What goes wrong on Gooseberry Hill
Gooseberry Hill sits right on the scarp, and the roads show it. Streets climb and fall sharply, many driveways are steep, and a lot of homes sit on large bush blocks. That means plenty of our jobs here are at people’s homes: a car that won’t start at the bottom of a sloping drive, a ute with a dead battery under a carport, or a vehicle that has slid onto a soft verge after rain.
The Zig Zag Scenic Drive brings a different kind of call. It’s a popular sightseeing road with tight hairpins, and brakes worked hard on the way down sometimes overheat or fade. Further up, Kalamunda Road and Gooseberry Hill Road carry steady commuter traffic up and down the hill, so we also see breakdowns and crashes on the climb.
Roads and places we cover around Gooseberry Hill
Kalamunda Road crosses the suburb on its way up the scarp from the airport side of the plain. Gooseberry Hill Road is the other main climb, and Ridge Hill Road heads north towards the Helena Valley. Lascelles Parade, at the top of the hill, is where the Zig Zag starts, and Railway Road leads into Kalamunda’s town centre.
Gooseberry Hill National Park covers the north-western slopes. Head south and you’re in Kalamunda. Drop down the hill to the north and you reach Helena Valley, while Forrestfield sits at the foot of the scarp to the south-west. If a hire car or project car needs moving rather than towing, our vehicle transport service can collect it.
Stuck on Gooseberry Hill right now?
- If you’re on a steep street, put the handbrake on hard and leave the car in gear or park.
- On the Zig Zag, don’t try to reverse back up. Stop in a pull-in area if you can reach one and turn on your hazards.
- Tell us how steep the street or driveway is and whether a truck can turn around nearby.
- If the brakes smell hot, let them cool before anyone tries to move the car.
Ring us on 0419 857 070 and we’ll organise the right truck for the hill.