Munda Biddi Trail (WA)



Overview

Stretching for over 1000 kilometres from Mundaring in the Perth Hills to Albany, the Munda Biddi Trail is is Western Australia's premier long distance cycling trail, and while there are some sections that do run on sealed roads, it is said to be the longest continuous off-road cycle trail of its kind anywhere in the world.

A rare but spectacular ocean view from the Munda Biddi


The Munda Biddi passes through the biodiverse landscapes of Western Australia's South West, heading through the Jarrah forests of the Darling Scarp, the Karri and Tingle Forests of the Southern Forests and Walpole Wilderness, and the low lying plains east of Walpole. While often paralleling its sister trail the Bibbulmun Track, it is not quite the twin it is often thought of being, with a much greater focus on the idyllic farmland of the region and with a much smaller coastal focus when it reaches the south coast. 


The excellent hut and bike shelter of North Dandalup

As with the Bibbulmun, the Munda Biddi's greatest strength is that every day of cycling either ends at one of the purpose built huts along the way or takes cyclists to a Track Town. The Munda Biddi huts are even more impressive structures than the Bibbulmun Track, with a bicycle shelter being standard issue and with many featuring the luxury of a floor and balcony overlooking a lovely scene. While of a similar length to the Bibbulmun, an End to End of the Munda Biddi takes less than half the time to complete; going hut to hut the trail takes 26 days, though 14 day itineraries are common for fit and experienced cyclists. While it can be completed quickly, a slower speed allows for more opportunities to embrace the touring aspect of the trail rather than just racing to get to the day's destination. With plenty of options for side trips, a Munda Biddi ride can become a Grand Tour of all the South West has to offer.

Mark Pybus of the Life of Py on a weekend overnight on the Munda Biddi

While the shorter time investment required makes an End to End more achievable than the Bibbulmun Track, the Munda Biddi similarly offers great options for shorter day cycles and sectional multi-day stretches, with the trail often serving as a linking track to some of the state's best mountain bike trail networks. While the huts are far larger than the Bibbulmun's older wooden structures, the Munda Biddi campsites can be far more quiet; I never shared a hut with other riders over the 6 months I spent riding the trail sectionally.

The obvious impacts of bauxite mining on the Munda Biddi 
 

Given that a cycling trail of the Munda Biddi's length and quality facilities is relatively rare in the world, it is easy to agree that it is the 'world class' experience advertised, however there is still a some room for improvement. Many of the problems that are an issue with the Bibbulmun Track - lengthy sections on boring but expedient vehicle tracks, areas heavily modified by humans, the sometimes severe impacts of wildfires and prescribed burns - are also present on the Munda Biddi, and in the case of mining impacts it is considerably worse thanks to the hideous impacts of bauxite mining very visible from the track between Bidjar Ngoulin and Lake Brockman. Mercifully, the boring bits tend to go by much faster on a bike than on foot, and with a few fun descents can at least provide a bit of fun through these less than stellar sections.

Signs of a good trail - works being undertaken to improve the ride experience

The good news is that the Munda Biddi Foundation's Rover Task Force have been working tirelessly to improve the riding experience, with some vast improvements already made to the first section from Mundaring to Carinyah and further improvements to come over the length of the track. This will only make an excellent trail even better, and make it more inviting for people to undertake a bikepacking adventure. 

A hardtail mountain bike with wide tyres is generally considered the best option for the trail

The Munda Biddi has been completed by an impressive variety of bicycles, with even a recumbent trike completing the journey, and many swearing by gravel bikes as perfect for the trail. The general consensus does however tend to lean toward mountain bikes as the bicycle most fit for purpose, with the space utility within the frame favouring a hardtail over a full suspension bike. I personally would much rather have at least front suspension as there are some rocky descents, but at a bare minimum wide (potentially plus) tyres are a necessity given the pea gravel of the trail's northern sections can vary from horribly energy sapping to almost unrideable in the drier months. 

Energy-sapping pea gravel - one of the worst riding surfaces in the world

Given the pea gravel, I would probably discourage most from starting the trail any earlier than after the first rains in April to at least allow the moisture to reduce the impact of pea gravel's awfulness. Alternatively, a fat bike might be a good compromise to make the initial pea gravel-heavy sections from Perth to Collie more rideable. Spring is arguably the trail's most popular time given it is peak wildflower season, however while it will be wet, Winter can also be a lovely time to be out on the trail. Early Summertime can be acceptable in the southern sections, though with an increased bushfire risk, uncomfortable temperatures and dry scenery, Summer is the least optimal time to undertake the trail.

