Munda Biddi Trail (WA) - Booner Mundak to Jinung Beigabup

Day 24 of the Munda Biddi Trail, this section takes cyclists from Booner Mundak to Jinung Beigabup. Almost entirely on unsealed back roads with on green graded gradients, the repetitive scenery is broken up by highlights at the Kent River, a couple of excellent granite formations and a side trip to Mt Lindesay. Ending at the spectacular Jinung Beigabup, the outstanding campsite makes up for the ordinary scenery

Distance: 54.66 km (one way)

Gradient: Mostly gentle with some moderate climbs and descents

Quality of Path: Mostly unsealed roads with some single track

Quality of Signage: Mostly well signed at all trail junctions

Experience Required: Mountain Biking experience recommended

Time: 5-6 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: 9th July, 2020 (Booner Mundak to Nornalup Rd), 23rd May, 2020 (Nornalup Rd to Jinung Beigabup

Entry Fee: No
Getting There: No direct access to Booner Mundak or Jinung Beigabup. Access points are located at along almost all the roads that the Munda Biddi travels along on this day

After a lovely snack break backed by a soundtrack of birdsong at Booner Mundak, it was time for me to continue on the Munda Biddi to my pick up point at Nornalup Rd. The previous section to Booner Mundak had finished with a somewhat boring 15 kilometres of riding on unsealed road riding in sandy, stunted Jarrah territory, and it was more of the same for the rest of my day's riding to Nornalup Rd. Returning to Middle Rd from the campsite's spur, the Munda Biddi heads north along the road for three kilometres of uneventful sameness. 

Reaching the end of Middle Rd didn't mean the end of the ordinary scenery, with the five kilometres of Boronia Rd being more of the same. Street signs indicating the road's use by cyclists for the next x kilometres would be a major feature of almost the entire way to Jinung Beigabup, providing varying levels of demoralisation depending on the kilometre figure displayed. 

Reaching the end of Boronia Rd, the Munda Biddi turns onto Nornalup Rd, which was even wider and more unremarkable than Boronia Rd. I knew from here it was 5 kilometres to the pick up point so I just pushed on and counted my blessings that I was nearing the end of this rather unimpressive section of the Munda Biddi, which at 30 kilometres of unworthy scenery from Valley of the Giants Rd through to where I was being picked up is close to the 40 kilometres that is an average day on the trail. 

While the weather had cleared up since crossing Valley of the Giants Rd, it took a bit of a turn as I reached my pick up point. Having beaten my time estimate to reach the intersection I'd arrived here before Alissa by about 15 minutes so put my rain coat on and waited patiently, hoping it wouldn't get to heavy. Thankfully it didn't, and Alissa and I were able to head back to Denmark for a relaxing rest of the day. 

Considering Pemberton through to Booner Mundak was already a jump back in time to July from doing Quinninup to Pemberton in September, the rest of the journey to Jinung Beigabup requires an even greater jump back in time to May 23rd, which was a rather different time in Western Australia. This was only a month after doing my first Munda Biddi ride on Anzac Day and up to that point my cycling had been limited to trips within the Perth and Peel region thanks to the regional restrictions in place due to COVID-19. Just the previous weekend I'd done Dwellingup to Bidjar Ngoulin as my first ride with the Polygon Xtrada 6, and at the time camping restrictions had been lifted but the borders would not be open until a few days later. 

During the restrictions I'd been telling everyone I would head down and go hug a Karri as soon as I had the opportunity, and I decided to kill two birds with one stone by cycling to Jinung Beigabup for what would be my first overnight on the Munda Biddi, which Alissa and I would use to test out our planned glamping approach. It would also be the first time I'd be riding with all my bikepacking bags, and while I'd add some additional water bottle holders onto the handlebar and a tool box canister, my setup would remain much the same for all the longer journeys on the Munda Biddi.

Echoing the journey from Booner Mundak, the Munda Biddi turns onto Break Rd for another stretch of road riding. 

