One of TrailsWA's Top Trails, this 37 kilometre loop combines the Old Timberline Rail Trail with part of the Sidings Rail Trail. Starting in Nannup and crossing the Blackwood River, the Old Timberline heads along some twisty single track through to the lush Jarrah forest along St Johns Brook and Barrabup Pool before visiting Sleeper Hewer's Hut and returning to Nannup via the Sidings Trail. One of Western Australia's best rail trail experiences
Distance: 37 km (loop)
Gradient: Mostly gentle with some minor climbs and descents
Quality of Path: a mix of single track, rail trail and repurposed vehicle track
Quality of Signage: Mostly well signed at all trail junctions and with numerous trailheads, though the loop is poorly documented as a option
Experience Required: Mountain Biking or Bushwalking experience recommended
Time: 2-4 Hours on a bike. 2 days on foot
Steps: 1 or 2 in spite of the fact this is a dual use trail
Best Time to Visit: Mid Autumn - Late Spring
Date(s) Completed: 9th May, 2021
Best Time to Visit: Mid Autumn - Late Spring
Date(s) Completed: 9th May, 2021
Entry Fee: No
Getting There: The Loop starts at Nannup's Foreshore Park. From Vasse Hwy and 150 metres south of the Blackwood River road bridge, turn west onto Brockman St. Trailhead is located at the car park at the end of the road
Getting There: The Loop starts at Nannup's Foreshore Park. From Vasse Hwy and 150 metres south of the Blackwood River road bridge, turn west onto Brockman St. Trailhead is located at the car park at the end of the road
Before heading out on our trip to Mt Augustus, I took the plunge and bought an electric mountain bike. It has been something I'd been talking about doing for a couple of years now, and the combination of having scrapped our second car a few years ago, my increased amount of time at home due to COVID and my 2020 rediscovery of my love of cycling, I decided to finally bite the bullet. Upon returning from up north, I was keen to get back into the fun of riding again, and for my birthday Alissa and I arranged a weekend down in Nannup so we could do some riding.
With Alissa having pulled her back out just days before the weekend getaway, we decided to do the trip anyway though I would be riding by myself while Alissa had a more restful time visiting the shops and cafes of the area. After riding on the Munda Biddi from Nannup to Manjimup on the Saturday, I decided to go and check out the Old Timberline and Sidings Rail Trail - a 37 kilometre loop that can be done from Nannup and back.
After trying without success to locate a trailhead at Foreshore Park, I made my way across the rail bridge over the Blackwood River. Having ridden the Sidings Rail Trail as part of the Munda Biddi the previous year, I knew which way to go, though I noted that the lack of trailhead would make this quite confusing for those who have never done this trail before. While crossing the bridge, I took a moment to appreciate the Flood Tree along the banks of the Blackwood. A replacement for the original after it was collapsed (no doubt due to continuous flood damage), the Flood Tree features a series of markings along its trunk that shows the level that floodwaters have reached. While the markers show flooding is relatively common in these parts, the flood of 1982 was something else, being twice the height of its next closest competitor (1946).
Being mid-Autumn, it was interesting to see the water levels of the Blackwood at a much lower level than it was when I rode into Nannup with my friend and podcasting partner Mark in August 2020. The section along the bank that has a faint goat trail along it was completely submerged underwater at the time!
Across the bridge and heading away from Nannup, a trail junction is reached. The Munda Biddi and Sidings Rail Trail head north across Vasse Hwy, with the Old Timberline Trail heads to the left. Having riding the Sidings Rail Trail before, I decided to tackle the loop in a clockwise direction by taking the Old Timberline Trail out and then returning via the Sidings Rail Trail.
From the junction, the trail runs on some purpose built single track, and I was immediately excited by the sign that indicated Barrabup Pool was only 11.6 km away as it is something I've wanted to check out for many years. When Mark and I rode in on the Munda Biddi, we had thought that Barrabup Pool might have been along the Sidings Trail and were disappointed when we realised that it was on the Old Timberline instead.
