Kurliiny Tjenangitj Trail
Wellington National Park
Directions - Located near Collie, take Coalfields Highway from South Western Highway heading east and turn right onto Wellington Dam Road when you see the signs for the park. Take a right turn onto River Road to reach Honeymoon Pool and follow it all the way to the car park for the popular camping spot. The trail initially follows the markers for the Jabitj Trail heading upstream from Honeymoon Pool.
The Hike - One of the best places to get out and explore the vast Jarrah Forests near Collie, Wellington National Park has a range of hiking and mountain bike trails that thanks to recent investment, is expanding over the next few years. Having visited a few times over the years to hike the Sika Trail, Jabitj Trail and the first part of the Wiilman Bilya, along with riding through on the Munda Biddi in 2021, there was one trail that I kept meaning to come back and visit, the Kurliiny Tjenangitj Trail.
With a visit planned for late winter of 2022, I would be scouting the Sika Trail, Jabitj Trail and then finally the Kurliiny Tjenangitj as part of an action packed 30km day of trails. With limited sunlight available to get everything done, I drove the two and a bit hours out to Wellington National Park mostly in the dark. Arriving at The Kiosk and the site of the recently built mountain bike network, I hiked the Sika Trail first and then the Jabitj Trail to get down to Honeymoon Pool where the Kurliiny Tjenangitj Trail officially starts. I'm still debating whether I update the posts for the Sika Trail and Jabitj Trail as it's a lot of work and the original pages still hold up compared to my more modern work. Late afternoon arrived and with about 17km already in the legs, I was keen to see something new on the Kurliiny Tjenangitj (meaning "come and see" in the Noongar language). My preconceptions of this trail before doing it was that it was a bit of an odd trail in terms of layout and seemed like an afterthought.
Having to walk a part of the Jabitj Trail to get to the start of the loop section means no proper trail head and then sharing part of the loop with the Sika Trail and Munda Biddi seemed a bit like this was a parts bin trail. While this may be the case, as you read on, all this didn't detract from the hiking experience. Honeymoon Pool was looking a treat when I finished the Jabitj Trail, so I sat down on the stairs leading into the Collie River (bit cold for me to have a dip) and took a break while I photographed this idyllic location by the water. It was a busy but not overcrowded day here, with the main lookout areas being relatively empty. This meant I could get the shots I wanted without people being in them, and as I was ready to depart for the final trail of the day, the clouds rolled over to create some lovely lighting conditions. Walking along the Jabitj Trail as it heads upstream is a nice way to start the trail as this section is really picturesque thanks to the Peppermint Trees lining the river and some cool moss/fungi finds early on.
There are lots of little lookouts and viewing points over the Collie River along here and they provide plenty of photo opportunities. It's a relaxing way to start the trail as soon enough, you'll be climbing up into the hills, so enjoy it while it lasts. Crossing over the road where the River Road traffic bridge goes over the river, you join an old vehicle track that continues along the edge of the river but enters a fantastic bit of forest. There used to be an old campsite here but it has been blocked off, not that it stopped a woman taking her kids and dog (not allowed in the national park) to this spot and setting up on the trail. I walked straight past her and continued on towards the little rapids around the corner. I love photographing the flow of water and took the opportunity to indulge myself once again. This part of the river walking continues to be excellent as you rise up a small hill next to a section of exposed granite.
I was curious when I spotted a Bibbulmun Track marker and after consulting with my old CALM edition of the Guide to the Bibbulmun Track from 1988, this is indeed an old alignment of the track. In terms of expedience, the current alignment works fine but heading into Wellington National Park and along the Collie River would be a great experience if it could be looped back to the where the spur trail currently goes. I guess you could walk the Wiilman Bilya to add a couple more days to your journey and maybe one day I will. Reaching a wide pool, this is where the Kurliiny Tjenangitj leaves the Jabitj Trail and heads up into the hills above the Collie River Valley. Excited to be headed into new territory, this marks the start of a 170m climb to the main lookout over the surrounding hills. With gradients hanging around the 10-20% mark, occasionally creeping up into the 30s, this sustained climb really gets the blood pumping.
With plenty of excellent Jarrah Forest to keep you company, this doesn't feel like a big slog. I'm guessing the area was burnt in the past couple of years thanks to some thick undergrowth in the early part of the climb but for the most part it wasn't anything to worry about. Fallen trees have had steps cut into them for ease of passage and I spotted a few different fungi clinging to the decaying wood. I love seeing these things on my winter hikes and this time of year provides the perfect mix of wildflowers and fungi. In the dense undergrowth there weren't many wildflowers but the quality of the views looking down the slopes more than made up for that. Large Jarrah and Marri trees extend up the hill and after a while you have their canopies in your eyeline. There are some magnificent examples along the trail, with their wide trunks covered in moss and fungi, and I stopped at almost all of them to take photos. There were a couple of fallen trees that were quite recent but they shouldn't be a problem as I reported them and they were dealt with many months before this post was written so thank you to the local DBCA office.
