Nannup to Donnelly River
Munda Biddi Trail
Start
Nannup
Time
3-5 Hours
Finish
Donnelly River
Date Ridden
30th August 2021
Length
38.7km
Elevation
716m
Traditional Custodians
Bibbulman People
The Ride - With the first week of the Munda Biddi under our belt, having covered over 400km of the 1065km trail, this section heading out of Nannup would mark the start of some more relaxed riding. I had chosen to take a rest day in Nannup as it meant our partners could come down on a weekend and it also felt more of a natural rest stop after the kilometres we had covered in the first week. With a wet and miserable rest day on the Sunday spent enjoying Lavender Farms, Cheese Farms and nanna naps, my family arrived for the afternoon to say hello as they only live an hour away in Funbury.
Having a spot of afternoon tea, it soon became time to say goodbye to Caris as she had to drive back home for work the next day. After being away from home for a week, this 24 hour visit felt very fleeting and it would be another two weeks until we would finish and see each other again. It was a bit of a sombre afternoon after saying goodbye to the girls but my family was still there so we hung out in the playground near the caravan park as the sun finally made an appearance for the day. Eventually they departed back to Funbury and Aron and I returned to our respective accommodation. Being back on the bikes tomorrow, I got some packing done before settling into bed for some much needed rest and to watch the Belgium Grand Prix with my Salmon and Avocado Bagel from Melo Velo. Unfortunately it was a fizzle as it was raining heavily and the race was called off after two laps under the safety car. I was super tired anyway, so was asleep pretty early and in a deep slumber in no time.
Waking up the next morning, we could afford a late start as there weren't many kilometres to cover today but with some shifty weather predicted, I did want to be in Donnelly River by mid afternoon so we could enjoy one of the more unique locations along the trail. Checking out of our accommodation, Aron and I decided to meet up at Melo Velo for breakfast and it was a nice way to leave town as I'd enjoyed this cycle friendly business a few times during our stay. Given we were staying in towns or settlements for the next five nights, having a warm meal every morning and night was going to be a regular thing so we warmed up with a cooked breakfast and coffee. This was fuel for one of the biggest climbs of the entire trail, a 280m ascent that I wasn't too concerned about given the climb was over 18km of riding and mostly on tarmac. With breakfast done, we set about departing from Nannup and headed towards East Nannup Road and the start of the climbing. It was a bit of a cold and grey morning but the ascent would get the legs pumping as we gently cruised through some farmland and the occasional thicker lining of trees on the roadside.
With the gradients being very gentle, it was a case of settling into the saddle and working into a rhythm. Speaking of saddles, the rest day at Nannup had done some good to my saddle sores and I picked up a Kakadu Plum ointment that was working its magic so that was good news for the rest of the trip. With Aron going at his own pace, I took my time to get up the hill and stop to photograph everything that caught my eye. Feeling much better mentally now I was on the bike again, I was slowly getting back into bikepacking mode and building excitement for the second half of the journey. Life on the trail as many of you will know isn't always highlights and good times, there are moments where you question what you're doing, missing home and thinking about packing it all in. Having had thoughts about finishing at Nannup after the saddle sores reached their peak uncomfortableness at Nglang Boodja, I was in a much better place now with renewed motivation to finish the whole trip. Perking me up as we continued to climb was a crackle of Baudin Black Cockatoos playing around on the fence of the nearby farm.
I love these birds and to see them so close was pretty magical, made even better when they didn't immediately fly off, meaning I could get some photos. Switching between moody looking farmland views, tree lined road and pine plantations, I was keeping an eye on the clouds rolling through as it was going to rain at some point today according to the forecast. Past the big pine plantation that covers a lot of the area east of Nannup, we started to enter the forest and it was a glorious sight to clap eyes on the beautiful Karri trees of this area. Marking a transition into the wetter Southern Forests of the South West, these giant trees are a favourite of mine and made me excited for the next few days of riding as we would be mostly seeing these cream coloured stunners. Around this point we were overtaken by another gentleman on a bikepacking bike, who we assumed had caught us up in Nannup and skipped a rest day. Having a chat to him as we pedalled along, he had come from Margaret River and was piecing together backroads with sections of the Munda Biddi in a haphazard way depending on how he was feeling that day.
