Discover Serpentine: Waterfalls, Landscape and History

Serpentine combines distinctive landscape features with nature experiences, local history and equestrian sport. Serpentine Main Dam is set in the scenic Darling Scarp; Serpentine Falls are located in Serpentine National Park. Turner Cottage and Serpentine Sports Reserve add their own distinct points of interest. When choosing a holiday rental or holiday home, consider which of these themes you would like to shape your stay most.

Landscape around Serpentine Main Dam

The Darling Scarp provides the scenic setting for Serpentine Main Dam. If you are interested in the landscape and the dam, they offer a specific point of reference for planning your trip. Serpentine Falls are a separate nature-focused attraction: they are located in Serpentine National Park. Together, these two local features show that Serpentine can be explored not only through its local history, but also through its landscape and nature attractions.

Walk to Serpentine Falls

An approximately 400 m walk along the gravel Falls Walk Trail leads from the car park to the Serpentine Falls viewing platform. The approximate distance and gravel surface give you a clear idea of what to expect on this outing. The route is described as a walk and ends at the viewing platform. If you like to include a clearly defined nature experience in your trip, you can add this walk to your day’s plans.

There are car parks, barbecue facilities, picnic tables and public toilets at Serpentine Falls. These amenities complement the walk with options for a break or a picnic. You can consider whether to focus your visit mainly on the walk to the viewing platform or also allow time for a meal outdoors. The falls therefore offer a specific point of interest for travellers who want to include nature and time outdoors in their trip.

Distinctive cultural and local history

Bodhinyana Buddhist Monastery is notable as Australia’s only known Buddhist forest monastery. This distinction makes it a cultural topic in its own right when exploring Serpentine. If you are interested in religious and cultural places as well as landscape and nature, you can consider the monastery as another focus for your trip.

Turner Cottage tells a different story: it is an example of an early rural dwelling built from local materials, and is located near the Serpentine River. The cottage is associated with Serpentine’s old town centre and the Turner family. It was also the district’s first postal business and first stagecoach station. Turner Cottage served as a post office from the 1860s until 1887. These specific connections make the cottage interesting to travellers who would also like to learn about the town’s development and its early postal history during their stay.

Equestrian sport and things to focus on during your stay

Serpentine Horse and Pony Club is based at the publicly accessible Serpentine Sports Reserve. The reserve is used for recreational riding, club meetings and competitions. Equestrian sport is therefore another clearly defined aspect of Serpentine. These stated uses can help you get a sense of the town even if you do not want to focus exclusively on nature or local history during your trip.

When choosing accommodation, you can base your decision on the kind of holiday you want: the falls and the walk to the viewing platform offer nature and time outdoors, Turner Cottage offers local history, and the Sports Reserve is associated with equestrian sport. Serpentine is also listed as a stop on the Australind train. You can take this into account as an additional detail when finding your bearings in the town.

For an overview of the wider trip: Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale.