Adventures in Retrospect

Distance: 28 km Elevation gain: 304 metres From the town of Elleker to the city of Albany, the southern terminus of the Munda Biddi trail. About 2hrs travel time, from 8:30am to 10:30am. At Albany, my distance from Mundaring on the bike is 1,019 km. If yesterday was liberating, today was euphoric.  The last day on the Munda Biddi trail and only 28km.  A deliberately short day so that I could enjoy the last leg and celebrate the end of my arduous journey. Starting at the town of Elleker at sea level, the trail soon turned to the coast and the final steep  climb up the cliffs 160m above sea level (that's a s tall as a 50 storey building), where Albany's wind farm was situated.  The track was steep and covered with loose gravel but I was determined to stay on the bike and ride all the way to the top.  From the top of the cliffs it was a gradual ride down to sea level where the final 10k's was around Hanover Bay and into the Albany City Centre where my lovely wife was there to ...

Distance: 58 km Elevation gain: 301 metres From the town of Denmark to the town of Elleker About 3.5hrs travel time, from 8am to 11:30am.  At Elleker, my distance from Mundaring on the bike is 991 km. Today was liberating.  The bike was stripped down and all excess baggage and gear was left in Denmark.  The bike felt raw, nimble and untamed.  For the first time in weeks I could ride the bike hard without fear of breaking anything. Which was just as well.  The weather today was wild and the dirt roads were punishing.  The day started out calm and cloudy, riding on paved paths but good things don't last.  Along the coast the wind picked up and rain squalls washed over me. On the open plains there was no escaping the cold southern wind and the corrugations on the gravel back-roads rattled my whole body like nothing else.  I was glad to be riding the stripped down bike today so that I could spare my gear (and panniers) from this harsh treatment.   Finally there were mountain bike trail...

Phone reception was very poor at Booner Mundak hut (day 16) so this post covers two days. Day 16 Distance: 55 km Elevation gain: 563 metres From the Jinung Beigabup hut to the Booner Mundak hut About 4.5hrs travel time, from 9am to 1:30pm. Not too many stops. Day 17 Distance: 54 km Elevation gain: 865 metres From the Booner Mundak hut to the town of Walpole   About 5hrs travel time, from 6:30am to 11:30am with a break for lunch and swim. At Walpole, my distance from Mundaring on the bike is 933 km. Day 16 recap Today was just a grind, especially compared to the previous day riding along the coastline.   The track was along dirt roads in the coastal hinterland.   There was very little shade and the scenery was monotonous.   In paces the track was soft sand which increased the sense of just grinding out the kilometres.   It is not pleasant riding up hill, in soft sand, with a headwind.   I was looking forwar...

Distance: 52 km Elevation gain: 744 metres From the town of Denmark to the Jinung Beigabup hut About 5.5hrs travel time, from 8:30am to 2pm although lots of stops today enjoying the scenery. At Jinung Beigabup hut, my distance from Mundaring on the bike is 824 km. It was a late start in Denmark as I wanted to talk with Rob, the guy from the reception for my overnight accommodation.  Eventually I got on the bike and started my trip today, travelling north along the Munda Biddi, towards Walpole. The first 20km today was amazing as the track followed the coastline along good quality cycle paths - some paved and some gravel.  There was a brief, cold, rain shower but it blew past quickly (we are on the edge of Australia, looking out to the Southern Ocean) . After the rain cleared the coastline and beaches were so beautiful and such a contrast to the forests that I've seen for the past 2 weeks.  I will have to come back to these beaches for a swim once I've finished the Munda Biddi. ...

