Lake Brockman to Yarri
Munda Biddi Trail
Start
Lake Brockman
Time
3-5 Hours
Finish
Yarri Hut
Date Ridden
25th August 2021
Length
46.3km
Elevation
546m
Traditional Custodians
Kaniyang People
The Ride - With a few of the longer days we would ride on the whole trip behind us, today would mark the start of a pretty leisurely stretch of 40-50km days. Staying in one of the cabins at the Lake Brockman Tourist Park, we had a decision to make with regards to breakfast, either have something in the cabin and leave early or wait until the cafe opened at 9am. It was a fairly easy decision to try and sleep in, have a cruisy morning and then wander down for a cooked breakfast. Being a holiday park we weren't expecting gourmet meals and the eggs on toast was better than a Clif Bar. I did have a laugh that I was charged $4.50 for the same Twinnings Earl Grey tea that I had brought along with me on the trip (and brewed earlier in the cabin).
After supporting local business and getting some snacks for later that night, we set off to tackle the section leading towards the Yarri Campsite. This would be a welcome return to the camping life with a two night stretch before reaching Donnybrook and the start of a weeklong town to town stint. As the Munda Biddi doesn't actually go through the Lake Brockman Tourist Park, we figured a way to get back to the trail that didn't require backtracking all the way down to the Logue Brook Dam wall. Heading off along Logue Brook Dam Road, we would eventually intersect the trail as it crossed the road about 3km in. While missing out on what is some nice looking single trail through the forest, it was the most logical way to start the day. Climbing up the wide gravel road, the sun was shining bright as we headed east and up a slight hill. Finally reaching the proper trail, I was happy to be off the road and into some nice looking trail as it joins an old rail formation. This would also be the start of a medium puppa hill but the gradient was a very gentle 2-5% so it was one of the more enjoyable climbs of the whole trail.
I was excited to see what wildflowers were in bloom and early on I saw a Flame Pea and a Pink Fairy Orchid. The riding was really fun and I was super relaxed as we pottered along the rail form towards another road crossing. At the top of the climb we reached Clarke Road and found the first of a couple diversion notices for the day thanks to the Forests Products Commission and their environmental vandalism (logging of our native forests). It was on this trip that it was announced that logging of our native forests would be banned from 2024 and it was nice to know the future of the Munda Biddi won't be a cycling tour of how much we log our Southern Forests. This was only a short diversion and didn't add or subtract any distance to the day. This would be the start of a very long downhill section that would last for over 5km and was a good reward for the climbing that started the day. The forest through here looked a little scrappy but as we descended further, it got thicker and eventually some creamy trunked Bullich appeared. It's nice to see some variety and this would mark one of the more enjoyable stretches of riding for the whole day.
Following the edge of a creek, the mixed forest was a dream to ride through and eventually we reached a section full of Kingia Australis, the similar looking cousin of the Grass Tree. Providing a bit of variety to the understory, they serve to make the forest seem a bit more complete compared to some of the regrowth logging coupes that have a monotonous look thanks to having machinery driven through them. Reaching the first of many creek crossings for the day, the swampy/wetlands enclosed feeling was nice, even though the bright sunlight didn't make for the best photos. With a lot of winter rain, the creeks were flowing nicely and supporting a lot of life that was making itself known. With the trail following creeks for a lot of this first half, the forest kept changing between mixed Jarrah/Marri and Bullich but also meant there were sections where the regrowth of the understory was so thick it was like riding through a tunnel of green debris. It was a little thick in places so we were lucky it was a dry day, otherwise we would have been soaked. Occasionally we would have to ride through or over a fallen branch but survived getting anything lodged in the bike.
At the top of a smol puppa hill we made a left turn onto another vehicle track and out of the corner of my eye I spotted something a bit different from the regular wildflowers I had seen over the course of the morning. A Jug Orchid was just off the edge of the trail and I stopped riding to check it out. I had been hoping to see more orchids on this trip but apart from day one when I spotted three spider orchids, the best I had seen were some Pink Fairies. This was a good consolation prize for my inner botany enthusiast and the stop allowed me to photograph Aron descending down a straight, tree lined road. It wasn't long before I was stopping again, this time thanks to a large tree that stood out like a giant among dwarves. Admiring this behemoth, I started noticing the little things around it like the small fungi growing at the base and the new shoots coming off the edges. Not far up the track I heard the familiar call of the Black Cockatoo and both Aron and I creeped along slowly so I could get some good photos of them perched in the canopy. Thankfully they picked the skeleton of a dead tree so were nice and exposed and I got some nice shots of a couple landing on the higher branches.
