Opening Hours
Open
every day**
8.30am to 6.00pm
Entry Fees
Free
Location
Between the Village and Mussel Pool
Location '16' on the Park Map
Path maintenance works
Excuse the mess! We're doing some path rejuvenation works from March to May, so some areas are looking more untidy than usual.
The Forest will be looking much better with easier access once we're all done!
**NOTE - The Children’s Forest is closed on days when Total Fire Bans, shire Movement bans and Catastrophic Fire Danger Ratings for the Swan sub area of the Swan Inland North fire district - these closures are provided in the stories of our Facebook and Instagram pages wherever possible.
The Children’s Forest is a community forest to which youngsters of all ages can connect with nature.
It is a place where children can learn about the importance and beauty of Western Australia’s native bushland and where they can come and watch ‘their’ forest grow and flourish as they do.
Entry to the Children’s Forest is free and children, together with their friends and family, are encouraged to explore, enjoy and discover the many wonders of the Forest, including giant marching ants, colourful birds, peeking possums, a life size wedge-tailed eagle’s nest made of steel and the Forest’s ‘guardians’, the Boy of the Bush and his sister Fern.
explore
We've created a range of activity sheets to help you explore the wonders of the Children's Forest!
From spotting the flora (plants and flowers)
and fauna (animals) of the forest, to finding the many hidden
artworks, or learning a bit more about our native bushland, these
activity sheets will take you through all eighteen stages of the
Children's Forest!
Download an activity sheet and start exploring!
SPOTTO ACTIVITY SHEETS
- 50 Things to do in the Children's Forest
- Birds of the Forest
- Fauna of the Forest
- Flowers of the Forest
- Eye Spy
- Fairy Door Trail
LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEETS
- Seed Clue Trail 1 (suitable for 6-7yo)
- Seed Clue Trail 2 (suitable for 6-7yo)
- Seedling Clue Trail 1 (suitable for 8-9yo)
- Seedling Clue Trail 1 - coming soon!
- Sapling Clue Trail 1 (suitable for 10-11yo)
from little things...
The growth of the Forest
The Children’s Forest grew out of the desire of a number of new parents associated with (then) Men of the Trees to give their children a living link with the earth. The idea evolved to the point where families were invited to contribute to the planting of a forest in which all children could share, with the first stage planted in 2001.
With each passing year, the Forest grew as more and more children become Children’s Forest members, and as each new stage is planted with native seedlings. Members are encouraged to look for their tiles in the three huts along the Children's Forest path, connecting the Village to Mussel Pool.
Now complete, the Forest has 18 stages of growth, with the last stage planted in 2018.
Each time you visit you will see how the bushland grows and ebbs.
our wildlife
Want to learn more about the amazing flora and fauna found at Whiteman Park?
Images:
(Left) A quenda or Southern brown bandicoot (Bettongia penicillata), image courtesy of Houndstooth Studio; (Right) the blush form of the firewood banksia (Banksia menziesii) in the Children's Forest.