Itchy feet? Kids climbing up the walls, and you feel like you want to get away? Why not try a day trip?! One of our favourite day trips would have to be Harvey, WA.
1.5 hours drive from Perth, and you’re there! With plenty of sightseeing options, you could visit multiple places or even just one. The best thing about self-planned day trips is that you’re in control!
The following is an itinerary you could follow or pick and choose from on your next adventure.
Why not stop first at The Big Orange Tower located at 183 Third St, Harvey. Open 10am-3pm Monday – Saturday and 10am – 2pm on Sundays. The Big Orange sits on top of a 10m tall tower, and you can take the 62-step climb up to the top of inside the orange, where there are viewing windows out over the orchards and lots of information boards. Entry is a gold coin donation, and next door is a winery for the adults and toilets!
From there, take the 5-minute drive to Stirling Cottage, which is located right next to the Harvey Visitor Centre in James Stirling Place. There are public toilets here as well. The gardens surrounding this cottage are lovely! You can take a little walk from the carpark and around the cafe, there are cute bridges to cross, stairs to climb and the river runs through it.
The cafe is open 9am – 2:30pm Monday to Friday and 9am – 3:30pm on the weekend. It’s reasonably priced and has something for everyone.. this is a great place to stop and grab some lunch/a snack.. either eat here in the gardens or get it to take away with you to the next stop.
Take the 5 minute drive to Harvey Dam. Parking and toilets are located at Gibbs Pool on Google maps. There is a fully fenced playground here for the kids! If you prefer to pack a lunch to eat on your day trip, you can either picnic here on the manicured lawns, on one of the gazebos or they have free BBQs to use.
After eating, take a walk up to the scenic dam lookout.. if that’s too many stairs for you, there is a beautiful little trail that crosses a boardwalk down near Gibbs Pool.
From here, you can choose to drive over to the Wildflower Ridge walk. It’s a 10 minute drive from the dam back towards Perth. The car park is located off of Honeymoon Rd, turn onto Honeymoon Rd from South Western Hwy. The trail is a 1.4km loop. It’s quite an easy walk and young kids can easily do it. It’s not pram or wheelchair friendly though. This trail is gorgeous and has plenty of spots to stop and take in the view of Harvey Dam.
600m down from the Wildflower Ridge car park you’ll find Harris River Rocky lookout. This is another lovely spot to take in some of the beautiful scenery of Harris River State Forest.
After you’ve had enough, it’s time to head on home!
- About the Author
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Rhiannon is a mother of three children aged 5, 3 and 1 who love to explore Western Australia. Whether it’s a national park, a brand new playground, a beautiful place to have a picnic or an event that is a must to attend, you can guarantee they’ll be around!
Rhiannon started adventuring when her older children were 2.5 and 6 months old. What started out as a way to get some fresh air for her mental health and to get her kids to burn off some energy, turned into a passion for all things nature and also for photography.
If you find yourself at home with kids crawling up the walls and driving you bonkers, the outdoors is definitely the answer, check out her Instagram account @exploringwiththepotiphartribe for some ideas to get you started.
