors.
In one of WA’s earliest milling towns, Jarrahdale’s Old Post Office Museum tells stories of timber workers, families and the town in the jarrah forest. Rare photographs and everyday objects bring the 19th‑century settlement to life. Kids will love the interactive elements – trying morse code equipment, drawing on the blackboard, and searching for hidden mice.
History House Museum delves into Armadale’s past – from early homesteads and orchards through to suburban growth. Found at Minnawarra Historic Precinct, the themed displays, photographs and changing exhibitions explore everything from before the arrival of European settlers to the area today.
Historic Attractions: Parks, Dams and Sacred Places
Mundaring Weir is central to one of WA’s greatest engineering stories – the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme. Walk across the dam wall, admire Lake O’Connor, and read interpretive signs explaining how water still flows from here to Kalgoorlie. Picnic spots, lookouts and nearby trails connect the precinct to the ancient bushland.
Stirk Park is home to historic Stirk Cottage, one of the earliest surviving dwellings in the area, hand built in 1881. It’s amazing to imagine this tiny dwelling was home to a family of 11! The park blends playgrounds and interpretive signage with mature trees and lush lawns, making it a lovely picnic spot.
Famous today for tulips and camellias, Araluen Botanic Park began in the 1920s as a youth holiday camp. Stone terraces, bridges and rustic cottages still hint at those early days. As you wander through manicured gardens, you’ll see how the park has evolved while preserving its heritage character.
Set in a dramatic granite gorge within Serpentine National Park, Serpentine Falls is more than just a photogenic spot – it has deep cultural, spiritual and story‑based significance for local Noongar people. Known to them as Waangaamaap Bilya, The Wagyl (Rainbow Serpent) shaped the land, river and its falls. Treat the area with respect: stay on marked paths, and observe signage.
Historic Taverns: Eat, Drink, Time‑Travel
The historic Mahogany Inn & Distillery dates back to the 1840s as a wayside inn for travellers. Today it blends heritage charm with modern menus, house made spirits and a few stories of resident ghostly spirits and bushrangers too.
Steeped in history, The Mundaring Weir Hotel was built in 1898 alongside construction of the weir and pipeline. The interior is packed with period features, and with a lush beer garden, bushland views and live music it’s still a popular day trip destination.
A landmark federation‑style hotel in town, the Kalamunda Hotel has been pouring pints for locals and visitors for over a century. Its brick façade and wide verandas recall the town’s orchard boom days. Be sure to combine a lunch with a visit to nearby Kalamunda History Village.
First licensed in the late 19th century, The Parkerville Tavern is a classic Perth Hills pub with verandas, creaky floorboards and a huge beer garden. Once a popular stop for rail workers, the “Parky” still feels like a country pub. Close to the Railway Reserves Heritage Trail, it’s a perfect post‑walk stop.
Heritage Walks: Follow in Old Footsteps
Following parts of one of WA’s earliest timber tramways, Mason & Bird Heritage Walk Trail winds 7.6km through jarrah forest. Timber was hauled down this track to the Canning River in the 1860s, and you can still spot remnants of old formations.
The Mundaring Heritage Walk gentle loop links the railway reserve, old shire buildings, churches and community halls. It’s an easy way to see how the town grew around the railway and pipeline. Another historic track is the 41km Railway Reserves Heritage Trail loop, once the route of the Eastern Railway line. This walking and cycling trail will take you through the old Swan View Tunnel and past unused train station platforms.
The Roley Pools Heritage Walk Trail links stories from days gone by. Roley Pools has been used by generations for recreation and, long before that, by the Noongar people as part of their cultural landscape along the Canning River.
The 1872 Heritage Railway Trail traces sections of the old timber railway that once carried jarrah from Jarrahdale’s mills to the coast. As you walk, imagine steam locomotives chugging through the forest, along the disused tracks.
Whether you’re museum‑hopping, pub‑crawling, or following old tramways through the bushland, the Perth Hills make it easy to weave history into a day trip or weekend.