Munda Biddi Trail (WA) - Nglang Boodja to Donnybrook

 

Day 11 of the Munda Biddi Trail, this section takes cyclists from Nglang Boodja to the town of Donnybrook. Leaving the campsite through Jarrah forest, the highlight of the day are the rolling hills of Ferguson Valley farmland. Passing through Crooked Brook Forest and Joshua the streets of Joshua Creek, a long stretch of pleasant road cycling leads to South Western Hwy and the home stretch into Donnybrook. A pleasant and idyllic day of the track

Distance: 46.93 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: 22nd August, 2020
Entry Fee: No
Getting There: No direct access to Nglang Boodja. Car access points can be located at Pile Rd, Ferguson Rd, Crooked Brook Rd through to South Western Hwy and at the trailhead in Donnybrook

After visiting Nglang Boodja, filling in the hut logbook and topping up my water, I continued on my way to Pile Rd. With the weather forecast to be unphotographably terrible the next day (and thus of no use to the blog), Alissa and I agreed that this weekend's trip would just be a day ride with the Pile Rd pick up point being a convenient 1.24 kilometres from the hut. 

While only a short distance, the ascent from the hut is all uphill along a blue graded stretch of trail. Having stopped at the hut, I could feel that I'd lost momentum and enthusiasm as I slowly ambled to the car. Something I was surprised by was the presence of a gate near Pile Rd. For most of the Munda Biddi huts, it is possible to get fairly close to the hut by car, which has been useful for Alissa in driving our luxe camping setup close by and then hiking the rest of the way in. While 1.24 kilometres is a similar distance from the gate to the campsite as Yarri, the steepness to and from the car to the hut makes it a much less inviting prospect, and it would have been especially miserable in the morning trying to pack out all the gear in torrential downpour had we decided to stay overnight. Interestingly, this is the only hut we've stayed at that is double gated, which makes sense when a quick search online shows that Nglang Boodja has been the victim of senseless vandalism in the recent past. 

Returning two weeks later after having completed Donnybrook to Nannup as an overnight in between, Alissa dropped me back off at Pile Rd for an early start. The trail on the other side of the road is a lovely stretch of easy downhill single track - the complete opposite of the wide, moderate ascent leading to the road crossing. 

Crossing underneath some powerlines, the trail widened as it followed allow a creekline. There were some mature trees along the road, with the overall forest quality being of a relatively high quality. 

Flying along the easy track, I was surprised to see a gated entry along the way, and for a second I wondered if I had missed a turn as this seemed like I was entering someone's private property. 

As it turns out it was the official trail, however it passes by a small pocket of what seemed like old residential buildings. Researching online later, I would realise that these are the Wellington Forest Cottages, a series of buildings built in the 1920s to house Forest Department employees that can now be booked for accomodation in the area. From here, it is also possible to travel off the Munda Biddi and visit the Wellington Forest Discovery Centre though this side trip is not obviously marked.

The Munda Biddi curves around the back of the cottages, rising up as it reenters the forests of the national park along Richards Rd. While initially ascending, the gradient is relatively tame and easy going - a trend that would continue for the majority of the day. 

After the initial ascent, it is mostly downhill through this section, and with lovely forest along the trail, I was really enjoying cruising along, with the only challenges being the odd fallen branch to ride around. 

While single track is often preferable to vehicle tracks, an example of why it can also be bad could be seen along this section. Being a bit overgrown, I was glad to be wearing sunglasses as I pushed through the bushes. I was particularly grateful to have not done this section the Sunday of the massive downpour as I would have been really drenched cycling through the dense bushes. 

On the other side of the overgrown single track, something happened that I don't fully understand. Clearly missing a marker somewhere, I ended up doing a weird, circuitous loop only to find myself back at the Wellington Forest Cottages! Annoyed at the mistake and for not cottoning on to it earlier, I rode the section again with extra care to follow the signage and was particularly relieved when I started cycling along a section of track I didn't recognise from earlier in the day!

