Counted four vans nose-to-tail at the Mundaring Weir car park on a Tuesday morning back in April, engines still ticking over from the climb up out of the valley. That's not a big number by East Coast standards, but for a Perth Hills trailhead on a weekday it told me something worth noting: more people are basing themselves up there overnight instead of driving up from the city before dawn and racing the heat back down.
Good Perth Hills caravan parks near the trailheads solve a specific problem. You don't want to be towing a 21-footer up the escarpment at 7am with a coffee going cold in the cupholder, and you definitely don't want to be doing it again in the dark after a long walk. Base yourself in the hills for two or three nights and the whole rhythm of the trip changes.
Why bunk down in the hills instead of day-tripping
The Perth Hills region isn't huge, but it's steep and winding in a way that eats time. What looks like a twenty-minute drive on the map can be forty minutes of switchbacks, and if you're hauling a van that's forty minutes you don't want to do twice in one day. Stay a couple of nights near a trailhead and you walk in the cool of the morning, then you've got the whole afternoon for the winery, the lookout, or just sitting under the awning doing nothing much at all.
I'll admit I used to be a day-tripper myself, up and back from a caravan park down in the metro area. Took me longer than it should have to realise that was the wrong way round for anyone actually wanting to walk properly.
Getting close to the Kattamordo Heritage Trail without towing all day
The Kattamordo Heritage Trail around Mundaring is one I'd put near the top of the list for anyone new to the hills, mostly because it's manageable in a morning and the granite outcrops make for a decent lunch stop. There's a park at Mount Helena that sits close enough that you're not burning half a tank getting to the start each day, and the sites there are shaded, which matters more than people think once November rolls round.
What I like about staying that close is you can walk the trail, come back, hose the dust off the boots, and still have daylight left for a wander into Mundaring itself. Small thing, but it adds up over a few days.
One popular park that doesn't quite stack up
Now, a measured gripe. There's a well-known caravan park near one of the busier hills trailheads that trades hard on its location, and in my view the powered sites are asking a fair bit more than what you actually get once you're set up. Amenities are tired, the sites are tight, and you're paying trailhead-proximity premium for what's essentially a gravel pad. I've stayed there myself for three nights in the shoulder season and won't be rushing back at that price when there are better-value options a short drive further out. Location's real, sure — but it's not the only thing that should set the tariff.
Bibbulmun Track logistics for van travellers
If you're chasing a section of the Bibbulmun Track rather than a day loop, the hills sections around Kalamunda are the obvious entry point, and that changes what you want from a park. You're less interested in shade and more interested in secure parking for a few days if you're doing an out-and-back or arranging a car shuffle. Ring ahead and ask directly whether long-stay vehicle parking is included in the site fee — some parks charge extra for it and won't volunteer that unless you ask.
Dump points are worth checking too. Not every park up there has one on site, and the shire-run dump points can have odd opening arrangements, so don't assume you'll find one open at 6am before an early start on the track.
Leaving the van and letting someone else drive
Some days you just don't want to move the van at all, and that's fair enough. If you're staying at a hills park and fancy a day where someone else does the navigating, the Perth Hills Explorer Private Day Tour covers a fair bit of the region in a day without you touching the tow ball. It's a decent option for a rest day between walks, particularly if you've got a knee complaining after a big section of track.
For getting into the city itself and back without the van, Transperth services run from several of the hills townships, which is handy if you'd rather leave the vehicle hooked up at the site and catch a bus down for supplies or a look around Perth for the afternoon.
If the hills whet your appetite for something bigger
Plenty of people use a few nights in the Perth Hills as a warm-up before something longer and more remote. If that sounds like you, it's worth having a look at what a proper extended camping trip involves before committing van and budget to it. The 15 Day Kimberley Ultimate Camping Tour is about as far from a weekend in the hills as it gets, but it's a good benchmark for what a serious camping itinerary looks like, and a few nights near a hills trailhead is honestly not a bad way to shake down gear and habits before a trip that size.
Power, water and dump points, the practical stuff
A few things I check before booking any hills park, trailhead-adjacent or not. First, whether the powered sites are genuinely level or whether you'll be running the stabiliser legs at full stretch on one side, which happens more than parks like to admit given the terrain up there. Second, water pressure, because some of the older hills parks are still on tank supply and it drops off if half the park's showering at once. Third, and this one gets missed, mobile reception. Some pockets of the hills are patchy enough that you'll want to know in advance if you're relying on your phone for trail maps or checking in with family.
Bookings tighten up through the cooler months when the walking's more pleasant, so if you're planning around a specific trailhead, ring the park directly rather than relying on an online calendar that may not reflect what's actually free. Tourism Western Australia keeps reasonably current seasonal information if you're trying to pick the right window, particularly around when the wildflowers are on, which pushes demand up in the hills more than people expect.
None of this is complicated, but it's the sort of detail that decides whether a hills trip feels easy or feels like a chore. Get the site right and the trailhead close, and the walking takes care of itself.