Korung

Korung National Park is a 4,380-hectare protected area in the Darling Scarp east of Mundaring, covering forested ridges and valleys draining into the upper Helena River catchment. The park protects jarrah-marri forest on the Darling Plateau, providing important biodiversity connectivity between Mundaring State Forest and Perth Hills reserves. Korung is one of several parks protecting the forested Darling Scarp east of Perth. The park is managed by DBCA.

Korung supports the complete jarrah forest fauna community. The critically endangered western ringtail possum may use the marri-rich stands. Carnaby's black-cockatoo forages on marri and banksia in the park. Short-beaked echidnas, brush wallabies, western grey kangaroos, and quendas are resident. Tiger snakes and dugites inhabit damp valleys. Powerful owls hunt through the forest at night. Raptors including peregrine falcons and brown goshawks are present.

Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) and marri (Corymbia calophylla) form tall open forest over an understorey of sheoak (Allocasuarina fraseriana), snottygobble (Persoonia longifolia), wattle (Acacia) species, and diverse proteaceous shrubs. The understorey spring display includes hoveas, hibbertias, and native orchids. Riparian zones in the Helena River headwaters support paperbarks and sedges. The park is within the globally recognised Southwest Australian Floristic Region.

Korung sits on the Darling Plateau — deeply weathered Archaean granite-gneiss with laterite and lateritic gravel profiles up to 30 metres thick. The Helena River and its tributaries have carved valleys through the weathered profiles. The Darling Fault — a major geological boundary — runs along the base of the Scarp below the park.

Mediterranean climate with warm summers and cool, wet winters. Annual rainfall 700–900 mm in the Darling Range. Summer is hot and dry; fire risk is moderate to high from November onwards. The jarrah forest is adapted to periodic fire with a natural fire return interval of approximately 7–15 years.

Korung lies within Whadjuk Noongar boodja. Noongar people had regular access to the Darling Range forests for food, game, and ceremony. The ranges above Perth were occupied seasonally and used for hunting kangaroos and emus. European settlers accessed the ranges from the 1830s for timber and water supply.

Korung National Park was proclaimed as part of the Perth Hills reserve system, protecting forested Darling Range country alongside John Forrest, Mundaring, and other parks. The park provides ecological connectivity in the Darling Range landscape mosaic. DBCA manages fire and invasive species in an integrated framework across the Perth Hills.

Bushwalking through jarrah-marri forest, including trails into the upper Helena River valley. Spring wildflower displays. Birdwatching for black-cockatoos and forest birds. The park adjoins extensive State Forest with additional trail opportunities.

Located east of Mundaring near the Mundaring-Bruce Rock road. Access via Mundaring and the Darling Range highway network. Minimal formal facilities within the park. Mundaring and the Swan Valley provide accommodation and services.

Phytophthora cinnamomi dieback threatens the jarrah forest understorey. Invasive weeds including bridal creeper and cape tulip colonise disturbed areas. Altered fire regimes affect forest structure. The western ringtail possum requires old-growth marri trees with large hollows — hollow formation takes over 100 years in marri.