As you climb higher, the undergrowth starts to thin out a little and I spotted more fungi that were thriving in the moist leaf litter. This side of the hill doesn't get much sun in winter as it faces south so conditions are just right for shrooms to grow. To help with some of the steeper gradients, there are a few switchbacks in place right before the trail starts to turn curve and head towards the lookout. The last part of the climb is really spectacular as the views over the valley start to open up even more and the hills to the south come into view. With the undergrowth returning to a more normal density, the wildflowers along here were easier to spot. A couple of Little Pink Fairy Orchids were just off the trail and towards the end of the climb I saw a nice example of a Fuchsia Grevillea. With the trail levelling out, I continued to be amazed by the views and soon enough I was at the picnic table that marks where the official lookout is. With a bit of exploring, there are views to the south, and off to the west where you can stand on granite boulders and stare down at where Honeymoon Pool is (at your own risk).
I spent a bit of time here just wandering around and checking out the different views as I wasn't expecting this from the trail. There was also a decent collection of wildflowers around the lookout including Prickly Moses, a creeper style of Boronia and a Hibbertia variety. Heading back to the picnic table after maybe 20 minutes, I gathered my bag and set about locating the trail out of here. It isn't hard as there is a marker to the north east pointing you along an old vehicle track that I assume you used to be able to drive along to access the lookout, before the walk trails were put in. Walking up a gentle hill, this was a nice change of pace from the previous climb and the forest continued to be enjoyable. With the terrain to the north looking like it slopes away, you get the feeling you are walking on a bit of a ridge. Not too worried about pace, I meandered along here, soaking in the forest scenery and on the lookout for new wildflowers. At one point the track became a little overgrown but the two strips where tyres once ventured meant it was easy to follow.
Facing east, the afternoon lighting was in my favour as I passed several sections of beautiful Jarrah. I get the feeling this isn't one of the most visited places in Wellington National Park and it did feel like I wasn't going to run into anyone as I ambled through the forest. The walking may have been on old vehicle track but it didn't feel exposed or open thanks to the thicker canopy as I approached the summit of the hill. There are no great views here but reaching the top meant from here it would be a steady descent down towards where the Kurliiny Tjenangitj meets the Munda Biddi. The open woodland through here is very much what Jarrah Forest should look like, not the dense undergrowth that occurs within a year or two of a fire thanks to certain species thriving after a burn. This is one reason why I loved my previous visits to Wellington National Park, although with bigger burn targets and larger prescribed burns these days, I fear this area won't be like this in a few years. Turning right to join the Munda Biddi and another right soon after to add the Sika Trail, my thoughts turned to riding this section the previous year and what an adventure that afternoon had been thanks to a detour to The Kiosk.
Having walked this section in the opposite direction in the morning on the Sika Trail, it was amazing to see the difference in the afternoon thanks to much better lighting. The morning had delivered very harsh lighting so with a few clouds around, everything was looking much nicer now. With no worries with regards to finishing in the dark, I continued along at a steady pace, enjoying the wildflower display that included more Little Pink Fairy Orchids, some Old Man's Beard and the decaying remnants of a Giant Banksia flower. After doing a bit of a long S Bend, up and over a small hill, I reached the junction where the Munda Biddi and Kurliiny Tjenangitj head down a steep mountain bike trail, while the Sika Trail goes in a different direction. I'm not sure of the logic behind putting fully loaded bikepackers on a twisty and sometimes steep section of trail (it's the only black rated section of the Munda Biddi), let alone mixing walkers in with downhill mountain bikers but hopefully the new trails closer to The Kiosk reduce demand on this part of the park.
I kept an ear out for any riders coming from behind as getting a front wheel up the trumpet is not an experience I really wanted today. While riding through here on the Munda Biddi, I didn't find it too bad, mainly because I was stopping a lot anyway to take photos, I had a chuckle at some of the sections today given how technical they are for bikes loaded out with all the gear you need for the Munda Biddi. One thing this downhill has going for it though is the quality of the scenery. Large granite boulders to your left and sweeping views down into the forested valley provide some memorable scenes. Add in some excellent wildflowers including what I think is Diplolaena graniticola, Honeybush and a Silky Blue Orchid, and this was a great finish to the loop section. As the descent flattens out, you can enjoy the forest a bit more and there are still plenty of granite boulders to photograph. Reaching the point where the Kurliiny Tjenangitj reaches the Jabitj Trail again, you head back along the river to Honeymoon Pool to finish the walk. As my car was at The Kiosk, I headed back in that direction, not wanting to add a further four kilometres to an already long day. For posterities sake, the trail map has been laid out correctly to finish at Honeymoon Pool.
Final Thoughts – The final day hike in Wellington National Park has now been collected and catalogued.
My initial expectations for this trail were blown out of the water and I think it may actually be the best of the three. Combining a river walk with a climb and then excellent forest provides a nice variety and the granite boulders at the end is just the icing on the cake.
I did get almost perfect lighting conditions for my hike and yes, the combination of different trails including a section on what is a downhill mountain bike trail isn't ideal but all up this was a wonderful experience.
If you're staying at Honeymoon Pool then this is a great hiking option compared to the Jabitj Trail, that you'll have to walk twice if you do the out and back to The Kiosk.
Get out there and experience it!
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