Over more than 1,000km, the world-class Munda Biddi bike trail winds through stunning landscapes in south-west WA.
Story + Photos Andrew Bain
On the slopes beside the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk, a bicycle is weaving among the tingle trees. Endemic to this small area outside of Walpole, these trees are among the tallest in WA, and have trunks that can exceed 20m in girth. There are tingles with trunks flared like giant pleated skirts, and one enormous tree so hollowed by fire that the trail runs not around it, but right through it.
It’s a signature moment on the Munda Biddi Trail, a 1,072km off-road cycling route from Perth’s hills to Albany. In the Noongar language, ‘Munda Biddi’ means ‘path through the forest’. The ride goes through 12 national parks dominated by trees endemic to this south-west corner of Australia. For most cyclists, this band of tingle and karri through the trail’s middle, from Donnelly River to just beyond the Valley of the Giants, is the most memorable thing about a Munda Biddi Trail journey.
“The tingles are just phenomenal,” says Jenny Grundy, a cyclist from the Sunshine Coast, entering the tingle forest after 15 days of cycling on the trail. “Now I’ve seen them this way, they’d be one of my favourite trees. The karris were amazing, but then you get here and they start to feel like a bit player.”
Most experienced riders bring their own 2-wheel steed, but bike hire is available at East Perth-based About Bike Hire (https://aboutbikehire.com.au), including mountain bikes suited to the Munda Biddi. It offers a Munda Biddi Trail package, which includes a full-suspension mountain bike and additions such as rear panniers, pump, tool kit, lock and bike computer. Packages are available from one to 4 weeks.
This story excerpt is from Issue #160
Outback Magazine: April/May 2025
