Karnup: Nature, local history and wine

Karnup brings together nature, local history and wine as different reasons to plan a trip. If you’re looking for a hotel, the specific destinations can help you decide what to focus on: a walk by the wetland, the historic trail or a visit to Peel Estate Wines.

Paganoni Swamp: Wetland and wildlife

Paganoni Swamp is classified as a Conservation Category Wetland and is also the largest wetland in the Stake Hill wetland chain. Mammals living there include quendas, quokkas and brush-tailed phascogales. You can walk along informal tracks and firebreaks around the wetland. This makes exploring the landscape as much of a focus as the wildlife.

For directions: the small car park and access gate to Paganoni Swamp are on the south side of Paganoni Road, where the powerline easement through the park meets the road.

Nature trail on the site of the old township

The Don Shepherd Nature Reserve Trail is on the site of the old township of Karnup. A path of crushed limestone or mulch runs for about 575 metres to Lugg Road.

Jarrah, banksia species and marri grow along the trail; the understorey includes flowering shrubs, orchids and other wildflowers. The site also has a settlement history: the old township of Karnup was settled as part of the soldier settlement and group settlement schemes of the 1920s. Visitors interested in plants and local history can experience two different aspects of the site along a named trail.

Wine tasting and market day at Peel Estate

The Peel Estate Cellar Door offers wine tastings daily from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm. Peel Estate Wines was established in 1979. Peel Estate Wines also hosts the Local Farmers Market on the second Sunday of each month from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

The times distinguish between two reasons to visit: tastings are offered daily, while the market takes place once a month. If you’re planning to include both, take note of the relevant time and date. Check the opening hours and market day before visiting.

More ways to experience nature in the City of Rockingham

The wider destination of the City of Rockingham offers a different regional setting, with 37 kilometres of coastline. The Shoalwater Islands Marine Park Paddle is an 8-kilometre kayaking trail along the Rockingham coast. The protected Shoalwater Islands Marine Park is home to dolphins, seals, penguins and pelicans.

The Anne Mueller Environmental Walk and Lake Richmond offer different highlights: bird species on the walk include Australian pelicans, black swans, Australian shelducks, black ducks, white-faced herons and common greenshanks. At Lake Richmond, a boardwalk offers views of a critically endangered thrombolite community. This gives you a choice of coastal paddling, birdwatching and a distinctive natural feature across the wider destination.

The wider City of Rockingham region offers more nature experiences to choose from.

Discover more destinations: Pinjarra, Mount Helena, Dampier, North Beach, Darlington, Dongara, Middle Swan, Denbarker

For the wider travel overview: Western Australia.