Leaving the national park, the Munda Biddi enters what is probably its nicest stretch of the day as it passes through the idyllic rolling hills and farmland of the Ferguson Valley, which could easily be a stand-in for the Shire if they wanted to film the Lord of the Rings in Western Australia. 

Often forgotten by tourists heading out to Margaret River, the Ferguson Valley area is a really stunning part of the South West. Alissa and I have enjoyed meandering drives through this area in the past to visit Gnomesville and the excellent Willow Bridge Estate winery, and I'm really glad that the Munda Biddi embraces this sort of farmland scenery. A criticism I've often had of the Bibbulmun is that it sometimes can be dogged about staying in substandard forest just to avoid farmland. Granted, several kilometres along a farm fence on foot can be pretty dispiriting, but I think the Munda Biddi understands the suitability of a bike for this kind of scenery and leans into it well. 

Initially featuring some moderately steep climbs and descents, the Munda Biddi levels off for a generally downhill run as Richards Rd meanders through the farmland scenery. 

With the trail's having been largely downhill, I was making good time when I reached the sealed 600 metres of Richards Rd that join onto Ferguson Rd. With sealed road under my wheels, I was able to go even faster as I coasted all the way down to the intersection. 

Reaching Ferguson Rd, the view at the intersection is picture postcard perfect, with a rolling hill immediately facing Richards Rd and a shed perfectly located on the hilltop.

While I didn't mind the road cycling along Richards Rd, things get a bit less interesting from Ferguson Rd onwards. After a short stint on Ferguson Rd, the Munda Biddi turns onto the 4.4 kilometre Ironstone Rd as it makes its way towards Crooked Brook. The initial journey along Ironstone Rd is mostly uphill through farmland scenery that lacks the rolling hills drama of Richards Rd, however the sealed nature of the road does make the uphill easier than it would be on gravel. The upside of the climb is it is a fast descent down the other side as the road makes its way onto Crooked Brook Rd. 

Joining Crooked Brook Rd for a short stint, the Munda Biddi veers off and into the outskirts of the actual Crooked Brook Forest itself once it clears the farmland. 

Following well constructed single track, the Munda Biddi shares this part of its route with Crooked Brook's Wildflower Walk all the way to the main Crooked Brook day area. 

Crooked Brook features a nice picnic area with a small playground, as well as being the trailhead for multiple short walks through the area. I had last visited the area in 2017 and didn't find the sparse, scrappy forest of the main area to be overly exciting, however it is apparently a very popular place with wildflower spotters as evidenced by the car park full of grey haired individuals with cameras and wildflower guides, so your mileage my vary. For most people, the best part of the forest would be the dammed off billabong further downstream that would be a good spot for a lunch break if timing aligns. 

Leaving Crooked Brook, the Munda Biddi follows Boyanup-Ferguson Rd and then Joshua Creek Rd towards Boyanup. The cyling is pleasant enough if not that interesting given the broadness of the roads, the scrappiness of the forest and the first hill heading away from Crooked Brook. 

Entering the suburban streets of Joshua Creek, Joshua Creek Rd becomes the sealed Armstrong St with the Munda Biddi beginning a 12.6 kilometre long stretch of sealed road that has to be one of the longest stretches of sealed road cycling of the entire trail.  

While basically suburbia, the cycling along Armstrong St actually featured the most impressive display of Kangaroo Paws I've ever seen, with the 4-5 of the bush verges being filled with spectacular specimens like the one above. 

A nice surprise along Armstrong St is Joshua Brook parklands. Once a mineral sands mine, the area has ben rehabilitated into quite a lovely park. Had I bothered to look properly at the map and realise that the Munda Biddi doesn't actually go into the main town centre of Boyanup, I would probably have stopped here for a lunch break rather than waiting for another opportunity which never arose. 

Turning onto Hurst St, the Munda Biddi continues on the same road for a whopping 8.3 kilometres although I didn't know it at the time as I just assumed the trail would find a way to reenter forest at some stage.

While entirely on sealed road, the scenery was at least engaging, with the first part of the road featuring some lovely cattle-filled farmland views juxtaposed by some cool looking derelict buildings. 

