The Perth Hills region stretches across the Darling Range east of the city, covering forested valleys, country town centres, orchards, wineries and some of Western Australia's most rewarding walking trails. It is less a single neighbourhood than a loose cluster of distinct communities, each with its own rhythm, connected by winding ridge roads and sweeping valley views.
Located in Perth, Australia
The Perth Hills is where the flat coastal plain gives way to the Darling Range, and the pace of life shifts noticeably. Within 30 to 40 kilometres of the Perth CBD, you can be walking beneath jarrah canopy, tasting wine in a hillside cellar door, or watching waterfalls in full winter flow. It is the city's green edge, and it rewards those who come prepared to slow down.
The Perth Hills is not a single suburb or formally bounded neighbourhood. It is a broad tourism region spanning the western escarpment and plateau of the Darling Range, beginning roughly where the flat Swan Coastal Plain starts to rise, about 25 kilometres east of the Perth CBD. The region's main town centres are Kalamunda in the north, Mundaring in the central range, and Armadale further south. Smaller communities like Bickley, Roleystone, Carmel and Glen Forrest fill the valleys between them.
To build a mental map: driving east from the city on the Great Eastern Highway takes you through the suburbs of Midland and then up the range to Mundaring. The Kalamunda Road and Zig Zag Scenic Drive climb from the Gooseberry Hill foothills to Kalamunda's town centre, sitting at around 300 metres elevation on the plateau. From up here, on a clear morning, you can see the Indian Ocean glittering roughly 40 kilometres to the west.
The region sits in clear geographic contrast to Perth's coastal offerings. If you have already spent time atCottesloe's ocean beaches or walked through Kings Park, the Perth Hills offers the opposite: elevation, tree cover, cool air, and country-town quietness rather than salt spray and city energy.
The character of the Perth Hills changes dramatically by season. In winter and spring, the range is at its most theatrical: creeks run fast, waterfalls come to life, and from August through October the roadsides and bushland erupt with wildflowers. Araluen Botanic Park in Roleystone fills with tulips and deciduous colour. The air smells of damp earth and eucalyptus, and the light through the jarrah and marri forest canopy is soft and greenish.
By summer, the mood shifts completely. The forest dries, the grass turns golden, and the range heats up significantly, sometimes exceeding 40°C on extreme days. Parks and trails thin out on the hottest days, and fire danger governs everything. The orchards and berry farms along Bickley Valley Road come into their own in summer and autumn, with roadside stalls offering cherries, apples and stone fruit to visitors who time their trip right.
Kalamunda's town centre on Haynes Street has the feel of a country high street that never quite forgot it was close to a major city. Cafes spill onto the footpath, weekend markets draw families from the suburbs, and local galleries and craft shops sit between hardware stores and bakeries. It is unhurried without being sleepy. Mundaring, further along the ridge, is smaller and more functional, but the stretch around Mundaring Village has good food options and serves as a base for the trails heading into the national park to the north.
ℹ️ Good to know
The Perth Hills rewards morning visitors. In summer, trails and parks are most comfortable before 10am. In winter, morning mist in the valleys burns off by mid-morning to reveal spectacular views down toward the coastal plain.
The most significant natural landmark in the region is John Forrest National Park, Western Australia's oldest national park, established in 1898. The park sits at the northern edge of the Perth Hills region, accessed from the Great Eastern Highway between Midland and Mundaring. Its walking trails pass through jarrah forest, over rocky outcrops with views back across the coastal plain, and down to a seasonal waterfall and natural pool that is popular with families through winter and spring.
South of John Forrest, Mundaring Weiris one of the region's most historically significant sites. Built at the turn of the 20th century to supply water to the Eastern Goldfields, the weir and its No. 1 Pump Station tell a remarkable engineering story. The reservoir it creates is ringed by forest, and on calm mornings the reflections in the still water are worth the drive alone. The surrounding parkland has picnic areas and easy walking paths along the reservoir edge.
For serious walkers, the Bibbulmun Track passes through the Perth Hills, making this a practical starting or finishing point for multi-day sections. The track's northern terminus is in Kalamunda, and day-hike sections from here wind through some of the most photogenic jarrah forest in the region. Lake Leschenaultia near Chidlow is a good family-friendly option: a freshwater lake in a bush setting, with swimming, picnic grounds, and short walking trails.
The Bickley Valley is the region's wine and produce corridor. The valley's elevation, cooler temperatures and red clay soils suit cool-climate varieties, and several small cellar doors operate here, producing pinot noir, chardonnay and sparkling wines. The area is compact enough to visit two or three producers in an afternoon. For a broader sense of what the Perth Hills produces,Perth's food and drink scene extends well beyond the city limits, and the Hills are an increasingly important part of that story.
⚠️ What to skip
Bushfire risk in the Perth Hills is serious from November through April. Before visiting parks or trails, check current alerts through the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions at exploreparks.dbca.wa.gov.au. Park and trail closures can occur on total fire ban days with little advance notice.
Kalamunda is the best base for eating in the Hills. The town centre on Haynes Street has a solid range of cafes and casual restaurants, many of which lean into the regional produce story: local eggs, seasonal fruit, Hills honey, and locally roasted coffee all feature. Weekend brunch spots fill quickly, particularly on clear winter mornings when visitors drive up from the suburbs for the cooler air and the food.
Mundaring has a smaller but dependable food strip, and the general store and bakery format works well here for walkers heading in or out of the national park. If you are planning a day at Mundaring Weir, pack a picnic from Kalamunda rather than relying on facilities at the weir itself, which are basic.