Sadly the single track doesn't last long, with the trail rising up along a vehicle track. While an easy going ascent, the rutted nature of the road added a small bit of challenge that the electric bike was nevertheless able to chew through with ease.
Reaching the crossing over Barrabup Rd, the Old Timberline Trail initially looks like it goes straight ahead into Kondil Wildflower Park. Luckily I didn't accept this at face value and looking to my left I realised the trail heads of on some single track a few metres to the left of the Kondil Wildflower Park entrance. This was not very well signed, and I was glad that I stopped to confirm instead of blinding continuing straight ahead.
After crossing Barrabup Rd, the trail enters a sustained section of single track riding that was an absolute pleasure. While at times alternately sandy and rocky, the ground was firm and allowed for some fairly fast riding. There is a bit of a criss-cross of trails through this area which kept me on my toes as I had to keep checking for the signs at junctions. Thankfully these were clear and easy to follow, and while a far cry from the epic nature of the Karri forest I'd ridden the previous day, the tall Jarrah forest in this particular section made for pleasant riding.
Through this section, the blackened trunks at times gave way to pockets of only mildly singed forest, and made for fast and fun riding through the trees with the single track continuing through.
That couldn't be said for all sections unfortunately, and nearing the edge of a private property the trail passes through some rather unsightly burnt trees that I'm sure would have once been a really lovely and mysterious-looking section.
Having enjoyed relatively flat and easy going riding, the trail features some ascending after reaching the edge of the private property. While not particularly challenging (and not difficult at all on an electric bike), the exposed granite and/or laterite made for somewhat bumpy riding given the hardtail nature of my bike, but was nevertheless enjoyable. Something I've noticed since getting an electric bike is that I've started to really look forward to ascending as the pedal assist can make it just as fun and enjoyable as flats and descents.
After a bit of ups and downs through nice but ultimately samey forest, a bridge over a small creek serves as a major landmark along the trail. Stopping to photograph the bridge, I was taken by the large number of Kingias growing along the creek line. While not as massive as some I've seen along the Munda Biddi (the section between Lake Brockman and Yarri for example), these were nevertheless excellent examples of this type of grass tree.
After so much single track riding, the Old Timberline Trail takes a sharp right turn off the single track and onto a stretch of gravel road riding. I don't find gravel roads as objectionable to ride on as I do to hike on, and this was a perfectly fine stretch of road even if I found the forest to be a bit too burnt and scrappy for liking. Interestingly, a trail signpost here had a Munda Biddi marker on it, suggesting the Old Timberline had been used as a diversion fairly recently.
Something really interesting along this stretch of trail was what I assumed was a termite mound that resembled a thumb. Rocks and termite mounds along trails always seem to have a particularly phallic appearance (as if designed to intentionally make hikers and bikers snicker), but this one looked undeniably thumb-like for a change.
Continuing along through the scrappy burnt Jarrah, the easy terrain was so cruisy I almost missed a left turn as the vehicle track reached a trail junction.
The trail heads downhill from here as it runs parallel to a sealed road. Speeding down the hill, I remember thinking to myself that this was pretty enjoyable trail and that it just was a bit of a shame that the scrappy and burnt nature of the Jarrah was letting it down.
Crossing Mowen Rd, it was as if the trail had read my mind as a significant transition occurred. While not entirely char mark free, the forest north of Mowen Rd had a lushness about it that been largely absent from the trail up to this point.
This had the spectacular appearance of long unburnt (or at least very carefully burnt) Jarrah forest that had come into balance, and is exactly the kind of beautiful area that will undoubtedly be completely ruined as DBCA chase their quotas by using the heavy-handed, cheap and nasty approach of air dropping incendiaries into parcels of forest that then flare up into hot burns. While they are said to be based on traditional burning, these destructive hot burns are completely antithetical to the cool burning of traditional Aboriginal firestick management. It was around the same time as this ride that DBCA incinerated Perup Nature Reserve - one of the last refuges for the critically endangered numbat - and there is growing scientific and Indigenous opposition to a practice that has resulted in way too many destructive and over the top burns in the last few years.
Enjoying the beautiful forest riding, the trail featured a mix of old vehicle tracks and purpose built single track, all of which was made thoroughly enjoyable thanks to the lush greenery and the lack of char marks on every tree trunk.
Crossing Brook Rd, the forest underwent another transition to an even greater level of lushness as it approached St Johns Brook.
Outside of the wettest parts of the Karri forest and right next to a creek, it is rare to see an understory absolutely covered in moss - particularly this early in the year. But here I was riding through a predominantly Jarrah forest with all the logs covered in a layer of green. It made me think of the dense, wet forests of Tasmania as well and made me a bit sad that it had been three years since Alissa and I visited the Apple Isle.
Popping out of the forest, I found myself at what I thought was the day use area for Barrabup Pool. It turns out this area is Workman's Pool, another pool located along St Johns Brook. The area features both a camping and day use area, and looked like a lovely car camping spot.
Having not seen a trailhead in Nannup, it was nice to finally see one in the Workmans Pool day use area. Although I was already a few kilometres in, it was nice to have a quick read about the trail and get a sense of how far along the trail I had progressed.
Given the lack of direct access to Workmans Pool, I decided to continue onwards. From the trailhead, the Old Timberline Trail heads upstream along St Johns Brook. Travelling along well constructed single track, the trail through here was outstanding given the abundance of moss-covered logs and the overall lushness of the forest.
Just 15 minutes earlier I had been thinking about how ordinary the scrappy burnt Jarrah scenery had been, and now I was riding through some of the nicest Jarrah forest scenery I've had the pleasure of cycling through. What a difference a few kilometres can make!
The single track continues along the brook, with the trail rising up high along the bank. While less lush than the section immediately adjacent to Workman's Pool, the way the single track winds through the forest makes for fun riding. I remember being surprised by a couple of steps along the descent through here, and it made me glad to be doing the trail in the clockwise direction.
Barrabup Pool is about 10 minutes away from Workmans Pool, and this time is right on the trail itself. With it emerald green hue and mirror-like reflection, Barrabup Pool is an absolutely idyllic spot, and arguably the highlight of the entire trail. Given the beauty of the scenery, I made sure to take a moment to stop and take it all in.
Recent trail bridge construction in Western Australia has taken a turn towards Soviet-style concrete utilitarianism, so it was great to see a much more aesthetically pleasing wooden bridge leading across the brook. Heading across the bridge, the trail rises up a short but sudden and unexpectedly steep ascent before rejoining the old form.
The lush forest riding continued along the old rail form-turned-road, providing pleasurably easy and mostly flat riding that allows you to really take in the beauty of the scenery as you pedal away in a mental autopilot.
Given it is a fairly continuous rail form/road, the trail designers did a great job mixing up autopilot easy riding with sections that are a bit more mentally engaging. Reaching a bend in the river, the Old Timberline Trail branches off the form and follows single track that runs closer to the water. There are some short but steep descents through the area that were surprising given the overall relaxed vibe of this circuit. The scenery along this single track section was definitely worth the diversion off the form as it provided much appreciated views down to St Johns Brook.
Back on the main rail form, the pleasant riding continued with some tall forest providing a sense of grandeur amongst the smaller regrowth. Given the easy going nature of the riding and the lack of any real landmarks, it was hard to really get a sense for how far I had travelled, and it had me wondering when I would reach the overnight campsite along the trail.
While it is not clearly marked on the map, the next major landmark along the trail is a closed off rail bridge. Looking beyond the boarded off entry to the bridge, there didn't appear to be very much of the rail bridge left at all, though given how far down below the brook was it must have been quite an impressive structure. As the bridge is seemingly non-existent, the best thing about the closed off rail bridge is that it serves as an important signpost for cyclists as the campsite is only about 5 minutes away.
