2026.05 Maidens Reserve Bushwalking
Xander & Leanne discover a hidden gem on Bunbury's coastline.
Waking to a smoky haze in Collie, Leanne and I headed for the coast in search of clearer skies and a new adventure.
A quick search led us to Maidens Reserve on Bunbury’s southern coastline, where we traded smoke and haze for fresh air, coastal views and towering tuart trees.
We were immediately impressed by the quality of the trail and the surprising scale of the reserve, which felt far removed from the surrounding suburbia.
On our first visit we stuck to the official trails, but after enjoying the coastal scenery and realising just how much of the reserve remained unexplored, we knew we had to come back.
Return Visit
The next time we were in Bunbury, we returned to Maidens Reserve to upgrade our leisurely first visit into a proper loop hike through the reserve’s extended trail network.
This time we parked at Mindalong Beach and followed the Coastal Trail until reaching the turn-off for the lookouts and playground, where we continued south instead.
To our delight, the quality of the trail did not diminish, with the crushed limestone surface and gentle gradients continuing along the same alignment for kilometres, providing access throughout the network.
Having reached the southern end of the reserve, we crossed inland to the Tuart Walk.
The most developed trail in the broader network, the Tuart Walk links Usher and Dalyellup via a sealed shared-use path through tuart and peppermint woodland.
From here we navigated towards the Maidens Reserve Playground, encountering some steep hills along the way.
If we were planning a future visit, we'd probably spend less time along the eastern boundary. The trails here were among the steepest in the reserve and often ran close to the backs of nearby houses. With so many excellent paths elsewhere in the network, there are better ways to build a loop.
Eventually we rejoined the familiar official trail network near the Maidens Reserve Playground and welcomed the well-built steps up to the lookout.
Halfway up the climb, we paused for a photo amongst the treetops.
At the top, the sun emerged from behind the clouds, casting patches of light across the reserve and ocean beyond.
With the views enjoyed, we began making our way back through the reserve, once again appreciating the gentle gradients and well-built trails.
We closed our loop with a gentle stroll back along the Coastal Trail, taking in one final set of ocean views.