Discover Murdoch

In Murdoch, nature experiences range from the habitat of Quenda Wetland to walking trails in Banksia Woodland Reserve. There is also the Murdoch University Art Gallery, with exhibitions of contemporary Australian art. This makes choosing what to do each day an interesting part of planning your trip: you can focus on nature and art, or spread these different themes across your stay.

Discover nature: Wetland and Banksia Woodland

Quenda Wetland is part of the Beeliar Regional Park chain. It provides wildlife with habitat, refuge, breeding grounds and food sources. If you are interested in the importance of wetlands and wildlife habitats, it offers a tangible connection to nature on a trip to Murdoch. The wetland offers a different focus from the trails in Banksia Woodland, where visitors can explore different areas with rare and endangered species on three walking trails.

The three trails differ in length, route and special features. At 1.2 kilometres, the Koorloo Trail is the longest. It leads around the entire Banksia Woodland. If you would like to explore the area on a continuous loop, this is a route to consider.

The Ngoolark Trail is also a loop in Banksia Woodland and is 1 kilometre long. Its name comes from the Ngoongar word for Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo, an endangered bird species. This connects a specific linguistic meaning with the theme of species conservation. For families, this link to the trail’s name can be a great conversation starter as you learn more together about the trails and their names.

The 1-kilometre Poolgarla Trail offers its own focus. Its interpretive signage connects the six Nyoongar seasons with flora. Here, nature is experienced not only through plants, but also in the context of culture. If you enjoy learning about the connections between seasons and plants while out for a walk, this trail is a good choice. Together, the three routes offer different points of interest, without their lengths or themes being treated as the same.

Art and getting to campus

The Murdoch University Art Gallery presents developments in contemporary Australian art as part of its exhibition program. Exhibitions are held throughout the year and explore a range of themes and aspects of the collection. This gives art lovers another reason to include Murdoch in their travel plans. With different themes and aspects of the collection being highlighted, the focus is not on a single subject, but on the changing themes of the exhibition program.

The location of the Perth campus is useful for getting around: it is a short walk from Murdoch train station, and bus stops are on and around campus. If you take public transport connections into account when choosing your holiday rental, this is a useful point of reference for planning.

Murdoch is a good fit for a stay where you want to enjoy nature, take a walk through Banksia Woodland and explore art as different interests. You can weigh up what matters most to you by considering the three trail profiles and the exhibition program, which runs throughout the year. You can also discover these destinations: Shadforth, King River, Benger, Cervantes, Harvey, North Beach, Newman, Drummond Cove.

For the broader travel overview: Western Australia.