Up ahead was the crossing of the Harvey River and it's a weird thing I get excited for even though I know they will be nothing more than slightly bigger streams this far east. It feels like crossing a milestone for the day and as I was a bit ahead of Aron, I parked up the bike and had a good poke around the bridge. Just before then I found an odd souvenir on the ground, a toy Lotus Esprit that was perhaps a mascot for a James bond fan (just a wild guess). Aron soon caught up and we ventured on but just around the corner we found a medium sized tree blocking our way. Having had relatively good luck so far with fallen trees, this required us to lift the bikes up and over the trunk, where I had fun taking shots of Aron after initially helping him out. Back on the move again, the next section towards the first of two crossings of the massive powerlines was a mix of recently burnt forest and so-so forest. At the exposed powerline we saw another diversion notice for logging. As I come through this area four times a year for Bibbulmun Track maintenance at the Kingdom of Py, I knew they had already logged through here and as the time frame on the notice was August 2020 to August 2021, I figured they were done exploiting the forest.
It was a big diversion that made you follow the powerline south for a while and that wasn't appealing so I continued on, with Aron deciding less distance was a good thing. Agreeing to meet up at where the diversion ended, I set off along the overgrown track that for obvious reasons had not been maintained in a year. There were some wildflowers to enjoy through here including some Blue Stars and for the most part I just got on with riding at a good pace. Dodging fallen branches and overhanging bushes, I could see where the machinery had come through in places and wondered what the area would have looked like prior to the logging. The route I take to the Kingdom of Py is noticeably worse thanks to the timber harvesting and judging by the comments in the log book at Yarri, this day used to be through quite enjoyable forest. Passing the Blue Gum Plantation, it wasn't long before I reached the crossing of Harvey Quindanning Road. As I said before, I pass this spot a few times a year and it brought a smile to my face knowing the Kingdom was about 20km away (a bit too far to detour and see). Just past the road crossing was a lovely little spot along the edge of a creek that my podcast partner had suggested as a lunch stop before we knew about the diversion.
I continued on as I would meet Aron soon at the end of the diversion and we stopped for lunch under the shade of a nice forested section. I whipped out my ultralight hiking chair and tucked into a Clif Bar and the Violet Crumble I had bought at Lake Brockman. After a decent rest, we packed up and headed off for the final 16km of the day. Before crossing the second and last powerline of the day, the forest through here was really exposed and you could see the damage to the ground caused by the forestry machinery that will make it hard for the place to recover. Another little annoyance was reaching a gravel road that had been doubled in width with most of the debris still lying on the floor. I'm not sure what purpose this road will have, perhaps another powerline but it wasn't nice to see. The ride towards the campsite over the last 10km was much better with a mix of vehicle track and single track through a variety of landscapes. Descending down a small hill, I made my first big navigation error, turning left instead of right when I spotted a marker but about 300m down the track when it started getting very overgrown, I realised and turned back. Aron was surprised when I caught up to him as he was previously behind me so we had a good chuckle at my geographical embarrassment.
With one medium puppa hill to go before a long downhill into camp, motivation was high to reach what looked like one of the best campsites on the track. Reaching the final turn off a wide road and onto the old rail form that Yarri Campsite is located on, the gentle roll into camp was a mix of excitement and curiosity. I had seen on the Munda Biddi Facebook group that the area around the campsite had been burnt recently so was keen to see if it was as bad as it looked in the photos. Spotting the shelter at the end of the rail formation, it wasn't too bad but far from ideal with southern side of the campsite looking worse for wear. Thankfully the views overlooking the creek valley were a lush green and the magic that makes up the appeal of Yarri was still there. We parked up our bikes and selected a bunk to sleep on as this style of shelter is much smaller than the previous layouts. Over the course of the afternoon I had a wander around the various tent sites and down to the creek as the rain slowly rolled in (providing much better lighting). With darkness falling we got dinner underway and continued our trip long Yahtzee battle. Another day on the Munda Biddi over and a nice way to end a mixed bag of a riding experience.
Final Thoughts - After the bauxite scarred devastation of the previous day it was nice to be out of that environment but we were straight into the unnecessary and costly mess that is native timber logging.
It's no secret that the Forest Products Commission lose money logging our native forests so it's fantastic news that after 2024 they cannot continue this wasteful practice.
Reading the entries in the Yarri log books dating back to the mid 2000s, it seemed that this stretch from Lake Brockman is a shadow of its former self and I believe we have the FPC to thank for that.
There are patches of really nice forest and the riding along the creeks is the highlight thanks to the Bullich and Kingias but overall this day isn't as nice as it could be (or indeed once was).
The campsite goes a long way to making up for that with a stunning location literally built onto the edge of the rail formation. Sadly it wasn't looking great on my visit but with a bit of rain in the afternoon it was a wonderfully cosy feeling walking around the campsite.
Take away the diversions and this has the potential to be an enjoyable ride through the forest and now that logging is banned, in 50 years time this could be a great ride through the forest.
Get out there and experience it!!!
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