Munda Biddi Trail (WA) - Nala Mia to Nannup

 

Day 13 of the Munda Biddi Trail, this section takes cyclists from Nala Mia hut in Jarrahwood to the town of Nannup. Leaving town along Old Vasse Hwy, the trail then follows the Sidings Rail Trail all day into Nannup. Crossing numerous rail bridges with particularly lovely views of St Johns Brook and the Blackwood River, this is one of the best and most 'perfect' days of the entire Munda Biddi, and a great day ride worth repeating

Distance: 26.58 km (one way)

Gradient: Mostly flat with gentle climbs and descents

Quality of Path: Mostly rail trail, with some vehicle tracks and road sections

Quality of Signage: Well signed at all trail junctions

Experience Required: Mountain Biking experience recommended

Time: 3 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: 16th August, 2020
Entry Fee: No
Getting There: Direct access is possible to both Nala Mia/Jarrahwood and Nannup. Jarrahwood can be accessed via Old Vasse Hwy, while Nannup can be access via current Vasse Hwy

After a blustery, rain-filled night, Mark, Alissa and I woke to a surprisingly calm and rain-free morning at Nala Mia hut. Although Sunday had worse weather forecast than Saturday, it appeared like the worst of it had hit overnight. While Mark and I prepared ourselves for potentially riding in the rain, we were feeling optimistic about the day ahead given the map showed it to be following the Sidings Rail Trail for the entire day, which suggested quality riding at the very least. 

After a relatively quick pack up for what would be my last night at a Munda Biddi hut for the sectional End to End, the three of us got ourselves ready for departure, with Mark and I on our bikes while Alissa drove off to spend the morning in Nannup. 

Following the Munda Biddi markers through Jarrahwood, the trail passes by a shelter filled with historical information about the old milling days and life in Jarrahwood. It is a small but interesting display that is worth checking out, especially for those only going as far as Nannup given the very meagre 26.58 kilometres make this a half day. 

Leaving Jarrahwood, the Munda Biddi initially follows Old Vasse Hwy which used to run right into town. 

As we made our way along the road, Mark and I noticed what looked like an old rail form west of the road. Getting off my bike and walking over to check it out, I could see that it was indeed an old rail form. Given the sleepers are still in place, I can see why it wasn't used as part of the Munda Biddi as it would have been a bumpy ride, but it did make me think it was a developmental opportunity that could very easy be converted into rail trail for the Munda Biddi to follow. 

Joining onto and crossing the new Vasse Hwy, the rail form continues on the other side of the road, however at this point the Munda Biddi does actually run along the form. This is marked as the Old Sidings Rail Trail, and we would basically be following it all the way into Nannup. 

Being an old railway line, the old wood infrastructure is of mixed condition with some bridges still being functional while others are in a complete state of disrepair. Interestingly, the assets are still owned by the Public Transport Authority even though it would appear highly unlikely this will ever be returned to a railway line. 

Following the diversion away from the old rail bridge and crossing the stream, it became clear to Mark and I that there was very little left at all of this first bridge which looks to have been both burnt and rotten out. 

Following the bridge, the trail is basically a gently rolling flat to slightly downhill gradient. Given the narrow rail trail width and ease, this was a very pleasurable change of pace from the vehicle track and road cycling that dominated the last two days. 

While forest through the initial part of the rail trail was certainly on the thin and scrappy side, there was still a lot of interesting things to see. Rather than just ripping out the whole railway line to make the rail trail, there are some sections where wooden sleepers and bits of the track have been left in place, with the trail running parallel. This provides a fascinating look at the old rail heritage and gave the day a lot of historical interest. 

Additionally, there are also a number of benches and tables at points along the trail. Given the somewhat mediocre nature of the forest along this part and the easiness of the cycling, it seems like a bit of an overkill to have a picnic table in the middle of no where, however it immediately made me think of 'Red Pen Jase' from the Bibbulmun Track and how he'd definitely approve of the supplied seating (long story, but Bibb hikers will know what I'm talking about). 

As it often the case with old rail forms, the rail trail runs parallel to a watercourse in this case following along Mill Brook before it joins onto St John Brook further upstream. While the Munda Biddi does not offer any direct views of the brook from the trail at this point, there are natural clearings in the forest where it is easy enough to park up the bike and walk down to see the brook flowing through the area. 

Crossing Baker Rd, the forest quality increased significantly with a much greater density to the forest and lot more mature trees visible from the trail. The area immediately near the road crossing also featured a profusion of Pineapple Bush. Endemic to Western Australia, Pineapple Bush bears a striking resemblance to the Pandani of Tasmania however they are apparently not closely related at all. 

Not far from the road crossing, the Munda Biddi comes to what is easily one of the day's major highlights - the bridge over St Johns Brook. An impressively long rail bridge, the bridge looks like it has been lovingly restored and maintained, and is in better condition than many rail bridges I've seen in the South West that had been converted to bicycle or walk trail use. 

With the brook swollen from winter rains, the view of the flooded trees made for a really lovely scene, and Mark and I stopped here for some time to take it all in. Appreciating how good it all was, I explained to Mark the concept of 'lousy' as it it used by my family at dinner parties. Whenever there is a really good dish at a dinner party, we take turns feigning disdain for it by repeatedly calling it lousy and then saying we're going back for seconds only out of pity for whoever made it. I brought this up because this scenery was really, extremely 'lousy'.

