27 Ways to Enjoy the Munda Biddi Trail

I’m an advocate for riding and bikepacking in a way that makes sense for you. Whether that means a five-kilometer ride from home to a local campground, smashing out long days and riding into the night, or veering off-route for ice cream and swimming spots, there’s plenty of room for everyone to ride their own ride. Most people don’t have the luxury to take 10+ days to ride a 1,000-kilometer route, and I consider myself incredibly fortunate to be in a position where that’s an option.

In the case of the Munda Biddi Trail in Australia, there are countless ways to enjoy it in full or in smaller segments. Some people ride the entire route from tip to tip, starting at the northern terminus just outside of Perth and finishing on the southern coast in Albany, and many others enjoy the trail in segments. The best part? They’re all riding the Munda Biddi.

During my north to south ride on the length of the trail with Emily earlier this year, we prioritized time spent with the people we met along the way to learn their stories and how the Munda Buddi fits into them. From dedicated volunteers and stewards to die-hard bikepackers and folks who didn’t know they were bikepacking in the first place, here are some of their stories.

Jamie D’Emden: Trail Angel of the Year

Our Munda Biddi experience started and ended with Jamie. Jamie and his family opened their doors to us, not once, but twice, after seeing that I was coming to Western Australia to ride the full trail. Jamie is a dedicated supporter of the Munda Biddi Trail and was quick to offer us rides to and from the airport, shuttle us to the start of the route in Mundaring, and was eager to share his passion for the route and bikepacking in general.

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Jamie completed an end-to-end ride of the trail in December 2022 and volunteers with the Munda Biddi Trail Foundation to help maintain a section near the north end. Jamie is also part of the Rove Task Force, which is a mobile group of volunteers that do special maintenance projects along the trail, including mitigation of erosion issues. He has also led a couple of information sessions on the trail for folks looking to learn more. Since our last visit with Jamie, he has started a small guiding business that aims to get people out enjoying the Munda Biddi and other local routes. We can thank people like Jamie for just how amazing the trail is and for a growing community of bikepackers and cyclists who will be out enjoying it.

Sam and Floyd: From Australia to the Pacific Northwest

Sam and Floyd were the first cyclists we met on the trail, which happened to be our first night after saying goodbye to Jamie in Mundaring. We rolled into the Perth Hills Discovery Campground a few kilometers south of Mundaring after being caught in a rainstorm while cruising the flowy singletrack from the northern terminus of the route. Sam and Floyd were also set up at the campground, and we quickly learned that Floyd was on their first bikepacking campout ever and Sam was using the trip as a warmup for an upcoming tour from Vancouver, British Columbia, down the West Coast to Washington and Oregon.

That night, Sam explained the tent they were using wasn’t seam sealed, which they weren’t happy about, and ended up bringing Floyd’s tent to Vancouver instead, which was eventually swapped out for a smaller bivvy setup. Floyd was apparently hooked after that campout and is about to head out and ride the full Munda Biddi any day now. I love seeing two close friends discover the joys of bikepacking together but taking it in two different directions. Sam comes from a single-speed road bike background, did about five overnighters, and then set off on their multi-week West Coast trip. Floyd comes from a mountain bike and singlespeed commuter background and is also diving head first with a casual 1,000-kilometer journey on the Munda Biddi.

Frank: The Shrinking World

During my pre-trip research into the Munda Biddi Trail and the folks responsible for developing and maintaining it, I eventually learned about the Parks and Wildlife Service. Shortly after, I heard from Frank, who happened to work for that department and had an office 100 meters off the trail in Jarrahdale. Coincidentally, Frank is also the brother of George, who I’ve had the pleasure of working with through Landyachtz Bikes here in British Columbia.

Frank made some time to meet up at the Jarrahdale Café and discuss some of the upper-level Munda Biddi Trail business that most people probably don’t think about. We talked about how the trail is sponsored by big mining companies that are also responsible for different re-routes that occur due to their operations, he talked about the dedicated group of volunteers running the Munda Biddi Trail Foundation and how much work they put in to keep the trail running smooth, and we managed to sneak in a quick zip through town to grab a photo by one of the hundred trail signs.

