Manjimup to Quinninup
Munda Biddi Trail
Start
Manjimup
Time
3-5 Hours
Finish
Quinninup
Date Ridden
1st September 2021
Length
39.9km
Elevation
526m
Traditional Custodians
Bibbulman People
The Ride - Riding through the heart of the South West, this lovely stretch of town to town bikepacking saw us wake up in Manjimup with another semi-wet and chilly day ahead of us. Initially I had this day planned as an 80km Manjimup to Pemberton ride, with a rest day in Pemby as the reward but after the first day shortcomings, Aron twisted my arm and we split the journey into two days and sacrificed our rest day in Pemberton. With a leisurely 40km to pedal today and a relatively flat profile, we had a late start made more enjoyable by breakfast in town. Grabbing some toasties and coffee at Southern Roasting Co, we spotted a familiar face as the rider who had overtaken us heading up the hill from Nannup also chose this spot as his morning fuel stop.
After an enjoyable and warm breakfast, we eventually decided to head out into the chilliness so prepared the bikes for departure. Making our way to the railway station that serves as the trail head for the Munda Biddi, I opted not to take the off-trail detour to the King Jarrah Tree that is located north east of town along Perup Road. My podcast partner made it a mission to collect all of the Kings along the trail and so far I had visited the King Jarrah before Bidjar Ngoulin and the King Karri before Donnelly River but with the cold weather and heavy rain forecast for the afternoon, I decided the Manjimup King Jarrah wasn't on the cards. Leaving the railway station, you head down past the Manjimup Farmers Market and cross South Western Highway, immediately entering some enticing looking forest. It was nice that so close to town you enter into another world but after a brief downhill through the trees, Hibbertia and Hovea, you arrive back in the suburbs of East Manjimup.
It was a bit of a let-down to be back riding along the backroads after a lovely start, with an uphill ride past the primary school and on towards Muir Highway. Passing the Manjimup HQ of the Forest Products Commission, I gave them my thoughts towards their work in the state with a polite hand gesture and found a safe shoulder of the highway to ride along. Getting out of towns can sometimes be a tricky affair and Manjimup isn't ideal in this sense as you ride along a highway where large trucks frequent. Luckily heading south it is 1.5km of mostly downhill with a small shoulder to ride along but heading north, it looks to be a bit more dangerous. The end goal of this stretch is to take you to Dingup State Forest, where you turn off onto Kurandra Road for some quieter riding. Initially you continue along paved roads, past what looks like plantation timber where they have previously logged before reaching a pleasant rail form that takes you on a narrow path through the forest.
This was much more enjoyable riding with long corridors, wildflowers in bloom and eventually we were caught by the rider we saw in Manjimup. I rode with him for a while and we talked about the trail and where he had been instead of the Munda Biddi, before he scooted off into the distance while I stopped to take photos. Catching up to Aron on an old vehicle track, the pleasant morning we had been experiencing, weather wise, was about to change. I could see the grey clouds rolling in and soon it started to sprinkle and then a medium shower rolled through. Coincidently we arrived a fallen tree over the road so I got my bike over and then waited in some nearby tree cover for the rain to stop (it was about break time anyway). It didn't take long for the shower to pass and when it started easing, I helped Aron lug his heavy bike over the tree. This next section was pleasant enough riding with winding vehicle tracks taking you through some okay level forest and briefly joining the old rail form where some old sleepers were still visible.
Turning left onto another vehicle track, I saw one tree marked with white paint and knew we were in for some unpleasant riding. Sure enough, just down the road was a pile of logs and a very barren patch of land where a nice forest used to reside. The Forest Products Commission's finest were out at work, wasting taxpayer money by destroying our state forests and making the environment a worse place. This is one of many little rants I've made over the course of these posts as native logging is a subsidised activity in WA and makes zero sense financially or ecologically. Thankfully the practice will be banned from 2024 onwards but there are already rumblings that these greedy mofos have a "forest thinning" plan that is essentially native logging in disguise of unscientific environmental measures. I tried to ignore it and instead focused on the forest that looked quite healthy to the left of the track. After a few patches of destruction I was glad to turn off this logging road and head onto some wide single track where seeing a Snottygobble raised my spirits.
