Bibbulmun Track Totally Explained

Everything about The Bibbulmun Track totally explained

The Bibbulmun Track is a long distance walk trail in Western Australia. It runs from Kalamunda, east of Perth to Albany and is almost 1000 km long. The name comes from the Bibbulmun, or Noongar people, Indigenous Australians 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 bicycle trail - generally to the west - known as the Munda Biddi Trail - which currently only goes as far as Collie.

Track Components

   It consists of around 50 sections. Each section is approximately one day's walk, except for the northernmost 150km 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 BBQ pit and plate (open fires are banned in the southern section).
   The 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 forests of the Darling Range. It then moves through flatter tall Karri 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 major towns the Track passes through are Dwellingup, Collie, Balingup, Pemberton, Walpole and Denmark. Highlights of the track include:

Mundaring Weir

Monadnocks area and Mt Cooke

Murray River Valley

Karri Forests between Donnelly River and Denmark

Tingle forest near Walpole

Coastal scenery along the south coast

Wildflower displays, birdlife and other Southwest Australian flora and fauna.

Marine mammals along the south coast such as seals, dolphins and whales The Bibbulmun Track is managed by the Western Australian Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) and The Bibbulmun Track Foundation - an incorporated not-for-profit community-based organisation established to provide support for the DEC 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. 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 anytime from March to December.

Track maps

Map	Last updated	Reference
Map 1 - Darling Range - Kalamunda to North Bannister	January 2006	ISBN 0-7309-6064-1
Map 2 - Dwellingup - North Bannister to Harvey-Quindanning Road	December 2004	ISBN 0-7309-6072-2
Map 3 - Collie - Harvey-Quindanning Road to Mumballup	June 2006	ISBN 0-7309-6080-3
Map 4 - Blackwood - Mumballup to Brockman Highway	January 2006	ISBN 0-7309-6088-9
Map 5 - Pemberton - Brockman Highway to Middleton Road	December 2003	ISBN 0-73309-6059-5
Map 6 - Northcliffe - Middleton Road to Broke Inlet Road	December 2003	ISBN 0-7309-6067-6
Map 7 - Walpole - Broke Inlet Road to William Bay	December 2003	ISBN 0-7309-6075-7
Map 8 - Denmark/Albany - William Bay to Albany	December 2003	ISBN 0-7309-6083-8

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 AwardsFurther Information

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