Guide to Glen Forrest Western Australia Australia

Glen Forrest is a leafy Perth Hills suburb about 28 km east of the CBD and 10 km from Midland, around 35 minutes’ drive from the city. It began life as Smith’s Mill, a timber village built around a jarrah sawmill in 1877, and was renamed after Sir John Forrest in 1915.

Today it’s a peaceful village with a popular café, a park full of old train carriages and easy access to the Railway Reserves Heritage Trail. About 2,800 people live here, in the Shire of Mundaring, on Whadjuk Noongar country.

Known For

• The Train Park
• The Railway Reserves Heritage Trail
• Nyaania Creek’s winter waterfall
• Bushland reserves

Things To Do in Glen Forrest

Morgan John Morgan Park

Known locally as the Train Park, this park has a playground and picnic areas, and it hosts Gourmet in the Park markets twice a year.

Railway Reserves Heritage Trail

The village sits on the Railway Reserves Heritage Trail, a 41 km loop on old railway formations between Bellevue and Mount Helena, with a 22.5 km extension east to Wooroloo. Hire a mountain bike in the village and ride east to Mundaring or west to Darlington.

Nyaania Creek Walk

This moderate walk follows the creek to a hidden waterfall that flows in winter and spring.

Heritage Trail and Bushland

The Glen Forrest Heritage Trail wanders past the village’s character buildings, and the Glen Forrest Super Block off Ryecroft Road protects a large area of bushland.

Open Studios

In October, artists in Glen Forrest and across the Hills open their studios during Mundaring Hills Open Studios.

Nearby

Glen Forrest is well placed for exploring the western Hills. John Forrest National Park, with its waterfalls and old railway tunnel, is about 10 minutes north, Mundaring and its weir are a short drive east, and the Swan Valley‘s wineries are around 20 minutes away.

Where To Stay

The Mahogany Inn, about 4 km east, has rooms. The nearest caravan sites are at Lake Leschenaultia in Chidlow, about 20 km away.

Eat & Drink

Glen Forrest Gourmet, opposite the Train Park on Railway Parade, is known for its cakes and locally roasted coffee, and a Nepalese and Indian restaurant serves momo and curries. Darlington and Mundaring have more choice nearby.

History

In October 1877 A.C. Smith & Son built a jarrah sawmill here, and the settlement became known as Smith’s Mill. The first route of the Eastern Railway over the Hills opened through the village in 1884, and a brickworks had its own siding. An early winery, Glen Hardey, operated in the area. The village was renamed Glen Forrest in 1915 after Sir John Forrest, and the stationmaster’s house still survives.

Getting to Glen Forrest

Glen Forrest is about 28 km from Perth, around 35 minutes’ drive via the Great Eastern Highway. Buses run from Midland Station.

Winter and spring bring the waterfall and wildflowers, and autumn is ideal for riding the heritage trail.