Jinung Beigabup to Denmark
Munda Biddi Trail
Start
Jinung Beigabup Hut
Time
3-6 Hours
Finish
Denmark
Date Ridden
8th September 2021
Length
49km
Elevation
663m
Traditional Custodians
Minang People
The Ride - Arriving at Jinung Beigabup, this was meant to be the finish for this particular day but given the weather, I had other plans. With a decent chunk of rain predicted for the afternoon and most of the following day, I didn't want to experience the only section of coastline you see on the Munda Biddi in rainy conditions, plus have the camera put away for the entire day as we got soaked. With that in mind, I powered through the first 56km of the day and met Aron at the campsite after he had taken a shortcut along Harewood Road to ensure he could make it Denmark.
To say the reception at camp was a little frosty would be accurate as Aron was not a happy bunny at the thought of riding almost 100km in a day. The reward was a rest day in Denmark and the feeling of accomplishment that comes with pushing the boundaries every now and then, although I don't believe he saw it this way at the time. I was excited to ride on and was hoping the weather stayed away until we reached town so refilled my water bottles, had a snack and signed the log books. Aron left before me to get a head start on the final 48km and I took the time to photograph the campsite before loading up the bike for the second half of the day. With Jinung Beigabup located on top of a hill and the coastline being located at sea level (for obvious reasons), I was expecting the first half of this day to be a nice cruisy downhill. Leaving camp, this was certainly the case with single track through some dense undergrowth providing some fun times as you negotiate the twists and turns.
Reaching Champion Lane, you join the gravel road as it makes its way through the farmlands situated north of Denmark. This is the type of relaxing country road riding that makes for an enjoyable experience as the thick trees that have been saved from the chop provide a nice little shroud. Turning left onto Harewood Road, this is the route Aron took due to his shortcut and I found him not far along the road, which was a surprise considering how long of a head start he had. Turns out he met a man walking his dogs and stopped to have a chat and more importantly, pats with the doggos. I noticed that even though it wasn't raining, he had chosen to put on his horrible yellow pack cover but given I was making him double hut today, I bit my tongue on this terrible life choice. At the end of Harewood Road you turn onto Scotsdale Road and being a popular tourist road, I advise a bit of caution when riding along here. Aron seemed in a slightly happier mood and the gentle riding along the paved road as we passed Harewood Estate and Ducketts Mill certainly helped.
Managing to safely negotiate Scotsdale Road and unfortunately not having the time to pop into Harewood Estate for some tastings, we turned off onto Freds Road and started the biggest climb of the day. Traversing gentle gravel roads for the first part, this is idyllic Shire-like scenery that was super photogenic. The rolling hills, distant forest and green farmland was a nice distraction as we pedalled up the ever increasing gradients. Checking in with Aron every now and then, I decided it would be best if I didn't ride off into the distance on this climb so we meandered along together. Stopping a few times to admire the nearby sheep, the climb started to get much steeper towards the end and the last little section was hike a bike thanks to the 15% gradients. The reward was reaching the highest point of the day at 224m ASL and this meant it was a fun downhill run towards William Bay. Turning onto Point Hillier Vista, this is the first time you can properly see the ocean on the Munda Biddi.
As the name suggests, you can see Point Hillier, a place I'd hiked many moons ago on the Bibbulmun Track so that was a nice piece of nostalgia. This next part is really good fun if you're riding N-S as the paved road drops plenty of elevation and you can hit some decent speeds (I clocked 61.4kmph at one point). It certainly makes you forget about the previous climb and the excitement for reaching the coastline was starting to build. The views were a little teaser of what was to come and after descending the steeper parts of the road, they disappear as you descend down into the swampland below. At the bottom of the hill you settle into a flatter run as the paperbarks provide a nice change to the scenery. There is still 11km of riding to go until you reach Greens Pool despite seeming within reach, so we continued along an old railway form as it carved through the landscape. Reaching McLeod Road, we were back on the paved road again as the trail heads towards South Coast Highway.
