The hidden nature walks locals love but tourists miss

Before sunrise on a Saturday, just as the rest of the city hits snooze, a cluster of Perth locals slip down a narrow path off May Drive in Kings Park. Instead of joining the busier boardwalks, they duck beneath peppermint trees and follow the Lotterywest Federation Walkway’s lesser-known bush tracks. Here, whipbirds call and banksias tower overhead, only five minutes from the hum of Kings Park Road. For many Perth residents, hidden walks like this offer peace, exercise and a slice of green that tourists, clutching maps of the more famous lookouts, almost always miss.

Why these trails matter now

Multiple reports point to a rise in urban stress and a renewed local appetite for nature since the COVID-19 pandemic. With a growing number of Perth residents working from home — roughly 25% in some West Perth postcodes, according to the ABS 2026 Labour Force survey released in May — opportunities for mental respite have become critical to daily wellbeing. But as the city’s iconic beaches and cycleways draw crowds of visitors, regulars in Perth’s older suburbs are quietly reclaiming the hidden stretches of bushland and riverside.

Just south of the CBD, in South Perth Foreshore’s Sir James Mitchell Park, weekend walkers prefer the tucked-away Wetland Trail. It veers off the main bike loop and meanders through paperbark groves and reed beds, with Black Swans nesting metres from the track. Few guidebooks mention this thread of green along Ellam Street. Meanwhile, north of the river in Mount Claremont, the Bold Park Bushland’s Zamia Trail offers a 5.1km circuit under tuart woodland. While tourists queue for Instagram shots at Cottesloe Beach, locals gather at Perry Lakes car park on Perry Lakes Drive, armed with keep-cups and birdwatching binoculars for dawn outings that reveal wildflowers even in winter.

The local advantage

On a still weekday morning, it’s not uncommon to see groups organised through the City of Perth’s ‘Bushcare Volunteers' program tending native plants along the Matilda Bay Reserve foreshore. According to the City’s 2026 recreation report, community trail events and volunteer days in overlooked spots such as Point Resolution Reserve have grown by 18% since 2022. These lower-profile nature strips — often hidden behind residential avenues like Jutland Parade in Dalkeith — offer gentle river views, wild rosehip thickets and well-worn jogging tracks shaded by remnant jarrah. Nearby, the Shenton Park Heritage Trail, accessed off Lemnos Street, winds past frog ponds and restored native grasses, drawing a loyal local following despite minimal signage.

Parks and Wildlife Service WA notes that over the last year, self-guided traffic on these secret trails has increased substantially — but without the rubbish bins overflowing and picnic crowding seen at hotspots like Kings Park’s main lawns. According to their 2026 figures, Bold Park alone logged more than 166,000 individual trail users from June 2025 to May 2026, with over 70% of respondents identifying as residents of the City of Cambridge or City of Nedlands. This supports a growing sense among long-time locals that Perth’s actual nature escapes are hidden in plain sight, away from the better-known tourist latitudes.

For those keen to explore, Perth’s local councils publish free downloadable trail maps — the City of Subiaco’s walking routes and the Friends of Bold Park website both offer up-to-date directions and event calendars. Many of these lesser-known tracks can be reached by bike or even public transport: Transperth’s CircleRoute buses pass within a 10-minute walk of most trailheads. For nature-curious residents, a walk in the city doesn’t need to be a performance for a selfie stick — just sturdy shoes, a thermos, and perhaps a local friend to show the way. Always check local park websites for up-to-date safety advice or temporary closures, and consult with your GP before embarking on new exercise routines.