Honeyeater Hike

The Honeyeater Hike is an 8.4 km loop through Bungendore Park at Bedfordale, in the Perth Hills behind Armadale. It climbs through jarrah and marri woodland on the Darling Scarp, with wide views back over the coastal plain and a wildflower season that pulls crowds in spring. The park is managed as conservation bushland, and that status shapes every rule that matters to dog owners.

The dog setup

AllTrails measures the loop at 8.4 km and grades it moderate, taking two to two and a half hours. Expect steep hills, stone steps and uneven ground, so it suits a reasonably fit dog rather than a puppy or a stiff old mate. The route is marked with yellow markers the whole way round, which is genuinely helpful on a walk this length, and the gravel sections give steady footing except after rain.

Leash status

Bungendore Park is City of Armadale land looked after by the Bungendore Park Management Committee, and dogs must be on lead at all times to protect native wildlife such as quendas and black cockatoos. There is no off-lead section. Stay on the formed paths rather than cutting between them, and watch for signage on the day because some conservation zones tighten the rules further.

Water, terrain and hazards

There is almost no water on site. Carry everything for both of you, because 8.4 km of Perth Hills in warm weather is a long way between drinks. The main hazard is dieback: boot cleaning stations sit at the track entries, and they are worth using both ways, because phytophthora spreads on soil carried out on paws just as easily as on boots. In wet months the steep sections turn slippery, so plan the descent with care.

Max: The cleaning station is not optional theatre. Dirt on paws carries dieback out of this park and into the next one.

Getting there and parking

It is about 45 minutes south east of Perth. Follow Albany Highway through Armadale and turn into Admiral Road at Bedfordale or Dryandra Drive. Both car parks are gravel, free and reasonably large, though they fill on wildflower weekends. Public transport does not get you close, so drive.

When to go

Autumn through late spring, on a weekday if you can. Weekend mornings and wildflower season are the busy windows, and summer heat makes the exposed scarp slopes hard going for a dog in full coat.

While you are out there

Last Drop Elizabethan sits a couple of minutes away on Canns Road with a beer garden that takes dogs, which makes an honest finish to a two-hour climb. If the bush walk left the dog with energy to spare, Harber Fenced Dog Park in Armadale is the closest secure run. More walks across the state are collected in the Western Australia trails guide, and what else is in the area sits on the Bedfordale destinations page.