The Bickley Valley cellar doors generally operate on weekends and some weekdays. Most offer tasting paddles and simple food platters alongside their wines. The setting, looking across vineyard rows into forested hills, is as much part of the experience as the wine itself. Prices are modest by international standards and the scale is intimate: you are usually tasting with the winemaker or someone who knows the property well.
Seasonal fruit stalls appear along the valley roads from around December through April, selling cherries, plums, peaches, apples and berries grown on properties within a kilometre or two of the roadside. Buying direct here is far cheaper than supermarket prices and the quality is significantly better. This is one of the simplest pleasures the Perth Hills offers.
The honest answer is that the Perth Hills is most accessible by car. The roads are good, parking is rarely an issue outside of Kalamunda town centre on busy weekend mornings, and many of the region's best experiences, such as driving the Zig Zag Scenic Drive or exploring the Bickley Valley cellar doors, require your own transport.
Public transport options do exist but require planning. From the Perth CBD, take the Airport Line to High Wycombe Station and connect via bus routes 275 or 276 to Kalamunda. Check the current Transperth journey planner at transperth.wa.gov.au before travel, as service frequency is limited, particularly on weekends. For full transport context across the wider city, see thegetting around Perth guide.
Mundaring is served by buses from Midland, which is accessible via the Midland Line train from Perth Central Station. Midland is the practical gateway town for the central Hills: it sits at the base of the escarpment where the Great Eastern Highway begins its climb. From Midland, the drive to Mundaring takes under 20 minutes.
Within the region, distances between town centres are short but the roads are winding. Kalamunda to Mundaring via Kalamunda Road and the ridge takes roughly 20 to 25 minutes by car. Give yourself more time than a straight-line distance would suggest: the roads are scenic but not fast, and there is no reason to rush them.
💡 Local tip
If you are staying in the Perth CBD and want a half-day in the Hills without a car, take the bus to Kalamunda, walk the town, pick up supplies from the weekend market, and catch the Bibbulmun Track for a section before returning. It is a satisfying day with zero driving and gives you a genuine taste of the region.
Most visitors treat the Perth Hills as a day trip from the city rather than a base. This is the right call for most travellers. The Hills has limited hotel infrastructure and no major entertainment pull after dark. If your itinerary is already covering beach time at Cottesloe or Scarborough, a day in Fremantle, and the city itself, the Hills works best as your nature and countryside day. It pairs well with an early start: be on the trail by 8am, eat a late morning breakfast in Kalamunda, visit the weir or a cellar door in the afternoon, and be back in the city by evening. For itinerary planning, thethree days in Perth guide covers how to structure this kind of day trip alongside other priorities.
The Hills also connects logically with the Swan Valley, which sits at the base of the range further north. The Swan Valley's wineries and food producers are generally more accessible and polished, but the Perth Hills cellar doors have more elevation and drama. A combined Hills and Swan Valley day is possible by car. See theSwan Valley neighbourhood page for more on what that area offers.
Hikers and outdoor enthusiasts should also look at the wider range of walks and natural areas covered in the Perth hiking guide. The Bibbulmun Track, Lesmurdie Falls and the John Forrest trails all feature alongside options from other parts of the Perth region.
Accommodation in the Perth Hills is dominated by self-contained cottages, farmstays, and bed-and-breakfast properties rather than hotels. This suits couples and small groups looking for a quiet escape from the city. Properties in the Bickley Valley and around Kalamunda offer the strongest sense of place: waking up to forest views, birdsong from dawn, and cool morning air is genuinely restorative.
The trade-off is convenience. Staying in the Hills means committing to the car or the bus for anything beyond your immediate surroundings. If you need easy access to the city's restaurants, nightlife, or beaches, you are better served by staying in Northbridge or the CBD and visiting the Hills as a day trip. For a broader overview of accommodation options across Perth's neighbourhoods, thewhere to stay in Perth guide covers the trade-offs clearly.
If you are walking a multi-day section of the Bibbulmun Track, the Kalamunda terminus area has options for a pre- or post-walk night. Booking well ahead is advisable for the wildflower season in September and the cherry harvest period around December, when the Hills draw larger crowds than usual.
Proclaimed in 1900, John Forrest National Park is Western Australia's oldest national park and the Perth Hills' most accessible wilderness escape. Jarrah and marri forest, seasonal waterfalls, and the atmospheric Swan View Tunnel sit just 26 kilometres from the city centre.
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Kalamunda is a hill town on the Darling Scarp, about 24 kilometres east of Perth. The centre is walkable, the History Village sits on the old railway station site, and the Bibbulmun Track starts here. The Zig Zag Scenic Drive is a short hop away in Gooseberry Hill.
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Lesmurdie Falls tumbles down the Darling Range escarpment in Mundy Regional Park, about 20 kilometres east of central Perth. Free to enter, it rewards visitors most generously between June and October when winter and spring rains keep the flow strong.
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Mundaring Weir is a century-old engineering landmark set deep in the forested Perth Hills, about 45 minutes from the city centre. The reservoir, walking trails, and heritage infrastructure make it a rewarding half-day escape for nature lovers, history enthusiasts, and families alike.
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Perched in the Bickley valley of the Perth Hills, Perth Observatory is one of Western Australia's oldest scientific institutions. Whether you visit on a Sunday afternoon to explore the heritage domes or book a night-sky tour to see the Southern Cross through a working telescope, this is a rare chance to connect with both history and the cosmos — without flying to a remote outback site.
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