While the sign at the Break Rd turn off suggests the Munda Biddi stays on Break Rd for five kilometres, it actually branches off on some single track about three kilometres in as it takes a swing bridge across the Kent River. 

Being May, the water level was lower than it would have been had I done this in July however it was still a lovely and idyllic spot that served as a bit of a highlight of the day. As with Yirra Kartta, there is a granite area along the Kent River that is of significance to the Aboriginal people of the area, and it is asked that Munda Biddi cycle are respectful when passing through. 

On the other side of the river, the trail winds its way through a lovely jumble of granite boulders. I savoured this moment as much as I could as I knew that the trail would return to road riding very shortly after. 

The Munda Biddi return to Break Rd on the other side of the Kent River, and then doesn't leave it for 28 kilometres! This is the longest continuous stretch of trail on the same road of the entire Munda Biddi, even eclipsing the 18 kilometres I'd ended up staying on Dean/Nelson Rds between Northcliffe and Yirra Kartta, and vastly eclipsing Marron Rd, my most hated 9.6 kilometres of boring road walking on the entire Bibbulmun Track. 

The Marron Rd comparison is quite apt given the similarity in open plains scenery that dominates stretches of the track. The open plans did at least offer some views of the surrounding hills and 'mountains' including an interesting peak apparently known as Mt Romance, though I'd always assumed Mt Romance was closer to Albany given it was the name used by the sandalwood company. 

Returning back to thin, scrappy and stunted Jarrah, I was not particularly enthused by the scenery but I was at least entertained by the wildlife. For a few kilometres, I rode with a pair of emus running away from me, and I pushed hard to try and catch up with them. These emu encounters were something I really enjoyed along the Munda Biddi, but I never was able to get a photo as they always outran me. 

Entering sections of thin, stunted Jarrah forest made even more ghastly by recent prescribed burns, this would have been even less enjoyable than Marron Rd if not for the fun overlay of cycling. With the trail undulated and featuring some fast descents in places, it at least made the journey more interesting and enjoyable in stretches that would otherwise have very little value. 

In some of the lower plains sections, it was nice to see that some of the Swamp Bottlebrush was still in bloom. These red flowers are a major feature of the plains in the Walpole/Denmark area in the Autumn, providing a burst of colour at the opposite time of the year to the major Springtime blooms. 

With little of Break Rd's scenery being particularly exciting, I began to grasp for anything to keep my interest levels up, with the painterly quality of the wispy clouds providing a brief moment of interest along the monotone road. 

Entering a section of taller trees that included what looked like Bullich also provided a nice change of pace, as basically anything remotely different was helping maintain my engagement. 

Dams built as water points for fire fighting also provided points of interest and difference in the landscape. 

Perhaps because of how boring the riding was, I was more attuned to keeping any eye out for anything of interest at all, and as such I really embraced the appearance of some granite boulders just off the trail after a long section of climbing. Stopping off here to inspect the boulders and take in the view of the forest really sustained me and made me feel like at least there had been something of value since the granite boulders along the Kent River. 

Passing the intersection with Harewood Rd (which can potentially be used as a non-scenic shortcut to Jinung Beigabup), the Munda Biddi enters Mt Lindesay National Park. This change heralded the arrival of taller forest, and while still maintaining the grey, khaki, dull green and charcoal-splattered look of most of the day at least felt like finally reaching something different. 

Having already had my spirits lifted by the engagement-improving quality of granite boulders, I was even more excited by a massive granite formation on the side of the road. Seeing that it was of considerable size, I decided to hop off the bike to explore more. 

Climbing to the top of the rock while being careful to avoid needlessly stepping on the moss, I enjoyed using the rock as a vantage point to look out at the surrounding forest.

Even better, the view to the east featured Mt Lindesay itself peaking out from behind the forest. Seeing it so close finally made me feel like I had made some progress, as it meant the Mt Lindesay side trip would not be too far off. 

An area where I think the Munda Biddi is superior to the Bibbulmun Track is the touring aspect and the ability to branch off and use the trail as a means of getting tp side trips that would be too far of a walk from the main trail. While the Munda Biddi doesn't go right up to the Mt Lindesay day area, it is only about two kilometres to the car park, and I decided having a lunch break at one of the picnic tables was far better than eating at the side of the road. 