As nice as the farmland was, it was even better to return to shaded, forested scenery and I have to say the forest looked really nice with mature trees giving it something of the closed in feel more common in the Karri forest further south. Although on roads that had an 80 km/hr speed limit, this actually wasn't that bad and the bitumen meant I was able to maintain a relatively fast speed throughout. 

After turning onto a few connecting streets, the Munda Biddi turns onto South Western Hwy. While a very short section along the highway, this is one of the sections of the Munda Biddi Alissa and I have seen the most given we'd driven past it many times to go to Bridgetown or Pemberton. At the times I've driven past it, I was a bit worried about the fact it is along a very busy road, however there is a wide enough shoulder to ride along that it was not that much of a problem. 

Crossing a disused railway track (that hopefully will be reactivated to serve the lithium mine in Greenbushes in the near future), the Munda Biddi follows unsealed track alongside orchard scenery.

This was again another stretch of lovely farmland scenery thanks to the rolling hills of the area. Reaching a shaded section along a creek, I decided it was time to pull over and eat my lunch. In Bunbury, I had found a great Vietnamese bakery that made excellent Banh Mis - my favourite sandwich of all-time. While eating my sandwich, I realised I was less than 9 kilometres away from Donnybrook, and let Alissa know as I was ahead of schedule. 

In hindsight, I probably should have eaten my lunch after the moderate incline that takes the Munda Biddi up and above the farmland as I'd lost momentum and felt like I should have had a longer break after eating lunch. Reaching the top of the climb, the Munda Biddi crosses over on a short section of single track to join a parallel vehicle track across the top of the ridge. 

Heading across the top of the ridge, the trail passes by some fairly epic and industrial looking dams that must provide water to the orchards below. Whatever the case, the local ducks seemed to really like swimming around in the dam so in spite of the almost Soviet utilitarianism it has the endorsement of the local birdlife. 

Heading down and away from the dam, the trail features a nice section of downhill track as it heads back into the Jarrah forest. The downhill was so fast I had to double check I'd made the right turn as I didn't want a repeat of my mistake earlier in the day. 

Continuing along the trail, the scenery transitioned from forest to farmland, with one last farm being home to a flock of sheep that watched me cautiously as I cycled by.

Having cycled the spur into Donnybrook the previous weekend heading to Jarrahwood, I knew what to look for. So when I came across the very obvious trail junction I was elated given the spur is much shorter than the spur into Collie and knew it would only be a short ride to my pickup point in the middle of Donnybrook. 

Once leaving scrappy, burnt forest at the outskirts of town, the Munda Biddi heads through the back suburban streets before following a sealed dual use path along Bentley Rd/St.

One of the cool aspects of riding along this road are the number of heritage buildings in this little visited part of town. This includes the Soldiers Memorial Hall and the original council chambers. 

When I cycled out of Donnybrook, I had gone up and around the north side of the town centre from the trailhead however as this part of the trail is a loop I decided to take the southern side heading in, which goes by the Soldiers Memorial Hall. 

Crossing a railway line and passing a petrol station Alissa and I have filled up at many, many times, I found myself on the main road of town. Famous for being the main apple producing town in Western Australia, Donnybrook is also well known for its massive playground and the beautiful English Oak trees that line the streets. Being a popular tourist town located along National Route 1, there is a large RV-friendly car park located near the old train station where the Munda Biddi Trailhead can be found, and it was where Alissa was waiting for me.

Nglang Boodja to Donnybrook was an interesting day of the Munda Biddi. It spent the least time in native forest as well as a very high percentage of its time on sealed roads, and yet I have to say I thought this was an enjoyable ride. The farmland scenery was a really nice change of pace after what is literally days and days spent through Jarrah forest, and the road cycling was not too bad because it was at least on quiet back roads through pleasant scenery that allowed for a faster average speed compared to loose pea gravel - which I was all the more appreciative of given the black diamond-rated descent in the previous section from Collie to Nglang Boodja. Having done the next section to Jarrahwood the previous weekend, my ride into Donnybrook meant I could now tick off Map 4 of the Munda Biddi off. Another one down!