Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

news

World's longest off-road cycling trail, 1,000km, nears completion in Western Australia (+ video)

Munda Biddi Trail runs through 1,000km of unspoilt country and includes camp huts for overnight stops

The world’s longest off road cycle trail is nearing completion in Western Australia, covering a staggering 1,000 kilometres from the town of Mundaring, which lies to the east of Perth, to Albany, on the south western coast of the state.

The coming months will see the final sections of the trail completed – most is already open, with construction having taken 12 years – as well as the official opening of the route, coinciding with an end-to-end ride in April which is already fully subscribed.

‘Munda Biddi’ in the Noongar Aboriginal language means “path through the forest” and as the Foundation which operates the trail, staffed by volunteers, points out on its website, “There are few places left in the world where a 1,000km track could be built through an undeveloped natural corridor.

“Combine Western Australia's vast areas of unspoiled forests and bushland, gentle terrain, and year-round cycling weather,” it adds, “and you have the ideal setting for an off-road cycle trail.”

You can see the trail in this YouTube video from UK-based Radio Lynx Content.

In locations where there is no nearby town for an overnight stop on the trail, which in parts passes through eucalyptus forests, elsewhere follows river valleys and also incorporates part of the route of an old railway, huts have been erected to give cyclists somewhere to rest their heads, cook a meal and secure their bikes at night.

There’s typically a campsite or town every 30 to 45 kilometres along the trail, or sometimes even closer together, although of course there’s nothing stopping cyclists from putting in greater daily distances.

The trail has been designed so that local residents of nearby towns and cities as well as visitors to the region can complete individual short sections without overnighting, with suggested itineraries available on the Munda Biddi Trail website, which also has a gallery of images and full information about the facility.

The Munda Biddi Trail, which also has bike hire facilities, has a Facebook page and a Twitter feed, in part to help riders using it to hook up with others, and users are also directed to the Western Australia specific Trail Talk social network.

Looking at the snow which has replaced the weekend’s rain, and checking the weather in Western Australia – something we wouldn’t advise any UK-based road.cc users to do unless they want to be thoroughly depressed – we’re tempted to chuck a helmet in the suitcase, jump on the first plane and ride it for ourselves.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

Add new comment

11 comments

Avatar
ir_bandito | 11 years ago
0 likes
Quote:

arms, legs, torso etc that is most commonly injured cycling

They grow back  3 . Besides, maybe the higher proportion of those injuries are because people are wearing helemts.

Quote:

since Aus introduced the helmet law, cycling dropped by 50%

It did, but within a few years was back up to the same number.

Anyway, trail looks ace. I rode from Perth to Albany round the coast a good few years ago, this looks like a great way of making a loop of it.

Avatar
sponican | 11 years ago
0 likes

Great news cycling story to helmet flame-war in 7 posts. Sweet.

Avatar
sodit | 11 years ago
0 likes

This anti helmet business is stupid You have a silly accident/mistake and you fall off and hit a tree root head first.

result

1, Dented your helmet (oohh matron) with headgear and a headache.

or

2, Fractured your skull without headgear and hoping somebody has contacted the flying doctor.

I know which I would prefer

Avatar
matthewn5 replied to sodit | 11 years ago
0 likes

That's all very well if you do hit it head first. But what accident stats show is that its arms, legs, torso etc that is most commonly injured cycling.

Plus since Aus introduced the helmet law, cycling dropped by 50%. That's lots of people who no longer get the health benefits of cycling, versus a tiny number of people who avoid head injuries. So, there's no overall benefit to society by enforcing helmet wearing.

Obviously there is a notional personal benefit from helmet wearing, I choose to wear a helmet, but no societal benefit and a lot of disbenefits.

Avatar
a_to_the_j | 11 years ago
0 likes

this is fantastic news regardless of if its not a bloody "red route" - its great to see this forward thinking view of how people ENJOY cycling from A to B at a local and a tourist level! I wish that kind of thinking and attitude came to Britain!

Avatar
Joselito | 11 years ago
0 likes

Can't believe that on a dedicated, off road (though hardly MTB rough stuff) cycling trail that helmets are still mandatory.

Avatar
Tribble replied to Joselito | 11 years ago
0 likes
Joselito wrote:

Can't believe that on a dedicated, off road (though hardly MTB rough stuff) cycling trail that helmets are still mandatory.

I agree.

The helmets must be to protect from Drop-Bears.

Avatar
Carl | 11 years ago
0 likes

Strewth!

Avatar
Some Fella | 11 years ago
0 likes

"....vast areas of unspoiled forests and bushland"
Except for the cycle path running through it.
 39

Avatar
Simon_MacMichael | 11 years ago
0 likes

Budget may stretch as far as Perth, but it wouldn't be the one Down Under...  3

Avatar
Gkam84 | 11 years ago
0 likes

Simon, you and me, Scotsmen in Oz for Roadcc??

Lets go ride it  4 All for the site of course

Latest Comments