The Star Swamp Heritage Trail is a 1.4 km wheelchair-accessible walking trail that highlights the swamp's natural significance and its role in local history. Find out more about the trail and about Star Swamp.
About the Star Swamp Heritage Trail
The Star Swamp Heritage Trail is a 1.4 km walking trail that is suitable for wheelchair users. The trail highlights the swamp's natural significance and its role in the history and development of the Stirling area with a series of plaques.
It provides an enjoyable 40-minute stroll through a scenic bushland ecosystem, with a rich diversity of plant and animal life in tranquil settings, and many opportunities for bird watching.
The trail is accessible from 3 points:
• South entrance—at the end of Groat Street
• North entrance—at the end of Mary Street
• West entrance—at Hope Street by the swamp.
About Star Swamp
Star Swamp Reserve is a 100-hectare native bushland reserve located approximately 15 km northwest of Perth, bordered by Marmion Avenue, North Beach Road, Hope Street and Beach Road.
The swamp is one of the best known and loved natural landmarks in the North Beach area and once formed part of an extensive system of wetland swamps and supporting vegetation that made up the Swan Coastal Plain.
It is believed that its name originated from a coastal map drawn during a survey of the area in 1869, where the unnamed swamp was marked with an asterisk or star.
People using the map began to refer to it as ‘star swamp’, and in a short time the name was in common usage. Another popular version suggests it was named after a man called Bob Star (or Starr), who was a prominent resident in the area during the 1860s.
Originally set aside as a timber reserve in the mid-1800s, the area around Star Swamp was first settled by pastoralists in the 1860s. Two families in particular, the Brockmans and Hamersleys, had considerable pastoral interests along the Old North Road which extended from Dog Swamp to Walkaway, south of Geraldton.