Stopping to cross South Coast Highway, I noticed the Denmark-Nornalup Heritage Trail signs and said to Aron that this was his last chance to shortcut into Denmark as this trail takes a more direct route into town. He declined the offer and said he was good to go the rest of the way and it was such a proud moment for me. Instead of putting you on the road for the short run to Pivett Road, there is a lovely bit of single track running parallel to the highway that I had great fun riding as it was all downhill. Aron chose to ride on the road and we met up as we took the backroads towards William Bay Road. A fun moment through here was spotting some ponies running around a property and having written this after the devastating fires that swept through here in the summer of 2022, I hope they were evacuated safely. Following William Bay Road all the way down to the popular tourist spot at Greens Pool, unfortunately the rains had started to fall with just a light drizzle to with.
We had made it this far but luck would not be with us for the rest of the day when it came to the weather. In the back of my mind I really just wanted to make it this far and in the case of this scenario, I would just return over the summer and ride from William Bay to Denmark. Rolling into William Bay, we arrived at the recently overhauled parking area to find that the seas were angry (and a little hard to see with all the drizzle). Eagle eyed readers may notice the bright and sunny pictures adorning the galleries above and below, and this is due to the return trip I did one weekend in November to both photograph the last section leading into Denmark and the new alignment that had not yet been finished when we passed through on the E2E. We did see a helicopter moving materials around so it was nice to come back on a sunny day to capture the area in all its glory. I've combined the photos from the two days as I didn't put away my camera until we reached Lights Beach and the real rain set in for the afternoon.
I'll talk about the return trip for this next section as the ride from Greens Pool to Waterfall Beach on the E2E was pretty dull because the old alignment just had you ride along the road with little to no interaction with the coastline. Picking a sunny weekend in November where my podcast partner was down doing maintenance around Walpole, I asked politely if it was possible to join him by staying with his in-laws just out of Denmark. Driving down in the morning, I would park in Denmark and do an out and back ride to Greens Pool to re-shoot the last 24km of the Munda Biddi leading into town. As a bonus, I could also do a proper write-up of the dual use Wilderness Ocean Walk that is used as part of the Munda Biddi between Lights Beach and Ocean Beach. Reaching Greens Pool, I locked up the bike and had a bit of an exploration of the area to get all the good photos that really showcase this spot in the best light. I may have gate-crashed a wedding that was happening on the beach but that's what you get for holding it in a public place.
Greens Pool was busy even without the wedding and the late afternoon sunshine was a big contrast to when we passed through a couple of months earlier. The area that I always look forward to seeing is Elephant Rocks, so I followed the path and was soon standing on top of one of the granite boulders that looks over the iconic bay. I've never really seen the elephant shape that well in the water but have always been impressed with the size of the boulders here and the great access provided down to the beach through the tiny gap between two of them. One day I'll return to get in a snorkel around Greens Pool and Elephant Rock but I only had time today for the ride from Denmark. After exploring Elephant Rocks for a while, I headed back up the stairs and back towards my bike. Having already ridden the new realignment on the way in, I knew it was a vast improvement on the old route. From Greens Pool, follow the signs towards Elephant Rocks and the new alignment starts just off the main path leading towards Elephant Rocks.
Following a new purpose built section of single track, you ride up a little twisty section towards one of a couple of lookouts taking in Elephant Rocks below. These spots alone make the new alignment worth it as it provides a new perspective to this stunning location not previously seen. Providing ocean views for the majority of the riding, this was needed considering the Munda Biddi only has half a day in proximity to the coast. Taking plenty of photographs of the scene below, I turned around to get back on my bike and noticed I was being watched from above. A kangaroo had taken position in the dunes above and I got a couple of snaps before it bounded off to a safer spot. Moving along, the gentle nature of the new path allows you to cruise along and savour the coastal views as you get glimpses looking down to Madfish Bay and expansive views looking east towards where you'll be riding in the not too distant future. Having come back in late spring, I wasn't sure what the wildflower situation would be like but I was pleased to see plenty of varieties still out in force. I was impressed with all the Banksia in bloom, along with south coast favourites like the Pimlea and Fan Flower.
This spot will continue to get better as the area surrounding the new path recovers a little bit and starts to claim it back. As the dunes to your left start to recede, the views of Mount Hallowell start to open up and you get a good look at one of the best hiking locations in the area (and also where the route of the Bibbulmun Track goes). It's an imposing figure for the remainder of the day and if you get the chance then it's well worth a visit to walk the Sheila Hill Memorial Track. Using my zoom lens I could make out Monkey Rock poking out from the forest and some very pleasant memories came flooding into my mind from previous adventures. Bumbling along, the new alignment came to an end after 3km of quality riding and it gets a big tick in my book. With fresh blood in the Munda Biddi Foundation, these little improvements will continue to happen and I think this is a big win that really sorts out what was a pretty lacklustre experience when I first rode through (not just because of the weather).
