Belvidere Day Use Site & Interpretive Walk

Belvidere Day Use Site & Interpretive Walk is located in the Leschenault Peninsula Conservation Park.

The day-use site overlooks the Leschenault Estuary and includes a BBQ with interpretive shelter, picnic facilities and toilets.

The Belvidere Interpretive Walk is a 1.5 km-long trail that documents Belvidere’s rich cultural history within the day-use site.

The walk will pass through coastal heath, tuart and peppermint woodland, salt marsh and mangroves, providing a rich mosaic of habitats for a range of birds and animals.

It is an ideal location for birdwatching, with waterbirds such as the black-winged stilt and greenshank. You will also often see kangaroos and emus grazing there.

Note – please bring mosquito repellent in October and November (depending on the season).

Trailhead Location

• Park in the Belvidere Day Use site car park.

Grade/difficulty

• Grade 2 bush walk. Flat with a small lookout. Limestone, gravel and sand.

Length

• 1.5 kilometres

Duration

• 20 minutes.

History

Following European Settlement, the Leschenault Peninsula was mostly used for stock grazing. In 1838, Mr Thomas Little purchased 741.4 hectares on the Leschenault Peninsula on behalf of Charles Prinsep. He named the homestead Belvidere (also known as Belvedere) in honour of the Prinsep mansion in Calcutta, India.

Little managed the property to raise horses and cattle for the Indian Army. The Homestead also held fabulous parties and horse racing events, which people travelled miles to attend.

In the late 1960s and 1970s, Belvidere became a commune for alternative lifestyle seekers, with up to 14 humpies and houses.