Around 100km from Perth ( and less than an hour and a half in the car) is Lane Poole Reserve, a 50,000 hectare park managed by Department of Parks and Wildlife. Lane Poole Reserve is a beautiful spot to camp for the weekend, or to spend a day walking through the trees and swimming in the Murray river which runs through the park.
It's a $12 entry fee (per car) to get in to the park, and well behaved dogs are welcome however need to remain on leads during their stay due to 1080 poison in the area. There are extra fees for campsite, many of which can be booked online through the Park Stay website, although we didn't stay overnight we made an effort to check out the facilities and were impressed by the spacious camp grounds and relatively new amenities in all the sites!
We were given a map as we entered the park which covers both Marrinup Reserve & Lane Poole Reserve and also has a handy guide to Dwellingup village aswell. The maps mark all of the facilities at each site, including the best swimming spots, BBQ areas and day use only parts of the park.
Jessie the dog had the best day exploring the forests and river banks in Lane Poole Reserve, we love that DPaW allow leashed dogs in to the reserve!
Taking a dip in the Murray river to cool off
We decided to follow the main roads through the park and explored all of the swimming holes (which are usefully marked on the map!). Despite it being the middle of the school holidays, and a weekend, when we visited there was still plenty of room on the edges of the more popular swimming spots- I would highly recommend Island Pool particularly if you want to spend the day playing on your kayak or floating on a super trendy inflatable swan (BYO). For those who prefer to stay dry there's 100's of km of 4 wheel drive track and plenty of walking trails, including a stretch of the Bibbulman track.
All three of us can't wait to go back for a long weekend camping, swimming and exploring- and can't stop telling all of our friends about Lane Poole Reserve! It honestly is the perfect spot for a quick escape from the city.
You can find out more information to help you plan your adventure at Lane Poole Reserve here.
Have you been to Lane Poole Reserve before?
xo