From the missing rail bridge, the trail passes through a cutting before reaching a spur trail to Sleeper Hewer's Camp.
The most unique feature of the Old Timberline Trail and Sleeper Hewer's camp is that it features a hut. One of the areas where Western Australia is a cut above other states is that most walk in/cycle in campsites feature what users colloquially refer to as a hut, however almost all of these huts are actually shelters given they are not completely enclosed structures. Sleeper Hewer's Hut on the other hand is actually a genuine hut, being a complete four walled structure with a door to close it off from the elements. What luxury!
Inside, the hut is basically very similar to a Bibbulmun Track shelter, with two lots of bunks and enough space for eight people to sleep comfortably. Given its similarity to the old Standard-style Munda Biddi huts, it made me wonder if Sleeper Hewer's Hut was something of a prototype for a more luxe Bibbulmun Track hut that was scaled back to shelters given the much higher infrastructure spend. I've been informed that it is actually the original hut the sleeper hewers stayed in, but I would love to find out more about the hut's provenance.
After topping up my water and topping up my energy with a Snickers, it was time to get back on the trail. From the hut, I returned back along the spur and back onto the main trail, which follows a slightly raised form through the regrowth forest.
This section of the trail was more of the same pleasant rail trail riding I had enjoyed earlier, with some lovely moments that offered views down to the brook below. While the terrain is mostly mild, there is a significant dip along this stretch that, while not hard, does mean it is not all flat and easy riding.
Coming to a gate, I was surprised to find that this seemingly difficult to get to spot in the forest actually features a car park and a trailhead sign. Given I hadn't seen one in Nannup, it seemed a bit weird that this spot would have a trailhead given it does not seem like many people would ever start the trail from this point. Even if you were looking to cycle or walk a short distance to Sleeper Hewer's Hut, it would be preferable to walk in for Barrabup Pool's day use area given it is features the nicest parts of the trail.
Past the gate, the Old Timberline Trail is mostly pleasant and east going riding through only mildly singed forest as the trail reaches its end at Cambray Siding.
Cambray Siding was once the site of an old logging town, and while nothing is left it marks the end of the Old Timberline Trail. At this point the Old Timberline Trail joins onto the Sidings Rail Trail, which runs concurrently with the Munda Biddi between the small village of Jarrahwood and Nannup. I rode the entire Sidings Trail Trail when I did the Munda Biddi, and I thought it was one of the trail's best days. For those with a bit more time, it would be possible to turn left and continue onwards to Jarrahwood and the Munda Biddi hut at Nala Mia, however with Alissa waiting for me and a drive back to Perth still to do I turned right back towards Nannup to complete the loop.
The Sidings Rail Trail is quite a different flavour to the Old Timberline Trail. Where the Old Timberline Trail is a mix of winding single track that I doubt is the original rail form mixed with rail trail repurposed as vehicle track, the Sidings Rail Trail is almost entirely maintained as the original trail form, being narrower than a vehicle track but not as narrow as purpose built single track.
While this loop misses the best bridge on the Sidings Rail Trail (found further north), it does pass a particularly characterful wooden bridge that used to cross one of the creeks. The rail bridge is no longer structurally sound, and a smaller bridge for cyclists and walkers has been built alongside it. The good thing about this lower crossing is that it provides a perfect vantage point to take in the views of the old rail bridge.
The Sidings Rail Trail is mostly quite gentle, and if starting at Jarrahwood is mostly downhill. From where the Old Timberline Trail joins onto it however there is an ever-so-slight upward trend for the first few kilometres. The upward trend is so slight you don't notice it as first until you've been pedalling for a while and start to feel the slow creep of the fatigue. The open nature of this section of the trail is also not quite as beautiful as the forested section further north, however it can look a lot more interesting after good Winter rains when the nearby Rocky Gully is flowing.
