Walking and Running Trails Near Bibra Lake

If you’re lucky enough to live near Bibra Lake, then you know we’re surrounded by some unique wetlands… Swamps if you will.

There’s no better place to live in Perth if you want to be able to access some amazing suburban bush trails. A lot of them are tucked away from view but with a little bit of exploration, it feels like you’ve stepped away from suburbia and into the bush.

The suburb Bibra Lake is located within The Beeliar Regional Park. These two chains of wetlands have 26 lakes and wetlands which extend for 25km along the coast.

It is a well-known and loved destination for bird watching, suburban wildflowers, trail run opportunities and walking tracks. All the tracks I’m sharing are dog friendly but make sure you keep the dog on the lead and clean up any poops they leave behind. No one likes a surprise land mine and uncontrolled dogs can frighten off and kill birds and wildlife.

Bibra Lake

I’ll start with the most popular- Bibra Lake has it all. An amazing Adventure Playground for the kids, a 6.5km walking/running/cycling loop track, a weekly ParkRun event, a wildlife rescue centre, a bird-watching hide, jetties that take you out over the lake and so much more. It’s common to see birdwatchers with long camera lenses enjoying the varied birdlife and people using the exercise track. This is a dog-friendly park as long as you keep your dog on a lead. There’s even a free golf area here, something I don’t often see in Parks.

North lake

Bibra Lake’s less polished and beautiful in a different way neighbour. There is a main loop around the lake and a series of other walking tracks in the park.

While Bibra Lake is fully paved, this trail isn’t which gives a really nice variety to the walking tracks in the area.

With Banksias and other wildflowers in abundance and birds everywhere, there’s plenty to see here. During dryer months the lake water levels can dip down but it’s an absolute delight after a good soaking.

Combine Bibra Lake and North Lake walking tracks for a longer loop

Manning Park, Hamilton Hill

Home to the famous Manning Park Trail Runners who meet here weekly, this can be an easy walk around a small lake or a more tough hilly climb with some adventurous single track weaving through the bush on the hills.

I did the majority of my offroad triathlon training here to work on my hill and trail-running legs somewhere close to home.

It’s hard to go past Manning Park Stairs, our answer to the Jacob’s Ladder stairs in Kings Park.

Another dog-friendly park, this is a popular location for picnics and barbeques,

This is also a popular location for local mountain bikers however, this has caused some issues in recent times with mountain bike trails being sabotaged and dangerously blocked off. As this was written there is a push to formalise these trails for the safety of the riders and the long-term prosperity of Manning Park.  There is more written about this complex topic here.

Yangebup Lake 4.3km

This has quickly become my favourite close-to-home running loop. It’s fairly flat, has nice views of the lake from time to time and the majority of it is quite shady. There are multiple places to park and access the lake with a few playgrounds scattered around.

I once spent a lovely afternoon here with a friend when I introduced her to geocaching. There are a series of geocaches hidden here which culminate in one of my favourite mystery geocaches of all time- you find this one by solving the puzzle made of clues from the other geocaches in the series.

For birdwatchers, there’s a bird hide just off the main trail with excellent views of the lake. If you plan to be there for a while, bring a chair as there aren’t seats in or around the bird hide.

There are limited options for bins and water at this park so come prepared if it’s hot or you’re planning a picnic. Please also take this into consideration if you’re taking your dog here- it’s not an easy poop drop off and you need to be prepared to carry It for a few km.

Little Rush Lake

This smaller neighbour to Yangebup Lake has its own sweet personality and is a great quick walk if you don’t want to commit to the full 4.3km. Closer to the South Lake shopping centre and the train line, it feels less remote but more accessible.

Combine Little Rush Lake and Yangebup Lake for a longer 6.4km loop. This will include crossing a sometimes busy road on Osprey Drive.

Thomson’s Lake and Kogolup Lake

If you’re out for more of an adventure, this fenced-in walking track is for you. There are multiple winding and unpaved walking tracks through the bush to get to the paved loop around the lake. Wildflowers blossom here when they’re in season and there’s a big assortment of bird life in this wetland and swamp.

Because it’s fenced in, you might see kangaroos and other wildlife in this area which is always a real treat.

If you’re exploring this area after some rain, expect it to be muddy and maybe a bit flooded as this is a natural draining area and the lake levels rise. Bring some sensible shoes and a sense of adventure and you’ll be fine.

Spectacles Aboriginal Heritage Trail

There are multiple trail length options here from a 5km loop to a short >1km trail that takes you to a bird hide on the lake. There are also many other unsealed trails around the park that can be explored if you’re feeling adventurous.

This is a really well-signposted park with information about the local Indigenous people and how the area was used before Perth was colonised.

Dog-friendly, this trail offers quite varied terrain considering it’s not a huge area.

It can be muddy after rain so bring good shoes.

This list just scratches the surface of the various parks and walking/running trails in the Bibra Lake and City of Cockburn area. Are there any that I’ve missed that you feel just HAVE to be included? Let me know!