At the end of this stretch you reach one of the most impressive stands of Karri for the day, even if they are just remnants next to a large farm. I spotted a bird of prey circling above as Aron rode onwards but I wasn't close enough to see what it was or get a good shot of it. I stopped at the edge of the farm as a solo tree standing in the green field peaked my interest, with the blue sky and distant horses providing a bit of whimsy to the scene. Aron had sped off into the distance again as the trail continues along a back road used by the farmers that live in the area. Reaching another turn, it looked like we were going down someone's driveway and that's exactly what it was as a car approached from behind. I stopped at the point where the Munda Biddi heads along some lovely single trail to take some photos and the car stopped next to me. It turned out to be the owner of the farm directly ahead so we had a bit of a chat. He loves seeing the riders come through and was very proud of his little farm that is bordered on all sides by State Forest. As I would discover soon, he was a tree farmer and I admired his little piece of land and the life he was living.
The section of single track through the forest was magical with plenty of twists and turns, made that little bit better by the wildflowers and fungi growing in the area. On a day that had been pretty unremarkable leaving Manjimup, this certainly added some much needed fun to proceedings. The trail takes you to the edge of the nice mans tree farm and I went to the boundary fence to take some photos of the views looking down the hill. A dead tree in the distance caught my eye and this distracted me a little as I set off along the boundary fence in error. The trail continues along the fun single track but I instead followed the farm as I didn't check for markers. As I was going downhill now at a rate of knots, it wasn't until the bottom that I realised I hadn't seen a marker for a while. Turning left, I kept going and eventually stopped to check the map. I soon realised the error of my ways after being eaten alive by the mosquitoes that appeared out of nowhere. Getting back on course wasn't difficult as I just had to continue along the path I was on and sure enough Aron was there waiting for me and asking where I had been.
Now back on the official route, we had done one of three mini descents that drops a total of 160m of elevation over the course of 5km down to the Warren River. This combined with the nice single trail is where the day really turns around and in my opinion, is a really nice stretch of riding. The forest is pleasant with Grass Trees and long corridors of trees leading the way, plus a bevy of wildflowers on the edge of the trail. Down below I could see the steep valley and was hoping that we would spend a good amount of time following the river. As we arrived at the bottom of the hill, my prayers were answered and we turned onto a flat track that ran parallel to the Warren River. Having hiked along this mighty water course on the Bibbulmun Track, this spot was much further upstream but still a pleasant place to be. With a wet winter, the water level was at a reasonable level and the lushness of the valley made for a idyllic scene. Reminding me of the scene in the Fellowship of the Ring where the Hobbits first encounter one of the Ringwraiths, I wanted this section to continue for a long time.
Unfortunately being on a bike and on fairly level terrain, it doesn't take long to cover distance and soon we were turning off to continue along the next stage of the journey. The river riding, albeit brief, was one of the highlights of the day and were some of my favourite photos of this section. Crossing over a small bridge and then following some single track, you pop out onto Wheatley Coast Road for some road riding. This is done for convenience as the bridge across the Warren River is up and over a hill. With no traffic coming, I stopped on the bridge to take photos and noticed an old rail bridge that was partially hidden by the vegetation along the river. As the trail takes a left right after the bridge, I detoured off a little to investigate why it doesn't use the old rail bridge as a crossing. As I got closer, the reason became apparent with the old bridge in such disrepair that it would cost a lot of money to fix it up for Munda Biddi riders. It's a bit of a shame but I understand why it would never happen. Catching up to Aron as he was climbing up a hill through some nice looking forest, we soon reached the first of many pine plantations that you come across heading into Quinninup.
Thankfully this first encounter is just a brief hello before you head back into some more natural forest. On one of our breaks earlier in the day I had checked my social media and discovered it was National Wattle Day so in this section ahead I searched for a good example to photograph for sharing later on. There were many in bloom to choose from along with some Native Wisteria that brightened up the undergrowth. Crossing Wheatley Coast Road again, we headed back into the forest where the rain started up again. It was just a small drizzle and the canopy provided enough shelter that getting my camera wet wasn't too much of a concern. Reaching a confusing sign pointing you in several directions for both Quinninup and the various plantations, thankfully the Munda Biddi markers were easy enough to follow through here as we made our way to the biggest section of pine plantations. With a fairly young age to the plantation, the small pines didn't provide much of a presence so we sped down the hill to try and beat the rain that we could see coming in. Following the roads that service the plantation, I left Aron behind as we zig zagged up a medium puppa hill, thinking that Quinninup wasn't too far away.