A cool feature of the trail is that the designers intentionally left the railway sleepers in place in a few sections, with some single track taking a short diversion around. While photographing the sleepers, a group of cyclists came passing through on the way to Jarrahwood. The group consisted of a mix of sectional riders and a couple of guys doing a northbound End to End, and I stopped to have a quick chat with them about their ride and my electric bike before continuing south towards Nannup.
Being May, I was thoroughly surprised to see a burst of purple wildflowers appear along the rail form. I'm not one to stop and be constantly impressed by the smallest wildflower (particularly if the area is otherwise subpar), but it was such a pleasant surprise I had to stop and photograph it. My podcasting partner Mark gets a bit exasperated with me because I'm only generally interested in wildflowers when they provide a sledgehammer-to-the-face of vibrancy filling your entire field of vision (like in Coalseam Conservation Park, as well as Fitzgerald River or Leseuer National Parks), so I was think he'd approve highly of me stopping to inspect this small pop of colour.
Continuing along the trail, the slight ascent changes to a rolling descent. While this provides for easy riding, the downside is that this section of the Jarrah forest is hideously burnt from a recent prescribed burn and the understory has that characteristically untidy look about it. This is probably the reason for that diversion marker on the Old Timberline Trail as the burn would have been in the last couple of years. One can only hope it recovers, though with the recent five year cycles it seems by the time the forest looks good again it is time for its next enforced incineration.
Not long after the trail turns into a descent, the trail transitions from the constant forest scenery to featuring farmland views to the left of the trail. The farmland views were quite lovely in May, but were even better in August after winter rains as a small lake forms at the bottom of the grassy paddock.
Reaching Vasse Hwy, the rail form continues across the road for the four kilometre home stretch into town.
On the other side of Vasse Hwy, the Sidings Trail continues on a downhill run between Pinch Gully and Vasse Hwy.
Just before entering town, the Sidings Trail passes by more beautiful farmland. I had stopped to take a photo of this same scene when I rode the Munda Biddi Trail and the seasonal difference is quite stark. I was quite impressed to see that the grassy field was green given it is not always the case this earlier in the year. While it was not flooded as it had been in August 2020, it was interesting to see that the outline of the lake that forms in Winter is still visible even at this time of the year.
Crossing Vasse Hwy again, the Sidings Rail Trail passes the turn off to the Old Timberline Trail, thus completing the loop. From here it is a short ride back across the bridge over the Blackwood River and back to Foreshore Park.
Given a trail with an actual four walls and a door hut along it is a rare thing in Western Australia, the Old Timberline Trail has been a trail I've wanted to check out for a long time, though the somewhat samey scenery had put me off from doing it as a hike. Seeing the burnt forest early on along the trail, I feel like my concerns were justified as it would have been a long time spent walking through fairly ordinary scenery for my liking.
On a bike though, these less beautiful parts had the fun overlay of the twisty single track to add some excitement to it, and once crossing Mowen Rd the scenery transitions to lush and beautiful forest and the trail highlight of Barrabup Pool, St Johns Brook and Sleeper Hewer's Hut. While the return journey on the Sidings Rail Trail is a bit less exciting, the rail bridge and the remnant sleepers give the trail its own points of interest, and the easy riding makes for a cruisy return to Nannup. At 37 kilometres this loop makes for an excellent half day of riding and I can definitely see why this is considered a Top Trail. I would happily come back to do this trail with Alissa another time as it is a good length and would be a good progression for her from something like the Railway Reserves Heritage Trail in terms of difficulty.
If walking the trail, I don't think the full loop would be quite that exciting given the long stretches through burnt forest, and while the Sidings Rail Trail makes for a good ride, for me it would be a bit monotonous on foot. If you are thinking of hiking the trail, my suggestion would be to start at Workman's Pool and walking to Sleep Hewer's Hut and back as this would take in the best and most spectacular part of the trail and offer a great camping experience as well.
We did this trail a month before you on electric bikes. One of my favourites. Keep up the good work Don :)
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