No cycling today but a lot of positives.   1. My transfer from Walpole to Denmark was perfect. A private transfer in a 4WD wagon to get my bike to 'hospital'. 2. The Denmark Monkey Rock Mountain Bike Company was able to fix my bike.  If you are even in need of bike repairs in Denmark then you have to see  https://monkeyrockmtbdenmark.com.au  Nathan and his team were excellent with advice and service. While my bike was in the shop I was able to have a rest day in Denmark and spent most of the day working in a nice spot at the Library.  I did drop into a few Op-Shops to look at music CDs and picked up a pair of warm socks for the days ahead. I also did one last food shop at the IGA so my pantry is full for the journey ahead. The revised plan is to now cycle the Munda Biddi trail from Denmark back to Walpole.  This is the opposite direction from my original plan and is officially riding the Munda Biddi 'South to North' but it will let me experience the 160km or so that I s...

Distance: 52 km Elevation gain: 418 metres From the Yirra Kartta hut to the town of Walpole and Coalmine Beach. About 3hrs travel time, from 8am to 11am  At Walpole, my distance from Mundaring on the bike is 772 km It was a very cold night in the hut by myself. I again had to wear all my clothes to keep warm and the track pants from Northcliffe were very useful.  Only my feet were left to freeze.  A local in Walpole today said it got down to 6 degrees this morning, say 5 degrees up in the hills where I was camping.  No sign of rain or clouds today.  A lovely clear blue sky. I dragged myself out of bed, full of dread for what the day ahead may bring.  Earlier in my Munda Biddi journey I specifically wanted to stick to the trail but today my hand was forced. I had to leave the trail and make a bee-line to Walpole on the road to save my bike from any more breakages. It was a gentle start from the hut as I cycled along gravel roads (with more pea gravel 😣) for 5 kms until I reached the sm...

Distance: 50 km Elevation gain: 571 metres From the town of Northcliffe to the Yirra Kartta hut About 3.5hrs travel time, from 9:30am to 1pm  At Yirra Kartta hut, my distance from Mundaring: 720 km Distance to Albany: 320 km It was a late start today while I waited for the Northcliffe Op Shop to open at 9am.  I was lucky because there was a heavy rain shower at 8:30am while I ate second breakfast at the Northcliffe general store. The Op Shop delivered and I grabbed a pair of fleecy track pants to help keep me warm during the cold nights. I adjusted the gear on my bike to make room and there is now a red dry sack positioned above the top bar with some of the bulky clothing. Most of today's ride was along quiet gravel back roads that meandered along - up and down hills all the way.  Even some dreaded pea gravel. It was another very cool day and I needed to wear my rain jacket most of the day just to keep warm.   I stopped at the Boorara Tree picnic spot where there was...

Distance: 43 km Elevation gain: 527 metres From the town of Pemberton to the town of Northcliffe About 3.5hrs travel time, from 9am to 12:30pm  At Northcliffe, my distance from Mundaring: 669 km Distance to Albany: 371 km A late start today while I finished off some work before rolling out of town.  Today was also a shorter day so there was no need to ride in the very cold morning air.  The "feels like" temperature was 5 degrees this morning and maxed out at 17 degrees.  Very different to the first few days above 35 degrees. First stop on the ride today was the Gloucester Tree.  In the past you could climb the tree to the lookout 53m above the ground.  However, as of July 2023, it is closed for climbing.  Good call.  I don't know if the photo does justice to the climb.  There are steel bars screwed into the tree that form the ladder as it corkscrews up the tree.  No steps and nothing to really stop you falling if you slip. Also nothing substantial on the right end of the ...

Distance: 80 km Elevation gain: 883 metres From the town of Manjimup to the town of Pemberton About 6hrs travel time, from 7:30am to 1:30pm  At Pemberton, my distance from Mundaring: 626 km Distance to Albany: 414 km I spent yesterday afternoon in the Manjimup motel carpark playing with the rear derailleur and adjusting limit screws and tension in the cable to improve gear selection.  It seemed to help because during today's ride I was finally able to select the smallest gear (fastest speed). A bonus at Manjimup motel was that breakfast was included.  I have missed fresh hot toast with butter and vegemite - heaven! I dragged myself away from the breakfast buffet and got on the bike at a reasonable 7:30am. Today was going to be either a 40 km day (to Quinninup) or an 80km day (to Pemberton).  It all depended on the track condition and my fitness. As it turned out, the track and my fitness were both tip-top and I made good progress to reach Quinninup by 10am.  I pushed on to Pemberto...

