Munda Biddi Trail: a mother-son adventure cycling Australia

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Munda Biddi Trail: cycling through the forest

Munda Biddi is an aboriginal word that means "path through the forest": I learned it in Perth, where I was in December 2012 and it immediately resonated so well that the desire to enter that forest with my bike was immediate.

A few months later, the Munda Biddi Trail was inaugurated and presented itself as the longest offroad bike route on the planet. More than 1000 kilometres to connect Perth to Albany, a challenging route for anyone, for the very high doses of "wilderness" to be confronted daily. The Munda Biddi crosses the eucalyptus forests of Western Australia and does so in no uncertain terms: the continuity of immersion in the woods and in remote areas is impressive for a European... it could go on days without encountering humans or traces of civilization. The route, almost entirely off-road, connects Mundaring (30 km from Perth) to Albany and can be travelled in both directions. The route develops largely in eucalyptus forests, in some rural areas and, in the final part, close to the Indian Ocean. The classic route is from north to south, arriving in Albany. To return to Perth, you must book a bus ticket a few days in advance. The service is daily and the return takes place in half a day but the places for bikes are limited.

The only "comfort" that the Munda Biddi Trail grants to bikers are the so-called Huts, free camping areas strategically distributed along the route that make the itinerary accessible even to those who are not really a randonneur.

With this basic information, I returned to Italy, putting everything in my drawer of dreams. Finally, in 2019 I decided to plan and undertake the trip. An adventure that began long before getting on the plane. I spent a few months reading up on the path, peeking on the web in social groups, reading blogs and reviews. A meticulous "pastime" that I did with immense pleasure not so much to reduce the possibility of unexpected events, but simply to start travelling long before getting on the pedals!

Up to now, I have travelled a lot with the bike, but the Munda Biddi Trail was my first "self-supporting" experience and so I had to practice all the tricks and tricks of the trade, helped by my "bike guru", a bikepacker expert from Romagna like me, who taught me the best practices of the case, from the ideal distribution of luggage to the choice of the most suitable pasta in terms of volume and cooking time.

Finally, on November 2nd I left for Australia and just two days after my arrival I was already on the Trail. Perth, where I landed, is only 35km from the northern terminus of the Munda Biddi Trail, in the small village of Mundaring. I had planned 14 stages to reach the town of Albany in 1040 km.

Mother and son on the Munda Biddi Trail 

But the most important thing of the story has not yet been said: my son Jack was waiting for me in Perth, ready to join me in the Munda Biddi Trail with his fully equipped MTB and with a very strong motivation to complete the feat. It was the craziest and most daring family trip we could come up with, our first bike trip together, a special experience especially because as adults, after so many years since the last shared holiday. Jack has lived in Perth since 2011 and we have long cherished this adventure which, especially for him - very sporty but more a surfer rather than a cyclist - was a real undertaking.

In the unknowns and continuous surprises of the "path through the forest", ancient complicity has resurfaced between me and Jack, the bond has been strengthened with continuous exchanges of mutual trust and thus the inevitable entanglements and perplexities have been overcome. The difficulties of the Trail and the moments of amazement have released a new sense of cohesion between us and special energy never felt before.

For two weeks we were above all travelling companions, the traditional relationships and roles of mother and son melted into a desire to collaborate more like team spirit than the classic distribution of family tasks. Perth had to be reached - and finally, it was - with all the joy and energy that the Munda Biddi Trail by bike gave us.

The Munda Biddi Trail takes place mostly along forest tracks, with some single trails and sections of "pea gravel", where you can drive quite easily even with a fully loaded bike. More complicated are some short sectors with sand, but the route is easy to pedal even with the gravel bike in bikepacking mode.

Munda Biddi Trail: an unforgettable experience

The things that I do not forget and that after months are still throbbing and lives inside me:

• The surprise for having underestimated the hardness of the route on the Munda Biddi Trail, especially the first stages, full of incessant ups and downs to tackle with a bike that at first seemed to weigh one hundred kilos. It will take me a few days to become familiar with it and rediscover the pleasure of driving...
• The feeling of belonging to an endless forest and being loved by all its inhabitants: the birds that woke us up at dawn with different "concerts" in each region, kangaroos and wallabies alone, in the family and in the community. Emu and why not, reptiles, (but above all flowers!) into increasingly expansive and energizing colourful carpets as we progressed into the cool of South Australia.
• The dedication of Australians to sport and the strong protection they place towards their natural areas. The sympathy they showed us as sportsmen and as Italians manifested itself in a thousand ways, from sharing a beer to inviting us to be their guests for dinner and the night. We have cycled and lived in a country where still "nature commands" and even human relationships have natural reciprocity! This too was the energy to accomplish our adventure.
• The sense of gratitude that always invades me at the end of every journey... but which was even stronger here, because this experience was more than a journey.

A form of gratitude that I wanted to share with the Munda Biddi Trail Foundation, which created this route, keeps it and updates it with great efficiency and punctuality. MBTF is responsible for the updates of the route in case of planned fires or other unforeseen events, immediately communicated with information on site and on the web. Without the Foundation, the Munda Biddi Trail would be an experience reserved for a few Australians. For a cycling route, having such operational support is essential, an example of planning also for cycle tourism in Italy, a management model from which there is so much to learn.

This is also where my desire to tell about our family journey on this Munda Biddi Trail comes from, a little to continue pedalling on it, a little to spread his knowledge in the world we like most, that of two-person travellers.

You can read an in-depth analysis of our adventure on number 0 of Impronte - Storie a pedali, by subscribing to this link.