Reaching Waterfall Beach, the trail joins up with the existing alignment that continues to be excellent as it links up with Lights Beach. Initially the fantastic views overlooking the coastline continue as you pass over a small creek but then you head into the dunes for some fun single track riding through the Peppermints. I always associate the look and smell of these trees with the south coast and the gentle ups and downs past the Peppermints provides a quality riding experience. The wildflowers continued to be top notch and I was stopping quite a lot to photograph them all, including a Kangaroo Paw, Pigface and some kind of flowering Malaleuca. Switching back to the E2E experience, this was when the rain eased off slightly and I was able to bring out the camera again to photograph what is a stunning section of woodland as you head down towards another small creek. Riding through the dunes presents issues with erosion and a trail that can quickly deteriorate into a boggy mess so it was nice to see some measures installed through here to prevent this.
A hexagonal patterned rubber mat (hexagons are the bestagons) has been placed on the trail to try and provide a smoother riding surface that gives great traction and doesn't turn into quicksand after a few riders have passed. I'm not sure how long they've been installed but it seems to be doing a stand-up job so far and makes the tricky notion of riding near the coast a plausible reality. Dipping down towards the creek, this section where you enter a fantasy world of mossy trees, twisted trunks and bright green was one of my favourite parts of the Bibbulmun walking into Denmark and the same can be said on the Munda Biddi. The Munda Biddi route is slightly better as you get a bridge over what can be an area that floods after prolonged or heavy rain and it has a cool little side quest to get views of a little waterfall underneath one of the bridges. I stopped but Aron kept going towards Lights Beach and I eventually met up with him there to discuss our options moving forward.
I had been eyeing off the rain radar since William Bay and as we were preparing to leave the Lights Beach car park and start the Wilderness Ocean Walk, I decided that perhaps waiting undercover for a while might be the best option. Just as we got under the eaves of the new public toilet block, the heavens opened up and it started raining. Hoping this would just be a passing shower, we huddled up under the cover of the roof as best we could but the rain kept falling. After more than half an hour of trying to stay dry, it was decided that we may as well ride through the rain all the way to Denmark, still 18km away. Burying my camera deep in my backpack, this would cement my need to come back and reshoot this section but I had already made peace with that. Fully loaded and with almost 90km already in the legs, the ride along the Wilderness Ocean Walk was tough but still good fun. Taking me back to when I was a kid and riding around through puddles, you could really only get so wet until it didn't matter anymore.
Some of the hills through here were no joke as the trail is more like a rollercoaster on a bike than any other section of the whole Munda Biddi. Steep pinch climbs and fast sweeping descents make for some interesting riding and I was thankful no one else was out here as the risk of a collision is quite high thanks to a lot of blind corners. My return journey was a more normal kind of fun with clear weather, the setting sun and a heap of wildflowers to keep me engaged. Riding on an unloaded bike was easier but not by much and thanks to my lack of climbing gears (still need to fix that up), I had to push the bike up a couple of steeper pinch climbs. The perfect riding and photographic conditions were exactly what I was hoping for and you can see the difference in the gallery above as I've taken the exact same shot on both days looking along the coast towards Denmark. There are plenty of spots along the Wilderness Ocean Walk where you can stop and admire the views and given this is the only day of riding along the coast, it pays to use all of them.
Whether it's staring out at the ocean, spotting a little patch of beach down below or turning inland to gaze upon the hunk of forest covered rock that is Mount Hallowell, this is a fantastic bit of trail. If I lived in Denmark and this was my local ride/walk then I'd be a very happy bunny. This whole stretch is a haven for wildlife with kangaroos, Black Cockatoos and plenty of other birds finding food and protection within the dunes. Stopping at one of the benches, I got some shots of my unloaded bike just for funsies before moving on towards the Denmark Wind Farm, the Munda Biddi equivalent of the Albany Wind Farm on the Bibbulmun Track. The first wind turbine marks the end of the rollercoaster section of the WOW Trail and you follow the access road leading to the turbine (which you get quite close to). Heading downhill, this is a fun little stretch with great views overlooking the Wilson Inlet and the Nullaki Peninsula. On my E2E, I spotted the electrical substation for the wind turbines and bunkered down there for a while, keeping dry while I waited for Aron to catch up. Passing it on my November ride brought a smile to my face as I remembered being soaked through and wanting to get into Denmark for a hot shower and some food.