The author celebrating the arrival at the Southern Terminus in Albany

My Sectional End to End in the Time of COVID-19 (2020)

With my 2020 plans out the window due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Munda Biddi became my great adventure for 2020, starting in Mundaring on Anzac Day and riding into Albany on the 27th September, riding entirely in a north to south direction. Given closed borders and the fact it would be close to my only trail for 2020 I decided to make it last, starting as a series of day rides closer to Perth, graduating to overnights and also doing a weeklong stretch through the middle from Pemberton through to Booner Mundak just beyond Walpole.

A changing of the guard - swapping out the Merida for the new Polygon

I started the trail with my old Merida Matts 40, which due to a brake failure led to its replacement with a new Polygon 6.0 which took over from the Serpentine River onwards. With the addition of bikepacking bags, the kit remained largely static over the course of the trip with some minor incremental improvements added along the way. 

Luxury - a car camping tent hiked into the spectacular campsite at Jinung Beigabup

Given that this was a solo trip and that Alissa would be picking me up and dropping me off along the way, we decided to make the overnights as comfortable as possible, with Alissa hiking in our heavy car camping tent, real pillows and even real food from the nearest car camping spot. The result was some of the most comfortable and deluxe camping experiences either of have had on a trail. As I wanted to try riding a multi-day section 'for real', I did pack a full bikepacking setup for the ride from Pemberton to Walpole, carrying everything I would have carried had I needed to be self-reliant.

Outstanding signage on the Munda Biddi, but paper maps should always be carried in case of emergencies


Unlike most of the multi-day walk trails Alissa and I have done, the Munda Biddi does not have a guidebook, however the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) sell a series of nine maps that are essential for those undertaking the trail. Additionally, there is a Munda Biddi app and GPX/KML files can be found online, however given the unreliability of battery life and the spottiness of phone reception I'm a firm believer that carrying (and being able to read) paper maps is necessary - at least as a back up.

Old rail bridges on the Munda Biddi leading into Nannup

I started the Munda Biddi completely unsure of what to expect, and in fact didn't tell anyone to begin with in case I decided it was not for me. As it turns out, I absolutely loved my Munda Biddi experience, and it remains one of my favourite multi-day trail experiences to date. Perhaps it was because of the faster speed and the fact I was able to complete it sectionally over 6 months rather than three years, but I enjoyed the experience even more than the Bibbulmun Track, to the point that it is a trail I immediately missed riding and want to do again. For someone who is a bit of a trail collector and not a fan of repeating trails again and again (how else can you add something new to the collection, right?), this is an odd feeling for me, and as a result I'm planning a second End to End in 2022 - this time on an electric mountain bike and as a fast thru-cycle.

Beautiful plains scenery offers contrasts to the tall forests of the Walpole area

The Sections

When I wrote up our Bibbulmun Track End to End, I wrote it up in the way that Alissa and I walked it, which for day walks was from access point to access point, had stretches walked south to north and written as discrete experiences. The upside of this is that I have been able to provide people with ideas for how to complete sections of the track close to Perth as day walks, but the downside is that it cannot be read as a continuous all-of-trail experience. 

For the Munda Biddi I thought I would do something different; instead of writing it up as per how it was ridden, I would write it up section by section, keeping the trail's sequence intact rather than in the flip-flop order I experienced it. The result is a narrative that jumps around temporally, but can be read from start to finish as the trail would be experienced on a north to south thur-cycle End to End.

Mundaring to Carinyah

Carinyah to Wugong

Wungong to Jarrahdale

Jarrahdale to Dandalup

Dandalup to Dwellingup

Dwellingup to Bidjar Ngoulin

Bidjar Ngoulin to Lake Brockman

Lake Brockman to Yarri

Yarri to Collie

Collie to Nglang Boodja

Nglang Boodja to Donnybrook

Donnybrook to Nala Mia

Nala Mia to Nannup

Nannup to Donnelly River Village

Donnelly River Village to Karta Burnu

Karta Burnu to Manjimup

Manjimup to Quinninup

Quinninup to Pemberton

Pemberton to Northcliffe

Northcliffe to Yirra Kartta

Yirra Kartta to Kwokralup Beela

Kwokralup Beela to Walpole

Walpole to Booner Mundak

Booner Mundak to Jinung Beigabup

Jinung Beigabup to Denmark

Denmark to Albany



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