Tyakil Nature Walk

Wyperfeld National Park

Distance: 4.4km
Duration: 2hrs return
Track condition: Good/sand
Grade: Flat
Start: Black Flat car park
Finish: Black Flat car park
Nearby: Hopetoun
Permits/bookings: None required
Best time: Winter and spring.

When the spring rains come, the park is transformed. Wildflowers bloom, and Malleefowl, cockatoos, mallee ring-neck parrots and waterbirds flock to previously dry lakes. This self-guided walk through typically stunning Wyperfeld terrain is a great introduction to the dramatic seasonal changes that shape the Mallee desert.

Floods play a role in distributing plant and animal communities around the park, porcupine grass protects the seedlings of the slender cypress pine, and fire rejuvenates the vegetation. The best time to see the wildlife here is at dawn and dusk, when western grey kangaroos, brush-tailed possums and emus come out to graze. While you may find the trail too sandy for cycling, the park's entrance roads and tracks around Eastern Lookout are ideal for two-wheeled traffic.