After dipping down the hill and passing through the gates that mark where the WOW Trail officially ends, it's easy to miss the side trip to Ocean Beach. It's worth taking the detour as the views overlooking the mouth of the Wilson Inlet and the choppy waters beyond. There is a second spot that has a proper lookout just down the road and can be accessed by following the signs along the short loop road. This one is a bit more impressive with a nice platform containing some public art and better views looking inland towards Denmark. With light fading on my return visit and already being a bit late for dinner, I continued on towards Prawn Rock Channel, a cool little wetlands area that looks to have a short walk trail I'll have to come back and explore. The late afternoon light was looking a treat as I cruised along the winding pavement as it heads along the edge of the water. The run into town from Prawn Rock Channel isn't the most scenic as you are riding along the edge of Ocean Beach Road so there wasn't much to photograph. It felt a lot longer on the E2E as this was the final few kilometres of a 104km ride that day and although the rain had eased to a light drizzle, making it a much better experience.
I think that final stretch could be improved greatly by cutting west after Little River Road and then following the Denmark-Nornalup Heritage Trail all the way to the Denmark River, with a spur trail along the river connecting you to town. It's a small change that would make the finish seem less like a chore riding through the suburbs so hopefully something like it can be arranged in the future. The one thing I remember about the run into town was promising to shout Aron pizza that night but then checking Google only to realise it wasn't open that night. In fact the only place that was open was the Indian restaurant and it was super busy when we arrived so eventually decided that an IGA supply run would be better. Taking our goodies back to the Blue Wren YHA, we settled in for a restful evening talking to the other guests, who were mostly Bibb hikers coming through town and keeping warm by the fire. Mark, who owns the Blue Wren, had kindly put us up in a private room when he had seen that we'd booked the extra night so we had plenty of room to spread out. With a double section completed, we had earned a rest day in Denmark and it was exactly what I needed. As forecast, the rain continued overnight and well into the following day so it would have been a wet and miserable ride from Jinung Beigabup.
As part of a relaxing day we had breakfast at Ravens, walked around town and checked out some shops, tried to locate the Munda Biddi log book (unsuccessfully) and then settled in for afternoon tea at Tea House Books. The rain eventually eased off in the afternoon so with relatively clear skies I thought I'd stretch my legs and walk along the western bank of the Denmark River to the bridge we would cross the following day to leave town. It's a stretch of the Mokare Heritage Trail that I really enjoy and the views looking out towards the Wilson Inlet are idyllic. I stayed at the bridge for a while, enjoying the lovely light show that the setting sun was putting on, plus reflecting a little about the journey so far. It had been a long but thoroughly enjoyable three weeks so with one day to go, I had mixed emotions about finishing. The rest day was finished with dinner supplied by the bakery as a town AGM meant none of the takeaway shops were open. Aron and I finished our three week long Yahtzee battle by setting a first to 15 goalpost. For those that are interested, Aron won 15-14 with the series coming down to the very last roll, if I rolled a five then I won but it didn't quite fall in my favour. Life...
Final Thoughts - Not a bad way to get my first Gran Fondo (translated as Big Ride or a 100km in Strava) under the belt and what an epic day of riding.
Thinking back to starting in Booner Mundak and then the finish at Denmark, it was a dense day of riding. Aron may have had some objections but I was 99.9% confident that I had made the right decision.
I'm not sure if I've mentioned this but it is the only day of riding along the coast (for now) so it pays to really savour the experience as best you can. Whether that's enjoying a wild ride in some wet weather or some blissful sunshine (or both), it's hard not to find this section a joy to ride.
The new alignment around William Bay is a fantastic addition to the trail and is part of some great improvements being made. I look forward to seeing the trail progress over the years if these targeted upgrades are just the beginning.
One day to go and it's the end of these posts...
Get out there and experience it!!!
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