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To those of us of a 'certain vintage', Whitemans Brick is a familiar name. The business was built up by the Whiteman
family and Lew Whiteman spent a great deal of time and effort turning the area around Mussel Pool into a picnic
area for the public.
Lew sold the brick business in 1966 and spent his retirement collecting interesting items related to the history
of the area and further developing the area around the pool.
In 1977 he sold the land to the State Government that then purchased more land in the area to form what is today
known as Whiteman Park.
Today the park covers 3,700 hectares and is one of the most popular destinations close to Perth City. 2,200
hectares are reserved for the conservation of wildlife.
There are three native fish species, nine amphibian species, fourteen mammal species, 34 reptile species,
111 bird species, and over 150 invertebrate species.
There are also over 400 species of native plants in the park with late winter to early spring being the
best times to see wildflowers in bloom.
A number of attractions have been developed in the park besides that natural ones like Mussel Pool.
These include, the Perth Electric Tramway Society, Caversham Wildlife Park, Bennett Brook., Railway, The
Tractor Museum of Western Australia, The Western Australian Motor Museum, Bus Preservation Society of Western
Australia and Revolutions Transport Museum.
The park opens at 8:30am daily (excluding Christmas Day) and closes at 6:30pm.
Motor Museum of Western Australia
The Motor Museum of Western or Western Australia opened in 1994 and houses a large and diverse range of over
200 motor vehicles.
You can wander through the exhibition on your own or join a guided tour at 11am or 2pm daily. You don't need
to book, just be there are the right time.
The tours take about 45 minutes and are free once you have paid the normal entry fee.
The museum also houses a library of reference books numbering around 25,000.
The displays in the museum are changed regularly so expect to see some changes each time you visit.
As well as full sized vehicles, you will find a collection of over 15,000 models of all types and scales.
The museum opens 10am to 4pm daily with the exception of Christmas Day.
Getting around the park.
There are a number of different ways of experiencing the park including walking, riding, bus tours, train rides
and the only heritage electric tram in Western Australia.
If you don't want to bring your own bike or scooter then you can hire one at Pedal Play from 10am to 4pm on
weekends and public holidays. If you have lots of energy, there are 14 kilometres of paths to explore.
The Bennett Brook Railway begins running each day at 11am and depending on the day will run to either 1pm, 3pm
or 4pm. Check out the website for details.
Tickets entitle you to ride the trains all day long. It is a great way to move around to different attractions.
Between May and September you will be treated to steam trains running on weekends and public holidays.
Caversham Wildlife Park
Located within Whiteman Park is the Caversham Wildlife Park.
The wildlife park is privately owned and houses over 200 native birds and animals.
Entry fees apply and it is these fees that support the park and keep it running.
The wildlife park is too large to include in detail in this video so we will be filming there for a separate
episode at some stage.
Meanwhile this is a little of the footage that we shot there some years back so it lacks the clarity and
quality of modern cameras.
Woodland Reserve
There is a fenced off woodland reserve in the park covering 584 hectares.
Here, native species can thrive inside and electrified predator proof fence.
The Friday night escorted walks in the reserve operate from September to May each year.
Children's Forest
The Children's Forest is an area dedicated to the education and enjoyment of children and aims to foster a love and
respect for our natural environment.
The Dog Park
In most areas of the park dogs must be kept on a lead but there is a special dog exercise area near Mussel Pool
where they can run free and enjoy themselves.
The dog park is fully enclosed and there is a separate area for smaller dogs.
An obstacle course in the exercise area allows for even more fun both for owners and the dogs.
Doggy doo-doo bags are available free from the visitor centre so please pick up any barker's eggs that you
dog might lay.
The dog park closes every second Thursday (odd weeks) for maintenance. At other times it is open from 8:30am
to 6pm.
If your dog is under 4 months of age, in season, a listed dangerous breed or declared dangerous dog, or is
un-vaccinated, then please do not bring it to the dog park.
Alcohol, glass and smoking are not permitted in the dog exercise area.
Cafe
You can easily spend a whole day at Whiteman Park and if you don't want to bring your own picnic or BBQ lunch
then there are other opportunities available to have something to drink or eat.
The Village Cafe has a range of food and drink available and plenty of seating and tables both indoors and out.
Prices can't be described as cheap though.
Other options are the Caversham Wildlife Park Kiosk or the Gurrrilla Kiosk located near thr Dog Park.
Other museums.
Apart from the Motor Museum you can also check out the Tractor Museum and Revolutions Transport Museum.
The Transport Museum has a wide diversity of different types of transport and houses a number of items collected
by Lew Whiteman.
The Tractor museum is open on Wed, Sat, Sun and school and public holidays.
Other things
It doesn't end there. Whiteman Park has 4 playgrounds with Pia's Place and the mini pool playground being the most popular.
There is an art gallery with a resident artist, a handicraft store featuring the work of 14 different groups, a
lolly shop, print shop, and three bush walks ranging from about 2 to 4 kilometres.
PHOTOS
If photos are available, click on a thumbnail to see full sized picture.
Best time to visit:
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Feb
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Mar
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Apr
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May
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Jun
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Jul
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Aug
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Sep
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Oct
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