Munda Biddi Trail Bike Track

Currently labelled the world’s longest continuous MTB trail, the Munda Biddi travels over 1000km from the hills of Perth to the Port Albany on the south coast of WA.

The trail stays away from roads and traverses bush that is one of Australia’s two internationally recognised biodiversity hot spots (the other being in NE Australia). There is a smattering of singletrack (50km) and overnight accommodation logically spaced as well as towns for the occasional resupply.

Work first started on the Munda Biddi in 2001 and the first section was opened to the public in 2004. Perth residents have had access to the local sections for a while but completing the trail has always been the goal. At the time of going to print local MTB trail-building guru Paul Neves (better known for his jumps and berms) was putting the finishing touches to some of the last sections of trail around Pemberton. This was to allow the first complete non-stop ride of the trail from Albany to Perth called the Munda Biddi Epic that was ridden by 26 riders over 22 days. The general consensus is approximately five percent purpose-built singletrack (mainly in the southern sections) and three percent bitumen (mainly aroudn the Albany finish with land access issues to private land limiting options).

This trail is big and long and most

people simply sample sections of the trail and utilise the trails’ design of dropping into towns to break it into natural sections.

Getting There

Flights to Perth are the simple bit. The airport is actually reasonably close to the start of the trailhead allowing riders to put their bike together and ride up the hill to Mundaring, the start of the trail. Companies like ‘About Bike hire’, based in the CBD of Perth, can ferry you to the trailhead and even hire out mountainbikes and BOB trailers. Because the trail is point-to-point, day- trippers have to deal with the logistics of using multiple cars and leaving them at either end of the trail. On the other end of the trail, Albany is serviced daily with flights and buses.

Distances

The trail has been designed to drop by local towns to resupply although there is accommodation built next to the trail along the way.

Local Knowledge

There is a series of maps and a guidebook produced by the Munda Biddi foundation that also rent out panniers.

The Munda Biddi’s sweet singletrack passes places like Kalamunda (Mundaring Weir), Turner Hill, Marinup, South Shore (Dwellingup), Waterous Loop (Waroona), Collie, Pile Road, Northcliffe and Pemberton. So there are lots of options to sample more serious singletrack along the way. There were grumblings early on with some sections linking old fire access roads together.

We’ve heard really good reports of the new sections of trails in the places like Manjimup and Pemberton built by seasoned, passionate mountainbikers like Murray Wynne (Kalamunda trails) and Paul Neve (Goat Farm, Three Chillis and Pemberton).

Starting in Mundaring and dropping into Mundaring Weir the climb out on the trail is evil with supplies. The far saner option is skipping this rutted steep climb and using the Mundaring Weir road that climbs the same hill. Just remember if you’re in the bush in Western Australia, Telstra is the only mobile carrier in many of these locations.

Best Time of Year

Spring. Summer is the worst time. Water is scarce in the bush and rarely pooling. The Pea gravel dries out and is very slippery. Flies can be a problem over summer so make sure you bring a fly face net if you are thinking of riding over summer to save your sanity.

March flies vary from year to year but riding the entire length of the Munda Biddi in March will ensure that you will hit them in plague proportions somewhere. Biting through your cycling gear is common.

Winter is very mild in Perth but can be quite violent in Albany. But riding through winter is often very good. There is great traction and very little mud. The Western Australian bush flowers gloriously in spring so hayfever suffers be wary. Also note that snakes are on the move often in early spring as it warms up and are more likely to be spotted.