He sped off into the distance and we continued to tootle along the climb, passing some thicker Karri trees near some farmland that had crept back into the landscape. Passing private properties and then entering an exposed section of farmland, we had once last little stretch before reaching the false summit of the mornings climb. At the top we were rewarded with what looked like forest on either side and a nice downhill stretch to pick up some pace. Enjoying going more than 15kmph, we freewheeled down to the turnoff onto Gold Gully Road and the introduction of the gravel riding for the day. It had been an enjoyable 15.6km of tarmac riding but I was looking forward to getting into the Karri forest and enjoying the sights and smells of a moist forested area. We still had more climbing to go with another 90m of vert to cover over the next three kilometres but the scenery change meant this wasn't much of a slog. As Aron found his rhythm for this second part of the climb, I stayed along the side of the road looking for interesting things to photograph and was rewarded with fungi, Tassel Flowers, Hakea and Wattle.
With the Karri forest occasionally slipping back into mixed Marri/Jarrah, this marked the arrival of the rains with a light drizzle forcing my rain jacket out of my backpack. This was mainly to protect the camera but it was also there to keep me warm as the temperature had not been warm this morning and we weren't exactly powering up the hill. At the top of the hill you reach a little plateau and it was a relief to get the bulk of the climbing out of the way. With the best of the scenery to come in the day and a cosy rest stop at Donnelly River ahead, it was a matter of settling in and enjoying the riding. As we approached the first big downhill section of the day, the Karri forest returned in all its glory. With blue skies peaking through, this was a wonderful sight and with a fun descent into our planned lunch stop at Willow Springs, I had a big smile on my face. Reaching Willow Springs, this is one of the campsites along the Warren Blackwood Stock Route, a long distance bridle trail that we had been following all the way from Nannup. With a small shelter and an area to tie up your horse, it's a nice little spot among the pines that we utilised to take a break.
Munching on a Clif Bar and some lollies, I didn't want to linger here too long as Donnelly River was only 13km away and I would rather get there and enjoy the settlement for as long as we could. I felt the same way when I hiked through on the Bibbulmun as the walking cousin of the Munda Biddi also passes through this spot. With no more rain on the radar, we got back in the saddle and motored along towards the most enjoyable riding of the day. Entering the Karri forest again, we would be on single trail for most of the ride into Donnelly River. With a dense undergrowth that switched between the infamous Karri tunnels I enjoy so much on the Bibbulmun Track and mixed forest containing Zamias, Balgas and fallen logs, this was the type of section that really makes the Munda Biddi a quality trail. For the remaining kilometres heading towards Donnelly River there were no major hills or descents, just little ups and downs that added a nice bit of fun to the last part of the day. I was in heaven as the clouds rolled over again and the lighting became a dream. There was plenty to photograph with Purple Hovea sprinkled along the edge of the trail and every fallen log seemed to have some sort of fungi still thriving in the later part of the season.
With a mix of riding for pleasure and stopping quite frequently for photos, this was a lot better than a long uphill along the edge of some grey farmland. Deciding to go at my own pace given the small hills, I raced ahead of Aron and breathed in the stunning Karri forest sections. While I enjoy the Jarrah forests in the northern part of the track, there is something quite magical about the Karri forest as the canopy is much wider and the wetter nature of the forest means there is a lot more growing at ground level. With the Karri forest disappearing every now and then, replaced with Jarrah/Marri, this just meant I had the opportunity to see some Kingia Australis, a similar plant to the common Balga or Grass Tree. As I got closer to Donnelly River I spotted the sign for the King Karri Tree and figured Aron probably wouldn't skip this short side trip. I highly recommend visiting this tree on your ride into Donnelly River as it gives you an opportunity to see what these giants used to grow to until pretty much the whole of the South West was ravaged by logging. It really highlights what we've lost but also leaves you in awe of these trees as you stare up. I had to take a cheeky timed shot of me doing some natural pointing while I waited for Aron to join me because it's not often that I appear on my own website.