Craig: Four Days or Bust

We met Craig Stoffberg at the Dandalup Hut south of Jarrahdale on our third day out on the trail. We rolled into camp just as the sun was setting, the falling sun casting a warm glow on the coastal plains viewable from the hut’s wrap-around deck. We thought we were alone until I caught some movement out of the corner of my eye and saw a figure and a small tent perched down in one of the tent camping spots. Craig came up and introduced himself before we all set off to bed. He was riding solo, meeting up with his wife who was running a trail event in Collie in a few days. He wasn’t feeling the fittest but needed to get there if he wanted a ride home, so there was a certain element of adventure to the plan.

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Craig is no stranger to bicycle-powered adventures. In 1987, during his last year of school, he rode a Bomber with high-rise handlebars and panniers along the eastern coast of South Africa. He and a friend had a desire for adventure but a small budget, so they caught a bus to the coast and rode the two weeks, eventually getting bored and ditching their bikes at a local caravan park. Eventually, the two borrowed a car to retrieve their bikes.

Craig and that same friend bought motorbikes and toured north through Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, and Tanzania for four months. The war in central Africa (1994 Rwanda Genocide) broke out, and they decided to go home. “We caught a ship in Tanzania and disembarked back on the South African eastern coast where we had done our first bikepacking trip in 1988. The adventure was a milestone and left a lasting impression on both of us,” Craig explained. Since then, Craig has completed some bigger tours in South Africa, including a tour across Lesotho, and has ridden the first third of the Munda Biddi in several stages. With a young family at home, finding time to bikepack is harder these days, but finds his time more “flexible” when riding solo and without having to consider the schedule of a riding partner.

Simon: Long Days Alone

We were collecting some things from the Dwellingup General Store when an eager voice behind me said, “You must be Miles!” We quickly learned that Simon was seven days into a nine-day ultra-cruise of the entire Munda Biddi. He was looking fresh but it was obvious that he had been pushing some long days.

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Part of me felt guilty to suggest we meet outside the general store to take a few photos. He agreed. We took a few quick photos against a mural across the street, he devoured a pastry and chocolate milk, and without hesitation was on his bike speeding off towards the northern terminus of the route. I was energized by his effort and inspired to continue riding south, albeit at a significantly more leisurely place.

Mario, Dan, and Brendan: Laundromat Small Talk

After a few days without clean clothing and rain in the forecast, we made the decision to pop by a laundromat. As luck would have it, Dan and Brendan, two bikepackers riding from Jarrahdale to Binningup over the course of six days, had the same idea. We also met Mario, who coincidentally used to own the service station that the laundromat was attached to. These days, he runs a vegetation mulching company that’s often involved with fire mitigation efforts, including some sections of the Munda Biddi. He shared intricate details about his machines, showing cell phone videos of bulldozer-type rigs with aggressively spinning contraptions attached to them, absolutely annihilating vegetation and undergrowth in an area susceptible to wildfires. I wasn’t sure how to feel about it. Mario was proud. Our little laundromat gathering will always hold a special place in my heart.

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Mike the Emu

Emily and I were both excited to lay our eyes on the many interesting animals of Australia. We saw our first kangaroos before riding the Munda Biddi in New South Wales and spotted some wild emus for the first time about half way into our Munda Biddi ride. There were brilliantly colored birds with fascinating calls all over the country, and thankfully cooler temperatures meant the scary spiders and snakes were only spotted a few times. We learned from locals that kangaroos, in particular, are a huge nuisance because they jump out in front of vehicles and can cause serious damage and danger for people. The few times we rode on pavement, it was all too common to pedal by the caracases of various roadkill.

On a fast-rolling section of doubletrack north of the small town of Jarrahwood, Emily and I were both cruising along in silence, enjoying the Jarrah Forest that lined the sandy track we were on. Suddenly, I heard Emily give out a loud yelp, and then came another bikepacker, dressed in all black, blazing past us at what I would refer to as “race pace.” I cheered after him, he gave us a brief wave, and powered on. I figured we’d never see our mystery bikepacker ever again. It turns out over the next three days we’d end up spending more time with them than anyone else we met on the trail.

