Summary
This walk starts in the Heritage Park at Forde, then follows the ponds and stream in the Lyall Gillespie green corridor, before heading up to a hilltop playground and circling back on the fringe of Mulligans Flat woodland. The walking surface is about 90% concrete path or bitumen bike path, and 10% dirt track.
- 4.5 km; 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes
- Water-side walking, waterbirds, green corridors, fringe of woodlands
The walk passes wetlands in the suburb of Forde
Route
Start in the Heritage Park, Forde (pictured below), for which parking is available on both sides of the park – in Francis Ford Boulevard and Ray Ellis Crescent.
The Heritage Park, Forde – head downhill
Walk south on the wide concrete path (pictured below) and, where the slope steepens, take a narrow, winding concrete path on your left. It leads down to water level. Turn left (north) onto the bike path in the Lyall Gillespie green corridor. Cross Zakharov Avenue and continue to follow the bike path as it veers east. 250 metres after crossing Zakharov Avenue, turn left onto a concrete path that heads uphill, parallel to Lorna Ruddock Street. (If you have reached the upper limit of the ponds, you have gone a little too far. Go back 50 metres and look for the concrete path heading uphill). Follow the concrete path uphill crossing Francis Ford Boulevard and Bromham Street.
After leaving the wetlands, follow this concrete path uphill with Lorna Ruddock Street on the right
Cross Forde Hill Playground. Cross Quinane Avenue. From Quinane Avenue follow a concrete path further uphill, between houses, for 60 metres. Turn left where the path meets Huddy Street. Follow Huddy Street for 60 metres and cross Doris Turner Street. You are now on the edge of Mulligans Flat woodland, and at the highest point of the walk.
The highest point of the walk, with Mulligans Flat woodland on the left
Turn right (East) and descend the concrete path (pictured, above) that follows the edge of the woodland. The path becomes dirt for about 150 metres, then concrete again, and curves south. Along this path, about 620 metres from its highest point, you will pass two brick-paved parking bays in Eric Wright Street. Thirty metres beyond these parking bays, look for a minor concrete path to the left, which dips down to cross a small creek. Take that path, so that you can continue south along the edge of the woodland, on concrete and dirt path, for 500 metres. The path then turns right (West) and then left (South) again, paralleling Aida Ball Circuit, then Zakharov Avenue, then David Walsh Avenue.
After following Davie Walsh Avenue for about 180 metres, turn right (west) onto Fennessy Way. Cross Bruce Ditmar Street to a playground. Continue West, crossing the street that borders the playground (Fell Street) and 180 metres down a green corridor to the water’s edge. Looking across the water, you will see the winding concrete path that you followed down to start this walk. Turn right, upstream, and take the first path that crosses the stream. Turn left onto the bike path. Ignore the winding concrete path that you recognise from the start of your walk, and, for a gentler ascent, continue another 120 metres to a 4-way junction. Turn right, uphill, and rejoin the main path through the Heritage Park. Note that the uphill (northern) end of Heritage Park is close to a café, where you might like to celebrate the end of your walk.
Downloadable files
Download the route in KML format here. Open Google Earth on your computer and drag the KML file onto it. Or download the route in GPX format to load to your GPS.
Map of the route
