The Craig Bowden Endemic Flora Trail

History of the Craig Bowden Endemic Flora Trail

The grounds of Lesmurdie Senior High School are home to a vast variety of native plants and animals that are not usually seen in most Perth metropolitan schools. With a campus design that has taken advantage of this unique resource, our students and staff have always enjoyed the privilege of attending school in such a beautiful location.

For several years as a part of staff professional learning and well-being, our former Head of Science, Craig Bowden, took staff on walks through the school grounds. During these strolls he would take the time to stop at certain trees and plants, pointing out their names and identifying features. He would also take the opportunity to educate staff on the traditional Aboriginal uses and cultural significance of each plant, as well as the importance of them to local wildlife. Our teachers left these sessions feeling relaxed, re-energised and excited about passing on this knowledge to their students.

Construction of the trail and its educational purpose

To create a legacy to both the well-being and educational significance of Craig Bowden’s walks, a project was initiated in 2024 to construct an endemic flora trail in the school. With first construction occurring in 2025, the aim of the project was to create a permanently sign-posted trail that could be accessed by students, staff and community members. Where possible, the signs would be constructed by students using local, sustainably sourced wood matching each tree. Each sign would also have a QR code that would link to a section of this school website, giving more detailed information about:

Biological information and key identifying features
Aboriginal uses and cultural significance
Modern uses and applications

The educational benefit to all who access this trail range from a simple appreciation of the diversity of our endemic flora, to a more detailed knowledge about each plant’s uses and significance. With links to all areas of the Western Australian curriculum, students will be able to learn about our native plants in authentic contexts across each of their subject areas.

The design and construction of this trail, along with the research in creating its information pages, was a significant task that would not have been possible without the efforts of several key staff members. Our school acknowledges the contributions of all staff involved in this project and gives a special mention to the following staff for helping to bring this vision into reality: Aaron Crawford, Shannon Setzinger, Mark Hardley, Nic Schubert, Katharine Harrington, Alex Paolino and Brad Vosbergen .