The Bibbulmun Track is a long-distance walk trail in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. It runs from Kalamunda in the east of

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

to Albany, and is long. It is managed by government agencies, and has a foundation. It traverses the

Darling Range The Darling Scarp, also referred to as the Darling Range or Darling Ranges, is a low escarpment running north–south to the east of the Swan Coastal Plain and Perth, Western Australia. The escarpment extends generally north of Bindoon, to th ...

and has inspired reflections about the state of the Western Australian environment by William J. Lines in his book ''A long walk in the Australian bush''. The name comes from the Bibbulmun, or

Noongar people The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the so ...

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

s from the Perth area.

History

The route has been changed twice, partly due to it passing through a significant section of forest that was at risk to change from either forestry, bauxite mining or dieback. The track was suggested in 1972. The groups that had suggested and also who were involved in planning with the then Forests Department of Western Australia were: * Perth Bushwalkers * Western Walking Club * Youth Hostels Association * Scout Association of Australia (W.A. Division) * The Speleological Research Group of W.A. The track was first opened in 1979 but the third and final alignment and extension through to Albany was opened in 1998 and retains less than 10% of earlier alignments. The Bibbulmun Track is a walker-only trail. No wheeled vehicles of any kind are permitted. It has a parallel long-distance cycling trail – known as the

Munda Biddi Trail The Munda Biddi Trail is a long-distance mostly off-road cycling trail in Western Australia. It runs for over from Mundaring to Albany. The completed Munda Biddi Trail opened end-to-end in April 2013 when it claimed the title of the longest c ...

– that opened all the way to Albany in April 2013. This trail is generally situated to the west of the Bibbulmun Track.

Track sections

The track consists of 58 sections and is marked at regular intervals with triangular signs, most of which have a symbol of the

Wagyl The Wagyl (also written Waugal and Waagal and variants) is the Noongar manifestation of the Rainbow Serpent in Australian Aboriginal mythology, from the culture based around the south-west of Western Australia. The Noongar describe the Wagyl as ...

. The Wagyl, or

Rainbow Serpent The Rainbow Serpent or Rainbow Snake is a common deity often seen as the creator God, known by numerous names in different Australian Aboriginal languages by the many different Aboriginal peoples. It is a common motif in the art and religion ...

, is a snakelike

Dreamtime The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal mythology, Australian Aboriginal beliefs. It was originally used by Francis Ja ...

creature that is a common

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

Noongar The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the so ...

culture. Each section is approximately one day's walk, except for the northernmost or so, where the sections consist of half-day walks. At the end of each section is either a town or a purpose-built campsite. Each campsite consists of a three-sided shelter with wooden sleeping platforms, a water tank, a pit toilet, picnic tables and cleared tent sites. In the northern half, most campsites also have a barbecue pit and plate (open fires are banned in the southern section). The Bibbulmun Track is almost all through state forest, national parks and other reserves, with only a few small sections of farmland. The first half of the track is through the

jarrah ''Eucalyptus marginata'', commonly known as jarrah, djarraly in Noongar language and historically as Swan River mahogany, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a tree with roug ...

forests of the

. It then moves through flatter tall

karri ''Eucalyptus diversicolor'', commonly known as karri, is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is Endemism, endemic to the Southwest Australia, south-west of Western Australia. It is a tall tree with smooth light grey to cre ...

forests until reaching the coastline near the town of Walpole. The remainder of the track is through coastal forest and scrub along the south coast, in some sections routed along sandy beaches. The towns the track passes through are Dwellingup,

Collie Collies form a distinctive type of herding dogs, including many related landraces and standardized breeds. The type originated in Scotland and Northern England. Collies are medium-sized, fairly lightly-built dogs, with pointed snouts. Many ...

, Balingup, Pemberton, Northcliffe, Walpole and

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

Highlights of the track include: *

Mundaring Weir Mundaring Weir is a dam (and historically the adjoining locality) located from Perth, Western Australia in the Darling Scarp. The dam and reservoir form the boundary between the suburbs of Reservoir and Sawyers Valley. The dam impounds the Hel ...

* Monadnocks area and Mount Cooke *

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest r ...

Valley *

forests between Donnelly River and

* Tingle forest near Walpole * Coastal scenery along the south coast * Wildflower displays, birdlife and other

Southwest Australia Southwest Australia is a biogeographic region in Western Australia. It includes the Mediterranean-climate area of southwestern Australia, which is home to a diverse and distinctive flora and fauna. The region is also known as the Southwest Aus ...

n ''flora'' and ''fauna''. * Marine mammals along the south coast such as seals, dolphins and whales The Bibbulmun Track is managed by the Western Australian Parks and Wildlife Service at the

Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) is the Western Australian government The Government of Western Australia, formally referred to as His Majesty's Government of Western Australia, is the Australian state de ...

and The Bibbulmun Track Foundation – an incorporated not-for-profit community-based organisation established to provide support for the department in the management, maintenance and marketing of the track to ensure that it remains a "long-distance walk trail of international significance and quality". The foundation sells maps and guide books, offers trip planning advice, offers equipment hire and runs courses on camp cooking and navigation. Most people choose to walk sections of the track for one or a few days at a time. Hardy walkers who walk the track from beginning to end typically do so in 6 to 8 weeks, although it has been completed in under 12 days. The most popular time to walk the track is during the wildflower season of spring (September – November), going from north to south as the wildflower season starts later in the southern areas. In summer the weather can be very hot and water will be hard to find except in the water tanks at the campsites. Winter can be wet, especially in the southern areas but people walk the track any time from March to December.

Track maps

Awards

* 2003 – Finalist – Major Tourist Attractions – Western Australian Tourism Awards * 2003 – Sport and Recreation Industry Awards * 2004 – Winner – Significant Tourist Attraction – Western Australian Tourism Awards * 2005 – Finalist – Significant Tourist Attraction – Western Australian Tourism Awards * 2006 – Winner – Significant Tourist Attraction – Western Australian Tourism Awards * 2006 – Highly Commended – Significant Tourist Attraction – Australian Tourism Awards

Notes

References

* Forests Department Western Australia (1979) ''Guide to the Bibbulmun Bushwalking Track'' Perth, W.A. (Dated August 1979) * Keating, Annie and Shrimpton, Becky ''A dream realised – the Bibbulmun Track''. Western Australian State Trails Conference : proceedings, 1999, p. 68–76. * Bonnin, Mylene (editor and compiler) (2004) ''Bibbulmun Track Accommodation and Services – a walkers guide'' Bibbulmun Track Foundation and CALM, Perth .W.A.

External links

bibbulmuntrack.org.au – Bibbulmun Track Foundation Website

bibbulmuntrackmap.com – Online Map of the Bibbulmun Track and GPS files

aushiker.com – Comprehensive coverage of bushwalking in Western Australia

trailjournals.com – a personal account of one person's end to end journey on the Bibbulmun Track

{{Authority control Hiking and bushwalking tracks in Western Australia South West (Western Australia) Shire of Mundaring Southwest Australia