Ghost walks again in the hills

Locals say the hills are home to the spirits of Mason and Bird’s timber mill workers, who built a thriving community in Orange Grove in the 1860s.

Ghost Walks, which run between October and March each year on Friday evenings closest to full moons, are 5.5km guided bushwalks from the Victoria Dam to the Bickley Reservoir.

Walkers discover the history of the mill and community with the aid of friendly ghosts, who tell the colourful tales of those who lived and worked nearby ” including the convicts.

Each tour night can cater for four groups of 25, with the first group departing at 7pm.

The walk takes about three hours, starting with a 20-minute bus ride from Hardinge Road picnic area to the starting point.

Ghost Walks feature on the calendar for Outdoors October, an Outdoors WA and Department of Sport and Recreation initiative. For more activities on this month, which include canoeing lessons, fishing clinics, and caving adventures, visit www.outdoorsoctober.com.au.