Wadandi Track South
Cowaramup to Witchcliffe
Directions - Located between Cowaramup and Witchcliffe in the Margaret River Region of Western Australia, the trail head is located just off Bussell Highway in Cowaramup at Pioneer Park. Look for the Wadandi Track markers and head south along the pavement into the park.
The Ride - The Wadandi Track is an incomplete 108km rail trail that run between Busselton and Augusta but only has a couple of sections that are still accessible. The most popular of these sections in the stretch running between Cowaramup and Witchcliffe, previously called the Rails to Trails. While it can be experienced as a walking trail, the long, straight nature of this trail, plus the long length, means this one is best done on two wheels.
Having set aside a full day to tackle the two open sections of the Wadandi Track with my podcast partner, this would be the second section we would ride today. After enjoying the northern section before lunch, we were picked up by Alissa and driven to Cowaramup where we would start the second half of the day. Getting some fuel into the bodies thanks to a lovely roll from the bakery in Cowaramup, we refilled water bottles and set about finding the trail leading out of town. With this ride being less of a mission to locate where the old rail formation is and more of a "for pleasure" ride, this is the section I had been looking forward to the most. Heading into Pioneer Park, it was nice to see plenty of people enjoying this fine day and a Brenton See mural up against one of the sheds. Heading west from the park, the trail heads away from Bussell Highway and onto the old rail formation starting from the old Cowaramup Station. There is some railway paraphernalia to highlight the history of the area and it was good seeing it preserved to connect back to the old railway line.
This marks the start of the long and straight riding as you head towards Margaret River. This is why this is best done on a bike as it's over 5km before you even get even the slightest hint of changing direction and while the scenery is pretty, I imagine after an hour it would start to feel the same. For us on the bikes it was fun to sail through here at speed, only stopping to take photos, something I was doing a lot more than Donovan. I love this time of year in the South West as the variety of wildflowers that can be found is amazing and never gets dull to me. Spotting them while riding at 20kmph plus can be a bit difficult but after spending three weeks on the Munda Biddi, my high speed spotting skills had been honed to a degree. Early on there were some good finds with some bright white Pimleas, Purple Flag, Yellow Flag, Blue Leschenaultia and many varieties of Wattle. It wasn't just the wildflowers that were impressive, the narrow strip of forest through here was great to see with a corridor of Jarrah, Marri and the occasional Karri tree.
Catching up to Donovan, we were cruising along when we both spotted something that peaked our interest, an old railway siding that had survived the years of abandonment. Crossing Burnside Road, this ended the thin strip of vegetation as we entered a thick forested area that was heaven to ride through. Being surrounded by an abundance of trees and understory, the wildflower display stepped it up several notches to the point that the usually nonchalant Donovan was stopping to take photos. I always tease him for his ambivalence to the wonders of WA wildflowers as he is only impressed with "sledgehammer to the face" levels of colour, so it was nice to see him show some appreciation. While Donovan kept up a good pace, I couldn't resist stopping a lot thanks to the different varieties lurking just off the trail. That gave me plenty of opportunity to frame the forest just right with a Donovan in the distance to provide scale. I caught up to him just before Lear Road and we were greeted with an unexpected notice board. This was probably something we should have checked before coming out but the Wadandi Track around Margaret River was closed for renovations to the various bridges so we would have to follow a detour.
This was a little disappointing as I'd hiked in the area leading through Wooditjup National Park before and was looking forward to blazing through on the bike. The detour only takes you slightly parallel to the Wadandi Track and past what was one of the premier mountain biking areas near Margaret River, The Pines. We were a bit shocked to discover that the whole pine plantation where the MTB trails used to run through had been harvested, with the trails looking like they still existed. While writing this up I contacted Dave Willcox from Common Ground Trails and he confirmed this was planned and new trails have been cut into the landscape before they replant the pines. Donovan had a bit of a go on one of the easier to access trails before we moved on to enter the glorious forests of Wooditjup National Park. There are more MTB trails running through the Karri forests here and it's just a beautiful spot to enjoy nature that is right outside of the centre of Margaret River. Riding parallel to Bramley Brook, this was one of the best sections of the trail with Peppermints, Karri and just a lush feel to it. The detour took us along some single track I was familiar with having hiked the Margaret River Heritage Trail but it was an interesting experience dodging riders coming the other way.
Crossing Carters Road, we dodged a fallen tree and arrived at one of my favourite spots along the Margaret River HT, the weir over Margaret River. While not normally part of the Wadandi Track as we were still on the detour, it was a nice stop and if you choose to ride over it, the narrow planks will test out your balance (and maybe put you in the river). With the last of the bridges passed, we headed up the hill to re-join the official trail and decided to double back and see what the bridge work was about. It looked like restoration works to make sure these bridges are maintained and in good health for years to come, so that was nice to see. Continuing on, the beautiful framing of the old rail corridors continues as you approach the edge of the Margaret River township. The trail doesn't go into the centre of town, instead skirting the fringes before leaving it behind completely. With the cloud cover joining us from Wooditjup onwards, the afternoon was turning into a cooler affair. After a mix of residential and industrial scenery, it was nice to get back into the forest for a little while before reaching the extended farmland portion of the ride. Before then I was happy to see a sea of Flame Peas and my first Cowslip Orchid of the day.
Passing through a gate meant to keep the cows in their property, the final section leading to Witchcliffe would see us move between farms, forests and new developments. Seeing an old farm shed added a rustic feel to the open riding as we pushed on to our meeting point with Alissa. Seeing a sign for A Maze'n, unfortunately we didn't have time to stop in for a visit so continued on through one last section of extended forest. We had a small break at an unexpected granite platform that was a good photo opportunity before reaching another farm section. Passing over a small bridge I guessed the password correctly and the guarding duck let us pass. Riding up a small hill, Donovan left me for dead on his e-bike and so I didn't feel too bad stopping to say hello to some baby cows as we passed by. Just after this point there is a new housing development set in the middle of a pretty dreary and exposed site, making me wonder what the appeal is to a tiny block in the country was (apart from costing much less). Property discussion aside, we had one last section of forest to ride through before reaching the turn-off for Witchcliffe but decided to keep going as the open part of the trail extended south to Calgardup Road. It was a mix of farmland with remnant tree cover but with it already being late in the day we decided not to ride all the way to Vlam Road, where it is possible to follow what is left of the rail formation. Doubling back at Calgardup Road, we found Alissa in the centre of Witchcliffe and enjoyed a bit of record shopping and treats from the bakery.
Final Thoughts – While it had been nice to ride the short northern section (plus a bit more road riding), this was the part of the day I was looking forward to the most.
The Wadandi Track had been on my radar from when it was still called the Rails to Trails so it was nice to finally tick it off.
As I've said before. this is best experienced on a bike with the length and straight lines making this one a bit of a slog on foot.
There are some magical bits along here thanks to the stunning Karri forest around Margaret River and some pleasant corridors that are bordered by all kinds of wildflowers.
The pick of the crop is Wooditjup National Park and I'll be back to ride the official trail over the many bridges in the area once the restoration works are complete.
If you're in Margaret River and have your bike handy then make sure you ride at least part of this trail to either Witchcliffe or Cowaramup.
Get out there and experience it!
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