Scattered through the Perth Hills, Lisa hunted out three disused quarries that make for a speccy bushwalk, and if you’re confident, even a climb, all within an hour of the city.

 

We Are Explorers acknowledges that this adventure is located on the traditional Country of the Whadjuk Noongar people who have occupied and cared for the lands, waters, and their inhabitants for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them as the Traditional Custodians and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

 

If you’re looking for an adventure close to Perth that really rocks, I’ve combined several disused quarry sites into one epic adventure, within an hour of the city. They’re not natural formations, but they have enough mystery and drama to keep things interesting. Buckle up!

Barrington, Statham’s, and Mountain Quarries Perth

Quarry-curious, I set out to explore three of Perth’s most intriguing pits; Barrington, Statham’s, and Mountain Quarries on the Katta Morda/Darling Scarp on Whadjuk Noongar Country, around 30km east of the CBD to hike, gaze at big rocks, and fact check a local urban myth.

Statham’s and Mountain quarries are just 2.2km apart and linked by the Bibbulmun Track, so walking between them on the Darling Range section is possible. Barrington sits further southwest, another 22km along the scarp.

Up here the Darling Scarp overlooks the Swan Coastal Plain and is mainly jarrah, banksia, grass trees, and native wildflowers during the Noongar seasons of Djilba and Kambarang (September – November). Meanwhile kangaroos, quenda, snakes, lizards, and birds, including the endangered Carnaby’s cockatoo, will keep you company.

 

 

From the 1890s to the 1960s these government-run quarries provided granite, dolerite, and diorite; the foundation stones that built Perth. Today these abandoned sites are playgrounds for hikers, mountain bikers, rock climbers, and abseilers.

My quarry obsession started with a single ‘gateway’ quarry that changed everything.

Read more: Remember to leave no trace

Barrington Quarry

Distance from Perth: 25km east
Location: Ellis Brook Valley Reserve, Western Australia
Elevation: 108m
Parks pass: No park entry fee (gates open 6am to 7pm)
Essential gear: Hiking shoes – Climbing isn’t authorised in this quarry

I first became quarry-curious when I overheard a rumour about water-filled Barrington Quarry – it’s so deep no one’s touched the bottom. Being an intrepid Explorer and curious cat, I set out to see for myself.

One morning I drove to Banyowla Regional Park and tackled Sixty Foot Falls Ellis Brook Valley Walk, a short but steep 2.1km loop up to Sixty Foot Falls, where I stopped for breakfast. The falls were just beginning to trickle, and the views? Classic.

 

 

Barrington Quarry was a slight detour on the way out and I wasn’t disappointed; towering rock walls formed a cathedral-like chamber complete with two ducks swimming in the aforementioned opaque pool. No depth markers, no visibility, just vibes.

I didn’t fancy a dip, and could see no way of testing the depth, but later found video evidence of a submersible camera descending into the depths. Spooky.

My visit to Barrington sparked my interest and set me on a course to discover more quarries and their deep secrets.

 

Statham’s Quarry

Distance from Perth: 27km east
Location: Ridge Hill Road, Gooseberry Hill, Western Australia
Elevation: 103m
Parks pass: No park entry fee
Essential gear: Hiking shoes or climbing gear if abseiling or climbing

A couple of weeks later, Statham’s Quarry was calling. I wandered 1.5km in from the Ridge Hill Road entrance in Gooseberry Hill National Park to find the place deserted; just me, 30m cliffs, and the eerie graffiti-covered skeleton of a 1950s stone-crushing plant.

I took some sunrise shots and climbed to the quarry peak, peered over the edge before setting off on the 5.9km Statham’s Quarry Walk, through Gooseberry Hill National Park. Besides some wallabies, I saw no one until I hit the old Zigzag railway trail, a public road open to bikers and walkers only from 8:30am to 11:00am. Lycra-clad cyclists everywhere! I thanked the hiking gods I was heading down, not up.

You can start this loop anywhere along the trail, although AllTrails marks it from Lascelles Parade, Gooseberry Hill. It’s a moderate hike with some thigh-burning sections.

Back at the quarry I found a group of climbers halfway up the walls. I grabbed a snack at the shaded picnic table, and checked out the drop toilet before heading back to my car. Ok, next!

 

Nearby Accommodation

Mountain Quarry (formerly known as Boya Quarry) and Boya Quarry Reserve

Distance from Perth: 23km east of Perth CBD
Location: Coulston Road, Boya, Western Australia
Elevation: 78m
Parks pass: No park entry fee
Essential gear: Hiking shoes or climbing gear if abseiling or climbing

I stumbled into my third quarry, Mountain Quarry, in Greenmount National Park while hiking the scarp. Mountain Quarry and Greenmount Lookout Loop Walk is a 5.3km hike through parts of Greenmount National Park that skirts private rural land. Mountain bikers love this spot; Rampage Mountain Bike Trail cuts through sections of the walk (currently closed for maintenance). The detour to Greenmount Lookout is quick and worth every step.

The loop took me about 2.5 hours to complete and I saved the quarry till last.

Standing beneath Mountain Quarry’s 50m rock walls was like walking into a natural amphitheatre. The brutalist concrete picnic shelters, stone toilet block, and banging acoustics felt like the ideal location for a desert rock music festival. I half expected a coyote to appear on the cliff’s edge and scream into the void.

900m away to the southeast is Boya Quarry Reserve not to be confused with Mountain Quarry, known as Boya Quarry until 1928. Situated in the Shire of Mundaring it’s known as Boya Quarry by The Crag. No climbing registration is required.

 

Climbing and Abseiling Info

  • Barrington Quarry was a climbing hotspot until 2016 when excess water on the rock face made it unstable. The Ellis Brook Valley Management Plan prohibits climbing
  • Statham’s and Mountain Quarries are open for climbing and abseiling but you need to register for gate codes. Parks and Wildlife Mundaring office on 9290 6100, Monday to Friday 8:30am-4pm
  • Statham’s Quarry is accessed via Ridge Hill Road entrance, and is considered a well-developed climbing destination by The Crag
  • Mountain Quarry’s climber’s entry is 100m south of Coulston & Hudman Road intersection, Greenmount. The Crag describes it as a premier climbing facility with bolted routes

 

Quarry Curious?

If all this talk of rock, mystery, and abandoned industrial weirdness has made you quarry-curious too, these sites are the perfect excuse to lace up or snap on a carabiner and explore Perth’s rugged underbelly. Let there be rock!

Perth Hills Quarries FAQs

What is the history of Statham’s Quarry?

Statham’s Quarry in the Perth Hills was opened in 1894 as a stone quarry. The materials extracted from the quarry were used to pave streets in Perth in the early 1900s. Statham’s Quarry stopped operating in 1957 and now resides in Beelu National Park and is under the caretaking of WA Parks and Wildlife. It’s often used for rock climbing and abseiling.

Can you swim in an abandoned quarry?

Technically, yes you can swim in some abandoned quarries that have been safely set up for swimming. However there are many risks with swimming in quarries including potential pollution, submerged debris, freezing temperatures, and unpredictable currents.

Where is Boya Quarry?

Boya Quarry, now known as Mountain Quarry, is in Greenmount National Park in the Perth Hills, around 40 minutes’ drive from the city centre.

What are quarries used for?

A quarry is a type of open-pit mine that’s created by the extraction of raw materials such as rock, sand, and gravel. Once a quarry has been disused, a large cliff and hole often remain. The hole often fills with water, creating a faux natural swimming spot and cliffside.

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