Munda Biddi Trail (WA) - Donnybrook to Nala Mia

Day 12 of the Munda Biddi Trail, this section takes cyclists between the town of Donnybrook and the settlement of Jarrahwood. Leaving town via a spur, the trail heads through Jarrah forest of varied quality as well as passing by some excellent farmland along fast road descents. Passing a blue hued dam and some pine plantations, the day end at the old milling settlement of Jarrahwood and Nala Mia hut. A mixed transition day on the trail

Distance: 43.83 km (one way)

Gradient: Some undulating areas with some moderately climbs and descents

Quality of Path: Mix of vehicle tracks, single track and roads

Quality of Signage: Mostly well signed at all trail junctions

Experience Required: Mountain Biking experience recommended

Time: 4-5 Hours

Steps: None, this is a bike trail

Best Time to Visit: All Year; but the South West of WA is always best from August-October
Date(s) Completed: 15th August, 2020
Entry Fee: No
Getting There: Direct access is possible to both the Donnybrook trailhead and Nala Mia/Jarrahwood. Donnybrook trailhead can be accessed via South Western Hwy and Jarrahwood via Old Vasse Hwy

Due to the last minute decision to reschedule Nglang Boodja to Donnybrook due to inclement weather, the stretch from Donnybrook through to Nannup ended up being completed out of sequence before the ride into Donnybrook. Joining me for the ride was my friend and podcasting partner Mark Pybus of the Life of Py, here sporting one one of our Real Trail Talk shirts. This was actually Mark's third ride with me, having joined me for the new alignment in the Helena Valley and also for the day from Pemberton to Northcliffe, however it would be his first time doing an overnight ride on the Munda Biddi.

Being a Saturday, the Donnybrook Station Markets were on. As with many towns in the South-West, Donnybrook's train station has been converted into the main tourism information centre for the town, and the area around the station has become a main focal point for the town. Wanting to get going, Mark and I didn't really stick around to check out the market, although Alissa found a very good Spice Chai Carrot Cake while perusing the market stalls. 

Following the Munda Biddi markers north around the train station, the trail passes by Donnybrook's impressively massive playground. Known as the Apple Fun Park, it is the largest free entry playground in Australia and caters for everyone from toddlers to adults.

Skirting past the playground, the Munda Biddi leaves Donnybrook via the same spur I would come into town the weekend after. At the time of our ride, this was completely new trail to me, and Mark and I experienced a bit of confusion as we took a wrong turn once the trail left the pavement and entered some suburban streets.

Thankfully only losing a short amount of time, we were able to get back on track pretty quickly, following the unsealed back roads out of town.

Unlike the well marked trail junction on the Collie spur, reaching the trail junction out of Donnybrook is much less well signed. Having not cycled into town, I didn't have the previous day's experience to rely upon, however it was pretty easy to understand which way was south vs north, with Mark pointing the right direction above. 

The forests for this initial stretch were of the thin, burnt and scrappy variety... hardly the most exciting scenery. Pragmatically, I can understand the need for prescribed burning in these sort of areas given the proximity to town, however I was really hoping the day wasn't going to be an endless corridor of blackened trees.

Taking a sharp right, the Munda Biddi leaves the scrappy forest immersion to follow some farmland fences - a taste of the further farmland scenery to come later in the day. 

When the Munda Biddi does reenter forest, the trail quality and the scenery improves as the Munda Biddi heads along single track through more mature forest. While hardly the forest giants of Zephyr Rd heading into Collie and still showing the tell-tale char marks of recent prescribed burns, this was nevertheless an enjoyable improvement that made for fun, easy cycling. 

Further along, the landscape opens up a bit as it passes through an area filled with tall Kingias. While not quite the profusion of Kingias seen along the Munda Biddi between Lake Brockman and Yarri, there were nevertheless quite a number of impressively tall examples that could be seen along the trail. 

Leaving the forest, the Munda Biddi turns onto Goodwood Rd for just over four kilometres of road cycling that is mostly downhill. While I initially was resistant to these road sections, the speed and ease that bitumen provides can be very enjoyable. With some very steep descents, Mark and I took the ride at full speed as we leaned forward to decrease our wind resistance. Mark was measuring our speed and clocked us as doing over 50 kilometres at one point, which should easily be some of the fastest speeds I've travelled at along the entire trail. 

Along some of the slower stretches, Mark and I were able to enjoy some encounters with the local farm animals, including this cow that eyed me cautiously and some dogs on the farm across the way. 

The road cycling along Goodwood Rd came to end as we reached the intersection with Vernon Rd. While it initially follows the road, the Munda Biddi veers off onto some good quality single track before rejoining vehicle tracks later on. While the area looks to have been clear-felled in the not so distant past, some taller habitat trees look to have been spared the axe. 

As a result, the forest quality along some of these back roads was some of best of the entire day, and were all the better due to the very low visible signs of past prescribed burns or bushfire damage. 

Reaching the edge of a private property, Mark and I were greeted to an incredible scene of at least ten border collies running through the field above alongside their human as he rode on a quad bike. If you look closer in the photo you can see some of these magnificent dogs, however it really had me kicking myself for not having my long lens on the camera to zoom in for a better shot. 

Continuing along more farmland fence lines, Mark and I saw a lot of the orchards that make Donnybrook Western Australia's apple capital. As we cycled past, Mark and I noticed the distinctly sweet smell of discarded fruit could be smelt on the air - a smell that both has the pleasant quality of stewed apples, but also just a soupçon of rotting garbage.  