I heard a rumbling behind me and sure enough, Aron had decided to take the side quest to visit the King Karri. With only a kilometre or so to go before we rolled into Donnelly River Village, I was excited to spend the afternoon in this idyllic little throwback holiday town. We had one more treat for the day's ride with a crossing of the Donnelly River providing some nice scenery. Being upstream of where we would be riding the next day, it was a little bit narrower than what we would have to cross tomorrow but was still a pleasant spot to take in. Reaching the vehicle tracks that service the area around the village, I spotted the Bibbulmun Track sign pointing you to Gregory Brook Campsite and knew we were close. Our welcome party was a group of small emu chicks that were following their dad around and they were the cutest little things. Donnelly River was once a logging/mill town for Bunnings but has since been converted to a holiday town, with it being best known for the native wildlife that roam the place and will eat out of your hand. We had booked a bed in the Bunkhouse, a basic dorm style accommodation setup in the old school building. Collecting our sheets and towel, we walked our bikes the short distance to the building and claimed our spots on one of the bunkbeds. With a cold afternoon setting in, we unpacked our things, had a hot shower and then convened at the General Store for a well earned afternoon snack.
We took the long route around the road that services all the cottages so I could get some photos of the wildlife, park and accommodation as my visits here on the Bibbulmun didn't really showcase what the area is really like. Being a bit early for dinner, we ordered some Devonshire Tea but unfortunately for Aron, they only had one serve of Raspberry Jam so he got stuck with Apricot Jam on his. The cosy General Store has a warm fireplace and plenty of books/games to keep you occupied so I dragged out a puzzle that I thought would be possible to complete that afternoon. As we enjoyed the warmth of the fire and our beverages, the Bibb Track hikers started rolling in and we watched with curiosity to see who was staying the night in the Bunkhouse. This is one thing I had missed as part of the Munda Biddi experience, meeting other trail users and swapping stories each night. The Munda Biddi isn't as popular as the Bibb Track yet and it's easy to ride to accommodation along the track if you really want to so apart from the first night at Carinyah, we hadn't really seen many other riders.
It soon became apparent that there was a decent crowd staying in the Bunkhouse so we walked back to move some of our stuff and stretch the legs before dinner. We would be joined in our dorm by Steph and Leigh, a couple that have been travelling around the world in their Defender over the past few years and had returned to Leigh's home for some more adventures. They run a YT Channel called GrizzlyNbear Overland and you can find a video about their Bibb Track E2E here (all advertising proceeds go to the Bibb Track Foundation). After enjoying a nice dinner of Lasagne (vegetarian for me, meat for Aron), we headed back to the Bunkhouse where everyone had gathered in the kitchen/lounge area for some socialising. Along with Steph and Leigh there was another couple doing a sectional walk plus a young guy completing his first multi-day hike on the Bibb. It was a fun evening just chatting with everyone that as I said before, had been lacking from our Munda Biddi experience so far. Everyone was pretty beat from their day on the trail so things were wrapped up pretty early and a cosy sleep was had.
Final Thoughts - This was a much tougher day mentally than it was physically, despite containing a sustained climb right from the get-go.
By the time I had reached the Karri forest, I was a happy boi again. This day is a significant one on the Munda Biddi as you get to ride through the Karri forest for the first time and the second half really contains some spectacular stretches of it.
Being a short day meant easing into the second half of our journey and also gave us more time to enjoy Nannup in the morning and Donnelly River in the afternoon. Having only ever stayed at Donnelly River as a small kid, I was looking forward to spending time watching the wildlife and enjoying this special spot.
While the first half of the day wasn't the most exciting, the second half more than made up for it and it's hard to beat a good meal and good company at the end of an enjoyable ride.
Get out there and experience it!!!
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