Amazingly, this bridge crossing is right near some private properties where the residents would get to enjoy this 'lousy' view every day! I must be a lot of fun paddling along the pool along the brook to the bridge and back. 

After enjoying the views of the brook, Mark and I continued along the trail. After the bridge, the forest showed obvious signs of having been recently been blackened by a prescribed burn, which pragmatically speaking makes sense being so close to the private property. At least the mature quality of the forest meant there was a nice density to the scenery and it wasn't the burnt, scrappy and stunted trifecta that is my least favourite type of Jarrah forest. 

The rail form continues in its flat, easy rolling fashion, crossing more of the old rail bridges along the way. 

The trail widens at Cambray Siding. This was once the site of an old logging settlement, however almost all evidence of the community has long since disappeared.

The most obvious sign of Cambray's past is a filled in water tank. This was apparently the location where the steam engines would top up their water. The area is filled with informative signage that helps interpret the forestry heritage of the area.

As Mark and I cycled through Cambray Siding, both of us were thinking how lucky it is that the sleepers were pulled out as it would have been a bumpy ride. Leaving Cambray Siding, we got to have a better appreciation for how lucky we were as we had to ride a section that had been left with the sleepers in place. We were definitely both glad to have front suspension.

Of the bridges that are now structurally unsound, the one after Cambray Siding is probably the most interesting as the old bridge was quite high relative to the new bicycle bridge. 

The height difference allows for a nice clear view of the old wooden bridge. While the Munda Biddi crosses multiple rail bridges on this day and the River Rd Bridge near Northcliffe, this is the best vantage point along the trail to appreciate the ingenuity of the engineers and rail construction workers even if their industry was basically removing beautiful centuries old giants and leaving us with the thin and scrappy forest that took its place.  

After the crossing the bridge, the Munda Biddi enters a more open area of flats which offers lovely views of the aptly named Rocky Gully which features some lovely views of rapids along its course. Once again, so very very 'lousy'. 

From Cambray Siding, the gradient had been mildly uphill, however the views had been enough of a distraction for it to not have been super noticeable. Leaving the gully behind and entering an area that look to be quite badly burnt, Mark and I were really beginning to feel the slow creep of the accumulated ascending, even if it was very, very gentle. 

After 7 kilometres of ascending, the track levels out and began the descent that goes almost all the way into Nannup. While initially heading through more forest, the trail then passes by some really beautiful farmland. Pinch Gully runs through the property and it has been dammed to create a really idyllic lake. Mark and I would both like to live in the country, and we both felt a little envious of the lucky people who lived in a picturesque location. 

With the rail trail continuing alongside the gully, the Munda Biddi crosses Vasse Hwy for the four kilometre home stretch into town. 

On the other side of Vasse Hwy, the Munda Biddi continues on downhill rail trail as it runs between Pinch Gully and Vasse Hwy. 

Just before entering town, the Munda Biddi passes by more beautiful farmland. Being late winter, the farmland's lakes had become flooded, and I imagine that large sections of the grassy field would be pretty soggy to walk on. Mark and I took a moment to enjoy the views as we watched a family of ducks walk from a small puddle to the large lake.

Just beyond the farmland, Mark and I crossed Vasse Hwy again, with only 700 metres to go.

Just before coming into town, the Munda Biddi crosses one final, super impressive rail bridge as the trail crosses the Blackwood River. 

Easily the most substantial watercourse that the rail trail crosses over, the bridge runs high over the mighty Blackwood and allowing for some very impressive views of the wide river after decent winter rains. This is arguably one of the most impressive rail bridges I've had the pleasure of riding or walking over in the South-West and is well worth checking out even if you're just visiting Nannup. 

While the river levels were decent, they were nothing compared to the flood levels that the Blackwood River can reach. A tree along the river is marked with the level that the river has reached at the height of significant flood events. Looking from the bottom up, 2005 and 1946 looks very impressive until you look all the way up the tree to 1982. This flood was so high that it would have covered the bridge Mark and I were riding on!

Having crossed the bridge, the Munda Biddi follows the back streets to the visitor centre. While these would have been fairly uneventful in normal circumstances, Nannup was hosting the Tulip Festival at the time of our ride and as part of the festival a huge number of vintage cars were on display in the park. Mark and I took our time ogling these immaculately cared for classics while also looking at the tulips planted around town.

Our last few metres took us down Brockman Street where Alissa had parked the car right near the visitor centre.

Even without the cars and tulips, Nannup is a really cool town. Being the oldest declared town in this part of the South West, it has many beautiful older buildings and many amenities including an excellent bakery, numerous cafe and a lovely boutique tea shop that Mark and I met Alissa at. 

After the mixed bag day from Donnybrook to Nala Mia, I felt a bit bad that Mark had joined me for a fairly ordinary section of the Munda Biddi. Nala Mia to Nannup more that made up for it, being a day that was almost entirely on easy rail trail with little to no vehicle tracks, excellent rail bridges and stunning scenery. As such, this is by far the best and least compromised day of the Munda Biddi from Mundaring to this point. Being not even 27 kilometres in length, this allows cyclists a bit of flexibility to either have a half day to enjoy time in the lovely, historic town of Nannup, or it can be combined with the next day heading into Donnelly River Village. Regardless, this is a great section of the Munda Biddi and one I would definitely recommend as a day cycle worth repeating.