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A few hours later, we met up in Jarrahwood and Mike got a good laugh out of Emily’s story of what she thought was an aggressive all-black emu charging up behind her. We learned Mike was using the Munda Biddi as a training ride for the popular Seven UCI race that was in a few weeks. His son Bennet wanted his father to race, so it was partially a ride for him as well. We caught Mike pushing hard, which was his training strategy for the route—fast but not especially long days. He was currently taking a three-month work leave before starting a new job and wasn’t wasting any time.

We ended up sharing a campground with Mike and his friend Dave in Nannup and Pemberton, spending our evenings hanging around Dave’s awesome pop-up camper setup discussing the possibilities of a full-service traveling support vehicle for bikepackers and eating lots of chocolate.

Sue: A Munda Biddi Local

Sue is the type of person who doesn’t sit still. Four years ago, she rode the length of the Munda Biddi, but she’s a racer at heart. She just finished up a gravel race in Nannup (where we met her), was heading to a mountain bike race in Northcliffe, and was participating in the Seven Gravel Race in a few weeks—the same race Mike was training for. Sue lives towards the north end of the trail, and her passion for cycling extends well beyond the Munda Biddi. She was excited to see us all loaded up at camp.

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Sam and Charlie: Run what you Brung

The Nannup chronicles continued with Sam and Charlie. We met the two in Nannup as we were finishing a second breakfast at the Melo Velo cafe. They were riding the second half of the route after riding the first half of the route a few years ago as a funny way to get to a friend’s 21st birthday party. They were using the route as a way to visit old friends, camping in between, and were a good reminder that you can have the same experience without the fanciest gear. Sam was riding a full-suspension mountain bike with a good chunk of his gear in a backpack, and Charlie was putting the old milk-crate-on-a-rack setup through the ultimate test by loading it up with pretty much all of his gear.

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Mike had also crossed paths with the two further down the trail and heard they missed a turn and ended up taking a 50-kilometer detour. They were in good spirits and were eager to finish the route, although this time there was no party at the end. Sam and Charlie grew up together in the country town of Kojonup, spending their time riding push bikes and motorbikes. Charlie explained that they like to do something that tests them every few years. “I reckon it toughens us up a bit; otherwise we become too soft.”

Jos and Margot: “Are we bikepacking?”

I turned to Margot and asked if they’ve done much bikepacking before, and without hesitation, she looked at Jos and asked, “Are we bikepacking?” Margot and Jos were riding north, heading to Collie. Margot was no stranger to bike touring, with her most recent trip being a five-month trip in Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe and has also toured in France, Morocco, and the Canary Islands, as well as Thailand and Namibia on a bike she purchased for 100 bucks. The Surly Margot was riding was purchased in 2018 and has been with her ever since. Jos, on the other hand, was brand new to touring, coming from a mountain bike background.

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We met on the trail just before Donnelly River Village, one of the most interesting places on the route, and chatted together for some time before parting ways. Long-distance routes like the Munda Biddi Trail, with so much variation of terrain, have a way of leveling the playing field. It didn’t matter if we were out there with fancy titanium monstercross rigs or riding the same Surly Long Haul trucker and pannier setup that had seen thousands of kilometers before this. It’s all fair game, and there is no right or wrong way to do it.

Mike and Stu: An Ambitious Plan and a Deflated Sleeping Pad

Early on in our trip, we decided we wanted to take a rest day in Pemberton, nearing the final third of the entire route. With the town—including groceries and cafes—easily accessible from the local caravan park, we figured it would be a nice spot to relax. Although we didn’t expect the hordes of kids running around all day, we were right. Pemberton is a cute spot with a developed mountain bike trail system that backs onto the north side of the town, a historic handmade outdoor swimming pool to cool off in, massive Karri trees, and a region known for its wineries.

At the caravan park, we met Mike and Stu, brothers who decided to ride the Munda Biddi at the last minute. It was Stu’s idea to ride the trail as Mike hadn’t ridden a bike in over a year, but they were both in good spirits (aside from a deflating sleeping pad they were in the middle of repairing). Something about their matching Antonia Poli jerseys, hardtail mountain bikes, and big wicker baskets up front filled me with joy. It got me thinking about how I’ve never got out bikepacking with my brothers (or any of my family for that matter), despite it being such a huge part of my life these days. Mike and Stu’s brotherly camaraderie on the trail has inspired me to change that.