Travelling along the national park's boundary alongside some farmland, the access road provides lovely views of Mt Lindesay. While hardly a tall 'mountain' it does at least dominate the surrounding area and is something of a botanical island that has protected flora and fauna from the clearing that has occurred in the lowlands. 

With Booner Mundak to Jinung Beigabup being 54.66 kilometres, that might be substantial enough for some cyclists, but if you're looking for a bit more to do then the walk to Mt Lindesay is well worth the effort (you can read about it here). A substantial 10 kilometre return journey, the trail features some really excellent extended sections along granite and is one of the best walks in the Denmark area. Highly recommended. 

Having already done the hike and still building my cycling fitness, I didn't tackle the walk but enjoyed the break at the car park eating my Banh Mi for lunch. One of the great culinary discoveries of my time doing the Munda Biddi is that regional WA has stepped up their Banh Mi game and you can get legitimately excellent versions in both Denmark and Bunbury. This one was from the Strickland French Hot Bread Bakery in Denmark, which I consider the better bakery in town - a view that a lot of the locals also share. 

After lunch, I decided to make the most of my time at Mt Lindesay by heading down to the Denmark River to see how it was looking. With a young kid and his grandfather sitting at the nicer, rockier side of the bridge (and not looking like they were going to move anytime soon), I had to satisfy myself with a view of the river upstream of the bridge. I would return to the Denmark River along a very different looking section on my final day from Denmark to Albany.

Returning to the Munda Biddi, trail follows more unsealed roads with the 'NEXT 11km' sign indicating I had around another hour of road cycling in my future. 

At least the scenery was not stunted trees and sandy flats. While hardly forest giants, the trees did not have the used matchsticks look that was more common earlier in the day. 

Quite a lot of the land through this area was farmland, which again was an improvement on the earlier scenery. The road crosses a few creeks that feed into the Denmark River. Many of these creeks have been dammed on the private properties, creating idyllic scenes of lushness throughout the landscape. 

Leaving the farmland behind, the Munda Biddi runs along a section of unlikeably wide roads that looks like an unsealed highway. 

As unimpressive as this section of trail was, at least there was something of interest for me to check out with a granite cairn identifying the former location of the Group 101 School Site. While not the first such site on the trail when travelled in a North to South sequential order, it was the first one I'd seen. As I noted at one of the other school sites, Alissa and I have a running gag about one day doing a road trip to all of these so it was nice to finally actually stop at one and see what they are all about. 

While the sign had indicated that the Munda Biddi would be following Mt Lindesay Rd for 11 kilometres, the trail actually leaves the road to cut a corner as it skirts the edge of a private property. 

Rounding the corner of the property boundary, I passed a kangaroo that seemed to either be sick or very tired. Kangaroos with a lot of human contact can become quite tame and unafraid as evidenced by the very nonchalant kangaroos of Donnelly River Village. So it could very well be that this one was similarly comfortable with people, but there was something about its expression that made me think something was wrong. Poor thing; I hope it recovered. 

From the property boundary, Mt Lindesay's outline can be clearly seen on the horizon. The trail heads south east through a small pocket of remnant forest before joining onto Mt Lindesay Rd again as it becomes a sealed road. 

While the sealed road section was pleasant enough given the farmland scenery, it was not long before the Munda Biddi finally veered off the road  as it travelled along a mix of old vehicle tracks and some of the only single track of the day. After so much road riding, the single track was like manna from heaven. 

Dipping into a sandy section, the relatively shaded nature of the area meant some of the Swamp Bottlebrush was still in bloom. This was a lovely treat for the final uphill push to Jinung Beigabup.

The climb to Jinung Beigabup is moderately steep, but was made that much more enjoyable by the fact it finally saw the transition to Karri forest! At the time, this was my first bit of riding through Karri forest and I was savouring every moment.

