Fred Jacoby Park, Mundaring

What: Fred Jacoby Park
Where: Mundaring Weir Rd, Mundaring MAP
When: All year - although better in Autum, Winter and Spring.
Who: All ages
Cost: Free
Facilities: Fire pits, Picnic benches, toilets, car park, walk trails.

A lot of the places and parks I take my daughters to are ones that my Mum took me when I was younger. I remember very fondly most weekends (prior to sport taking over our weekends) and on the school holidays we would go to various parks around Perth, always bringing along a picnic. One of the parks I remember going to as a kid is Fred Jacoby Park in Mundaring. I have memories of running around the giant tree, walking along the Kalgoorlie pipeline and finding pinecones to make Christmas crafts out of. So after our visit to Noble Falls, we made a detour on our way home to have a play in the autumn leaves at Fred Jacoby Park.

There is no play equipment here, it is just nature at it's best. It is a great place to make your own nature-based fun.

Fred Jacoby Forest Park is located on Mundaring Weir Road. The access road is sign posted, but the sign is right at the turnoff, so you have no warning that the turn is coming up. If you miss it and reach Mundaring Weir, you've gone too far. There is plenty of parking in the area, both on the street and in an allocated carpark at the top of the park.

The main "attraction" here is the beautiful, large, old English Oak tree. There is a boardwalk built around the base of the tree so that you can truly admire how massive the tree is. The pictures below show the tree in both Winter and Spring. The tree was planted in approximately 1870, making it over 140 years old. There is a path that runs from the top of the park (at the carpark) down to the bottom (where you come in on the access road).

The large English Oak tree in Autumn - full with leaves.

The tree in Winter - no more leaves

Around the base of the tree

The facilities here include toilets, fire pits with barbecue plates, picnic tables and park benches, as well as various walk trails that take you over and along the Mundaring - Kalgoorlie pipeline. There is a creek that runs through the park, which isn't always full of water, but when it is, it provides a fantastic opportunity for the kids to play and explore, as it isn't very deep. Make sure to take along some gum boots!

Fire pit and toilets in the distance

Dried out creek bed full of leaves during Autumn

It hadn't occurred to me before to make use of the fire pits, but many of the families who were picnicking at the park had a roaring fire going - perfect for those Wintery cold days.

All my girls wanted to do was play in the fallen leaves, and boy, were there a lot of them to play in! They had a ball, and it was a struggle to pull them away and continue on our way home.

Playing in the leaves

While I don't think I would specifically make a visit just out to Fred Jacoby Park, there is plenty to see and do in the area, including the Mundaring Weir that is just down the road.

Along the pipeline