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At the same caravan park, we bumped into Kelly, who was absolutely stoked to lead us down one of the local singletrack loops accessible from the park. She was hooting and hollering the entire time, bouncing her way over roots and rocks on her way-too-small hybrid, yelling, “Chyea boiiiii!” around every corner. Kelly was set up at the caravan park with her family and had a refreshing amount of energy and enthusiasm that was fun to be around.

Russ, James, and the Karri Cup

We crossed paths with Russ and James at the Yirra Kartta Hut east of Northcliffe. This particular hut is unique as it’s perched up on a high point in an expansive mix of plains and forest. Plus, just behind the hut is a massive granite dome that provides fantastic views of the area. This spot also has significance to the traditional land owners and its name means “high mountains.”

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Russ and James were riding from Esperance to the Karri Cup in Northcliffe and carrying on from there. A few years back, they did another ride together east of Perth and down to Esperance, so riding the Munda Biddi was a way to connect the rides to form a massive loop. We ran into James’ partner the night before while camping at the Northcliffe Bush Camp, and they were excited to hear that Caroline had iced coffee and beer waiting for them.

Aaron and the Canning Stock Route

After meeting Aaron briefly at the general store in Northcliffe, we crossed paths again at the Yirra Kartta hut just after Russ and James left. Aaron works as a bike mechanic in Maui and was deep into a massive Australian bikepacking trip that involved the Munda Biddi and then riding north to the Canning Stock Route in Western Australia. He had already attempted the challenging 1,700-kilometer route twice and had plans to take another run at it. He told us the challenges of cycling the route, which requires carrying food for 30+ days and water for up to five. The sandy tracks require fat bike tires, and the required gear and remoteness of the trip had him build up a custom Salsa Blackborow. Aside from wild bikepacking trips, Aaron is also an astrophotographer and was excited to spend a night filming and photographing the sky from on top of the granite dome behind the hut.

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Dustin, Karen, Naeve, Connor, and Owen: A Family Affair

If there was one interaction on the trail that stood out, it was our night at Fernhook Falls. Not only was this our last night before reaching the coast, marking an important milestone of the Munda Biddi, but it was where we met up with one of the loveliest families in existence. Dustin, Karen, Naeve, Connor, and Owen were on their second family bikepacking trip, following an out-and-back along the Munda Biddi just north of Walpole and the coast. They started the kids early and have hiked most of the Bibbulmun Track, a 1,000-kilometer hiking trail that parallels the Munda Biddi.

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The kids were constantly impressing us. Owen, the eldest son, took on sausage duty and used the campground’s BBQ station to cook for his family. Naeve’s curiosity was both entertaining and refreshing to see in a world packed full of screens, electronics, and distractions. Perhaps the most memorable moment was when the family spotted a Tawny Frogmouth that evening, inviting us to come watch it in the trees above the campground with them. We all had questions about it, and the middle child, Connor, was eager to share his knowledge. The entire experience was incredibly heartwarming, and we couldn’t stop talking about just how awesome Dustin, Karen, and their family were.

We ended up riding out with them the next morning for a short while. The two boys took off with me in the front, well beyond the sight of their parents. I asked them if they had to wait for them to catch up, and Connor was quick to say “We could, but they are pretty slow, so it might take a while.” Naeve, on her little single speed, was absolutely crushing the trail, and on any climbs where her tiny gearing and legs couldn’t keep up, Dustin would swiftly pull in beside her, grab hold of her arm, and tow her up. They affectionately referred to this method as “four-by-fouring,” and Emily and I have tried replicating it with limited success.

Kimberley and Lynnette: 10 Years of Adventure

Kimberly and Lynette met at a women’s bike maintenance workshop, started doing a lot of road riding together, and eventually both fell in love with cycling. They seem to appreciate every facet of cycling, competing in ultra marathons and big athletic pursuits together regularly. For the last 10 years, they’ve been planning one big adventure every year. They biked around Bali, did the first half of the Munda Biddi one year, and completed the second half a year later, smashing out 100-kilometer days along the way.

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They mentioned being nervous about leaving their rain jackets in their car with weather on the way, asked us to look out for a bottle and pair of flip-flops they had lost, and mentioned how at one point, Kimberly’s cell phone bounced out of its mount and she had to backtrack to retrieve it. The two were positive and giggly and were clearly perfect adventure partners.

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