This turned out to be a wrong assumption and although at the top of the hill we were only 4km from the end, riding along here felt like it would take forever. Passing the remnants of what I assume is an old caretakers cottage, I stopped for some photos before powering on. The riding through here isn't terribly enjoyable as you have new pine plantation on one side and forest on the other, while you are on a wide track not really interacting with either. Then a medium to heavy shower hit. Heading into the forest to take shelter, I found a nice protected spot where I could wait it out and keep an eye out for Aron riding by. When the shower cleared and the skies brightened up, I continued on my merry way figuring that Aron had stopped someplace else. Leaving the pine plantations behind, the last section of forest riding heading towards Wheatley Coast Road is really fun thanks to some excellent forest and plenty of wildflowers. The last part of the journey sees you ride along Wheatley Coast Road as it plummets down a steep hill and then there is one final climb into town where the trail head is located right in front of the Post Office and Community Centre. With on Aron in sight I sent him a message and it turned out he was already at the Eco Park accommodation waiting for someone to let us into our cabin for the night.
Riding off towards the new Quinninup Tavern, the Eco Tourist Park is really the only accommodation option in town unless you rent out one of the holiday homes around the lake. Tales from other riders about the quality of the cabins was one of the reasons why I wasn't too keen on staying here and riding past the creepy gnome lawn didn't ease those concerns. I found Aron waiting at the site office and eventually a man in a 4x4 came to see us and let us into our cabin. They are pretty basic and in need of a little R&R but it's comparable to the Bunkhouse at Donnelly River, except you get your own bathroom. Having unpacked and cleaned up, I found Aron down on the lawn area watching the kangaroos lying about in the sunshine. This was turning out to be like a less well known Donnelly River and it was a pleasant experience just sitting in the fleeting warmth of the afternoon sun observing these native icons. One of my puppas likes to lay down with her legs stretched up towards her head like a kangaroo and seeing one like this made me miss her. After Aron had showered, a plan was made to go sit in the warmth of the Quinninup Tavern, enjoy some pre-dinner drinks and a bowl of wedges by the fire. Watching the afternoon weather roll through, the wedges were consumed but I was getting a bit restless before dinner so decided to take my camera and go for a walk around the lake.
Having first visited Quinninup in 2015, staying in one of the old timber cottages, I fell in love with this place and my favourite short walk of the three close to town was the Karri Lake Trail. Looping around the artificial lake that serves as the towns water supply, this picturesque walk through the Karri forest is a beautiful way to spend an hour. Not really worried about the rain now I was on foot, I headed down the hill to where the dam wall is and the walk starts. It was every bit as good as I remembered it, with the passing showers and late afternoon light providing some added atmosphere. The best part was walking along the southern banks and seeing the Karri forest reflected on the still surface of the water. With the light disappearing and dinner time approaching, I walked back up the hill and joined Aron for a hearty dinner of Grilled Fish. With dinner over and tired eyes, we rode our bikes in the darkness down to the cabin, feeling slightly creeped out when we passed the gnomes. The cabin was comfortable with the super soft mattresses probably not to everyone's taste but it was no worse than the Bunkhouse. Overnight the weather really came in hard but I was so tired that I only woke up when the hardest of the rains hit.
Final Thoughts - With a bit of a so-so start and finish to the day thanks to logging and pine plantations, this section is saved by the excellent middle part.
Heading in and out of towns can sometimes be troublesome and there doesn't appear to be a good alternative around Manjimup so you just have to endure some suburbs and highway riding.
I thoroughly enjoyed the single track section, even if I cut it a bit short by accident and the Warren River riding was a treat. Thankfully the roundabout way you entered Quinninup that has recently been realigned cuts out some unnecessary riding so the entry into town doesn't seem as convoluted as it once was.
Quinninup is a town that I have a soft spot for thanks to some nice memories from my 2015 visit and unfortunately at the time of writing this post, I was informed by a community member that the area directly north of the lake is being eyed off by a speculative mining company to clear for sand mining. I've asked to be updated as it would be a real shame to lose the Orchid Walk Trail and have the Munda Biddi realigned so a giant hole can be put so close to town.
It turned out to be an enjoyable day of riding, finished off with a lovely afternoon in Quinninup. I'm not sure that an 80km ride to Pemberton would have been as enjoyable in the weather we got so well played Aron.
Get out there and experience it!!!
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