Distance: 23 km Elevation gain: 267 metres From the Karta Burnu hut to the town of Manjimup About 2hrs travel time, from 8am to 10am with two stops -  hiding from the rain and a work phone call.  At Manjimup, my distance from Mundaring: 548 km Distance to Albany: 494 km A very cold night in the Karta Burnu hut for someone who didn't pack a warm sleeping bag.  The forecast was a low of 6 degrees overnight and with the wind it felt cold!!!  It was not the first time that I cursed packing the 7 Munda Biddi paper maps and leaving a warm sleeping bag at home.  Cold night aside, this was my favourite hut.  It felt like staying at a rural property looking out to a magnificent vista of forest, hills, meadows and nature.  There were rabbits and kangaroos grazing on the grass and a few menacing magpies looking down from their nests. There was rain overnight but it looked to be clear as I dragged my bike out of the hut and onto the trail for an 8am start.  Unfortunately I was looking at the c...

Distance: 63 km Elevation gain: 1,059 metres From the town of Nannup to the Karta Burnu hut About 7.5hrs travel time, from 7:30am to 3pm. But there were breaks hiding from the rain. Now at Karta Burnu hut, my distance from Mundaring: 524km. The forecast was for a short rain spell between 9am and 10am but as I emerged from my dome tent at 6am the weather looked clear so I had a quick breakfast and got started. Turns out I should have stayed in bed and taken the late checkout. A bit after 9am the heavens opened up as a weather cold front passed by. I took shelter for half an hour behind a large tree to avoid most of the wind and rain. It was cold!!🥶 It seemed to be easing up so I got started again only for the second front to hit. This time I was close to a hut and bunkered down. I unpacked the stove and had a chicken noodle cup-a-soup to warm the body and soul. Once the second front had cleared the blue sky returned and I was on my way. There was a giant...

Distance: 72 km Elevation gain: 437 metres From the town of Donnybrook to the town of Nannup About 6 hrs travel time, from 7am to 1pm Now at Nannup, my distance from Mundaring: 464km A cool clear blue sky to start the ride out of Donnybrook.  It was a 5 km ride from town to rejoin the Munda Biddi trail so there was a bit of back-tracking first thing in the morning.  It's hard to swallow an extra 5 km but it was worth the soft bed at Donnybrook.  The ride today was relatively gentle with no big hills or valleys to ride down and climb out of. There were wide flat smooth tracks through pine forest where the pine smell was refreshing. And most surprising was the last 28km of the ride today along an old rail line.  The train tracks and sleepers had mostly been removed and what remained was a narrow bike track (single file for the most part). It was smooth riding with gentle up and down sections.    Of course during the day there were the obligatory soft pea gravel and soft sand sections...

Distance: 91 km Elevation gain: 1,053 metres From the town of Collie to the town of Donnybrook About 8.5hrs travel time, from 6:30am to 3:00pm Now at Donnybrook, my distance from Mundaring: 401km I left the Collie Tourist park at 6.30am which is earlier than normal but went into Collie town to have Maccas for breakfast.  Bacon and egg muffin, hash brown and coffee - So good!! It was a cool (10deg) start after breakfast which was very fresh (but welcome).  The track out of Collie started on a concrete path (so smooth - luxury!) and the day included quite a bit of tarmac.  The tarmac and cooler temperature helped a great deal.  Compared to a week ago (mid 30degree heat, soft pea gravel, rough tracks) the conditions today were beautiful. That's not to say it was all smooth tracks. For the first time the track downhill was so steep and rocky that I got off and walked / dragged my bike down the track.  I did not want to go over the handlebars! There were also a number of really big clim...