Located on a hilltop surrounded by Karri forest, Jinung Beigabup is arguably one of the Munda Biddi's most impressive campsites, and given it is the last one of the track it serves as a fairly epic finale as far as campsite stays go on the track. 

Given it is the last campsite, it is ironic that it would actually be our first Munda Biddi camping experience, and one we would use to road test the glamping setup that would become the standard for our Munda Biddi trips. The first step was for Alissa to drive in to the nearest access point and then hike in with our gear. Using our full car camping tent and making no attempt to be ultralight, Alissa's pack weighed in excess of 20 kilograms, but given the short distance and the extra comfort offered it was well worth the effort. 

The tent sites at Jinung Beigabup are excellently sited amongst the Karri forest, and we agreed that while the hut was massive it would nicer nestled amongst the trees and away from the hut in case others arrived. Given it was the first weekend since the regional borders had reopened, I really thought the area would be a lot busier, but Alissa and I would be Jinung Beigabup's only guests. Perhaps the severe weather warning for the next day put people off, but the worst of the weather was not to hit until the next evening, so there was no reason not to be out enjoying this day's favourable weather. 

Jinung Beigabup is one of the Munda Biddi huts that has a proper floor and decked balcony, and it is obvious that the idea here was for the hut to be set high enough to overlook Mt Lindesay as 'Jinung Beigabup' means 'view of Mt Lindesay'. Whoever planned the hut didn't think very fourth dimensionally however, and the bushes in front of the hut have now grown so tall that it is not possible to view the mountain from the tables anymore. Looking at photos of what the area looked like when it was constructed, there was a massive clearing in front of the hut and while the views are now blocked, it does look nicer now that the campsite areas are on a vegetated loop. 

One of the joys of this more glamping approach to our camping situation was Alissa being able to hike in some luxuries we would normally deem far too heavy or bulky to hike in if we were walking 20 kilometres. Normally with wine we would have transferred it to our Platypreserve lightweight bladder, but with a short distance to travel Alissa didn't feel that concerned about a glass bottle. The wine we chose was an Apricus Hill Pinot Noir which is made by Harewood Estate. Given that the cellar door is only 8 kilometres away within the same Denmark wine region (and indeed is actually along the trail the next day), Alissa and I felt that the choice was rather apropos. 

With a good amount of the afternoon left, Alissa I spent a bit of time working on some art. Alissa had already done some drawings and watercolours while waiting for me along the trail, and took the opportunity to draw some of the very different species located here in the Great Southern. 

Meanwhile, I got my wish to go hug a Karri!

At 54.66 kilometres, Booner Mundak to Jinung Beigabup is one of the longest hut to hut days of the Munda Biddi, which is not a problem in and of itself as most of the trail's days are highly achievable and easily completed in under 5 hours. The issue here is that other than the 700 metres of single track crossing the Kent River it is basically 48.67 kilometres straight of cycling along roads. This is longer than many entire days of the Munda Biddi and seemed very much like expedience winning out over excellence. 

I understand that it is not always easy to build trail through areas that get flooded in the winter time and other land uses can sometimes make picking an optimal route difficult, but this is arguably the section of the Munda Biddi's southern half that is most in need of realignment as surely more than 48 kilometres of monotony on roads is far too long for 'a world-class off-road cycling experience'. This is exactly the problem I had with the Bibbulmun Track between Dog Pool and Mt Chance on Marron Rd, and this would be even worse that Marron Rd if not for the fun overlay of speeding downhill in sections.

At the very least I can say that this was better than Bidjar Ngoulin to Lake Brockman as there is some interesting scenery rather than burnt out and bulldozed mining impacted areas, with the Kent River crossing, the granite slab with views of Mt Lindesay and the Mt Lindesay day use area side trip being parts of the day I enjoyed. As with Mt Chance campsite on the Bibbulmun, the beauty of the Karri forest at Jinung Beigabup really made the day; it is one of the Munda Biddi's best campsites and even if the riding over the day wasn't great, it is at least a fitting finale for camping along the trail. I can't imagine riding this section again without good reason, but I'd happily return to Jinung Beigabup again.