Discover Roleystone

Explore Roleystone through its natural landscapes, trails and local history: the Roley Pools Heritage Trails along the river and Araluen Botanic Park, with its park history, spring blooms and guided walks, offer different points of interest.

River Landscape and Habitats

The Roley Pools Heritage Trails run through a steep-sided valley in Roleystone, along the banks of the Djarlgarro Beelier, also known as the Canning River. Small waterfalls form around granite rocks. If you’re interested in landforms, the interplay of the river, steep valley walls and rocks is a particular highlight. The bushland of Roley Pools Reserve includes Flooded Gum, Wandoo and Marri trees. The river provides habitat for native animals, birds and fish, including Quenda, Rakali, Black Cockatoos and Freshwater Cobbler. These details help place the natural environment at Roley Pool in context as both a landscape and a habitat.

Roley Pool and Its History

Roley Pool was Roleystone’s original swimming hole. From the early 1900s, Roleystone residents often used the pool for swimming. This former use adds a historical perspective on residents’ relationship with the water to the view of the landscape.

Trails and Navigation

The riverbank and endpoints are important differences to consider when choosing a route. The Boardwalk Trail runs along the river’s south bank from the Soldier Road Bridge to Thompson Road. The Roley Pools Walk Trail follows the north bank from the upper car park near the Soldiers Road Bridge to Roley Pool; from there, steps lead up to Collins Road. This lets you compare the two routes by their banks and endpoints. Check local trail conditions before setting out, and factor the steps up to Collins Road into your plans.

Another trail in Roleystone has a specific destination: the Botanical Trail in the Churchman Bushland Trails leads to the Churchman climbing crag.

Signage also offers extra guidance: the trail markers at Roley Pools include QR codes with information about Noongar culture and land care. The walking trails have recently been enhanced with new trail markers and information boards. If you’d like to use the QR information, check the condition of the signage on site.

Araluen: Park History and Spring Blooms

Araluen Botanic Park brings a different focus to Roleystone. Its history includes the transformation of orchard land into a botanic park. In spring, the bulb displays include thousands of tulips, as well as extensive plantings of daffodils, hyacinths, lilies, irises, jonquils and Easter lilies. The blooms are seasonal; if you’d like to see the display, plan your visit for spring.

Since 2019, the park has worked with The Hike Collective. Guided walks are offered beyond the public trails, into park areas that are not normally accessible. If you’d like to include these tours in your travel plans, check current availability directly with the provider.

Explore more destinations: Mount Barker, Kronkup, Boyup Brook, Drummond Cove, Darlington, Hazelmere, Woodanilling, Laverton

For the broader travel overview: Western Australia.