Returning back to forest, the next stretch of cycling was unfortunately some of the day's most dull. While we were near the farmland, Mark had suggested stopping for a lunch break but I was initially resistant as I tend to save a proper lunch break for the hut, however the fairly ordinary riding made feel ready to take a bit of a break. 

Finding a large tree stump by the side of the road, Mark and I pulled over for our break. While the choice of location did initially seem idyllic, it actually ended up being a poor location due to its proximity to a creek and the correspondingly high amount of mosquitoes that decided to join us for the lunch break. In spite of constantly swatting mosquitoes, our lunch from the Donnybrook bakery was at least enjoyable. Stopping also allowed us to take stock of where we were and how many more kilometres we had to do. 

A short distance further south of our lunch location, Mark and I passed a sizeable dam. Immediately, I recognised it as the same dam from the Fat Traction video of the Mundi Biddi where one of the guys did a 'sick jump' into the lake. The jump looks to have been eroded away (it was more a bump that a jump), however it was cool seeing its blue hues in person. 

Crossing Claymore Rd and with only 16 more kilometres to go, Mark and I entered a pine plantation. Signage seemed to indicate that works were going on and that there was restricted entry, however with no diversion markers in place and with no actual works being undertaken we followed the markers through.

All along the plantation were stacks of pine logs ready to be carted away. The logs pictured above looked freshly cut, however further along were piles of old, grey wood that appeared to have been sitting there for a long time without ever being driven out to be used as timber or firewood. 

While the initial stretches of the plantation appeared younger and had an artificial orderliness about it, further along the pines appeared far more established and chaotic thanks to a mixed age to the forest and a greater density to hide the rows that would have been originally planted. I don't mind this kind of plantation scenery and with flat, easy rolling terrain it made for pleasant cycling. 

Leaving the plantation behind, the Munda Biddi returns to native Jarrah forest as it makes it way to Jarrahwood.

The forest quality was mixed due to the somewhat young Jarrah through this area, however a real treat was the Karri Hazel that lined sections of the track and filled the air with a pleasant aroma. 

At one point along this stretch, the Munda Biddi crosses a small bridge to avoid going through a stream, however Mark and I decided to enjoy the splashdown that can experienced if you continue on the vehicle track instead. Not long after, Mark and I stopped for a break. Having gone a few weeks without cycling, Mark was feeling pretty shattered, having much of the same feeling I'd felt coming back to the trail for Collie to Nglang Boodja after a three week break. By this stage we has less than an hour to go to Jarrahwood and Nala Mia hut. 

The home stretch is unfortunately marked by a section of forest that was quite severely burnt by a bushfire in 2019. A pine harvest debris burn had escaped containment and threatened the small town of Jarrahwood. While no human lives or properties were lost, the scar to the landscape is considerable. Given we were both looking forward to being done for the day, this did little to lift our spirits. 

A change of trail type from the vehicle tracks we'd been following for most of the day to some single track filled us with hope; this was a good sign that we were getting close to Jarrahwood as it would make sense for the Munda Biddi to take some single track coming into a town. 

Sure enough; just before joining onto the last stretch of vehicle track into town, a sign indicated we were getting close to Jarrahwood. The sign informs cyclists that the town offers accomodation for $20 per person if they didn't want to 'rough it' in the hut. 

Just before entering Jarahwood, Mark and I made a short detour off the track to check out the above wrecked car dumped next to a large puddle. Mark, ever knowledgeable about cars, correctly guessed that it was a Hyundai Excel in spite of the car's horrendous condition. 

Just two minutes after the car, Mark and I rolled into the small settlement of Jarrahwood. As with many communities in the area Jarrahwood was an old logging town, however while many closed up completely Jarrahwood still continues in spite of losing most of its population due to the closure of the local mill. While hardly the tourist-leaning attraction of somewhere like Donnelly River Village, the area did appear to at least be popular with campers in the know given a number of people who seemed to be staying in the area. 

At a junction that is not particularly well signed, a side trail that passes through a hedge leads to Nala Mia hut. 

Jarrahwood is unique compared to other towns and settlements along the Munda Biddi as it is the only one that features a full Munda Biddi hut right in the thick of town (thought 'town' is a generous term for the tiny settlement). It is a bit of an odd experience; located on a bit of a hill, you can see the comings and goings of townsfolk from the hut, and its location in a bit of a clearing means it is also in a somewhat windy spot. 

Being right in town, Nala Mia was super convenient for Alissa as it is the only hut you can literally drive right up to, with her being able to bring in our (comparably) luxury camping setup and all of Mark's camping gear without a hike in. Being closely located to Nannup, we were also able to take a short drive out to get some wine from the local bottle shop - much needed given the freezing cold, windy conditions overnight and the wind tunnel that the hut's open middle creates. With heavy rain forecast, Alissa and I set up our tent in the annex at the back of the hut. We realised somewhat bittersweetly that while there was still a lot more of the trail to do, this would be our last night staying in a hut as our next few trips would see us staying in town. 

Donnybrook to Nala Mia is a bit of a mixed bag. While there were some nice sections through more mature forest and some good farmland scenery, it was mostly a pleasant if unremarkable day. Compared to the previous two days, it lacked the thrilling excitement of Collie to Nglang Boodja and its crazy steep descent to the Collie River, and was not quite as idyllic as the farmland and rolling hills from Nglang Boodja into Donnybrook. More so than many of the other riding into town days, this really felt like a riding into town day - which is interesting given Jarrahwood is not much of a town. That all being said, it was still a nice enough day, and considering how great the next day is, I'd happily pay the price of a less exciting day to get you to Jarrahwood if it means getting to experience the sheer excellence of Jarrahwood to Nannup. 

But that's a story for another day.