Dryandra Woodland

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Introduction

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Dryandra Woodland is a conservation reserve 160 km (100 mi) south east of Perth, Western Australia.

Originally it was part of the local timber industry; the wandoo timbers are a good source of natural tannin ideal for making some of the finest leathers.

In the 1970s the tannins used for leathers changed from natural to synthetic materials, leaving a large area of both natural and plantation forests dormant. The government turned the area into a conservation reserve as the last vestiges of natural wandoo forests in Western Australia. The Lions society then started managing the the old timber workers cottages as holiday accommodation.

What you'll see is kangaroos [all day], wallabies [early evening/early morning], possums [night by torch light] near the cabins. Venture during the day on foot quietly and within 10 to 15 minutes you may be lucky enough to see some numbats, Australia’s only completely diurnal marsupial.

Barna Mia is a captive breeding facility for the local endangered wildlife. On every night except Tuesday, they run torch light tours, offering a glimpse of many of the local marsupial species, including bandicoots and bilbys, in a near natural setting.

For the bird watchers there's plenty of variety.

For the plant lovers there are many different species flowering all year round, including some species like Banksia acanthopoda which is classified as rare in the wild. The Isopogan species are classified as endangered and it's only through their protection at Dryandra that they haven't died out entirely.

Dryandra has a wide selection of walking tracks from 1 hour to 1 day plus two driving tacks of 25 km in length.

Sleep

The Lion Dryandra Village has cottages, cabins and group facilities and is ideally set up for families. The location is safe and open all amenities that a family could need. All you need to bring is food and bedding. The current prices (August 2008) were $25 per adult and $10 per child over the age of 4.

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

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Getting There

The nearest town is Narrogin, which is 25km away. Narogin has all the things one would expect in a country town with a population of about 4,000.

Getting there requires a car, 4wd not necessary. From Perth, the trip is just under two hours.

By Train

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Opening Hours

Unrestricted access, only one walk trail is intended for used after dark with reflective markers along the trail.

Cost

Entrance to the Dryandra Woodland conservation reserve is free, but a fee of $2 is charged to use the facilities of the Lions Village for the day.

Eat

There are BBQ facilities at Coglen siding, LOL Grey, and Old mill dam. The nearest town is Narrogin which has a selection of fast food, hotels, restaurants available.

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Drink

Caution there is no drinking water available on any of the walk trails, on warm to hot days each person should carry at least 2 litres of water. Drinking water is available from the Lions Village.

Weather

Oct - Dec : warm, occasional hot days around 25 °C - 35 °C
Dec - Mar : hot 30 °C - 40 °C, very little rain. Carry lots of water if you're going for a walk
Apr - May: 18 °C- 25 °C . Expect rainy days, or cold nights.
May - Aug: 10 °C to 15 °C daytime -3 °C to 5 °C at night, great to snuggle in front of the fire. Fine days mean cold nights. Wet days bring with them warmer nights.