Wish to spend your weekend driving countless trails and absorbing some forest ASMR? Collie ought to be excessive in your record. We despatched Cathy and her mates there with their mountain bikes to get down and soiled on the biggest path community in Western Australia, the Wambenger Trails, and to take pleasure in Collie, a city that’s making huge strikes.
We Are Explorers acknowledges that this journey is situated on the normal Nation of the Wiilman and Kaneang peoples, who’ve occupied and cared for the lands, waters, and their inhabitants for 1000’s of years. We pay our respects to them because the Conventional Custodians and recognise that sovereignty was by no means ceded.
Fast Overview
Positioned a straightforward two hour drive from Perth and solely 45 minutes from Bunbury, the 170km Wambenger Trails Mountain Bike community formally opened in October, firmly cementing Collie as an accredited WA Premier Path City.
There are six trailheads to select from, every providing one thing totally different to go well with totally different skills. Come for a day, come for per week, simply be sure you come and get amongst it.
Wambenger Mountain Bike Trails
There’s been some hype within the West. In case you’re not a MTBer or don’t stay within the space you may be forgiven for not getting caught up in it. For the remainder of us although, the anticipation has been rapidly constructing.
That’s proper, the totally accomplished Wambenger MTB Path community is lastly right here. The final stage formally opened in October this 12 months making it the biggest community of mountain bike trails in Western Australia, boasting over 170km of path.
And it’s protected to say path builders Frequent Floor Trails, Magic Grime Trailworx, and Three Chillies Design have provide you with the products.
The Wambenger Trails are named after the Wambenger, a small marsupial with a black bushy tail discovered within the southwest forests of Western Australia.It’s a group of six trailheads situated throughout the Collie and Wellington Nationwide Park neighborhood.
There are trails for all ranges of mountain bikers starting from inexperienced (simple) by to a double black (excessive). The community additionally caters for adaptive riders with appropriate trails from the Arklow and the Wellington Dam trailheads in addition to the Kylie Path.
In case you’re unsure what’s best for you, the Wambenger Trails App, Trails WA, and Trailforks app are helpful companions to seek out out the perfect trails to fit your ability stage.
The Transformation of Collie
The Collie River and surrounds had been a wealthy supply of water, meals and religious significance for the Wiilman and Kaneang folks of the Noongar Nation for a lot of 1000’s of years. After the invention of coal in 1883, Collie was declared a townsite in 1896 and started supplying the state with coal for energy manufacturing.
This has continued to at the present time however now, because the state’s useful resource wants are altering, so too is Collie.
Amongst a myriad of different initiatives, the state authorities’s $10 million funding to remodel Collie right into a world-class path vacation spot implies that the ocean of excessive vis usually on show on the town is steadily being changed by Frankd, Fox, and Dharco threads.
Find out how to Get to Collie
Collie and Wellington Dam are simply accessible from nearly anyplace within the southwest.
From Perth hit the freeway south till you get to Raymond Street and head inland.
You may flip off on Wellington Dam Street to get the paths and campsites throughout the Wellington Dam Nationwide Park or proceed on to Collie, a brief 20-minute drive additional on.
The place To Keep Close to the Collie Trails
In case you prefer to trip until you drop and simply roll right into a beer by the campfire you possibly can’t go previous tenting at, our alternative, Potters Gorge or the Honeymoon Pool campsites. Each are situated in Wellington Nationwide Park and are in style with the locals and guests for his or her gorgeous, jarrah forest-fringed websites which can be a stone’s throw from the paths. Bookings may be made on the Discover Parks web site.
In case you want a heat bathe and a few nation city vibes, Collie has loads of lodging choices. Harris River Property has two-bedroom chalets, sleeping as much as seven, with the added bonus of getting certainly one of Collie’s oldest trails, Ray’s Path, a brief trip over the dam away.
Within the coronary heart of city, the Federal Lodge additionally presents rooms as does the just lately renovated Crown Lodge. Contact the Collie Customer Centre for extra lodging choices (lots of them are bike pleasant!).
The place To Eat Close to the Collie Trails
We had been fairly impressed by the meals on supply in Collie. At lunch on the primary day, we discovered ourselves at The Kiosk on the Dam in Wellington Nationwide Park, a unusual, no fuss café serving a wide array of scrumptious meals, desserts and occasional in addition to native craft beer and wine.
Later that night, the Federal Lodge handed the pub check after serving up big and scrumptious hen parmi for all.
Sunday morning didn’t disappoint as we tucked into mouth-watering breakfast bagels and the perfect espresso on the town at The Wagon, a preferred transformed practice carriage. Later that day Harris River Property welcomed us with a Farmhouse Platter and a number of their finest wines.
We additionally heard murmurs in regards to the wholesome choices on supply at Tailor-made Grazing and the therapeutic properties of a Barn-Zee’s Burgers & Barista brekky, however alas, we solely had the weekend.
A Weekend Stuffed with Motion – Day 1
Want a motorbike?
E-bike rent is offered from Journey Connections on the Journey Hub at Wellington Dam, whereas mountain bike rent is offered from Crank’n Cycles in Collie’s city centre.
Honeymoon Pool Trailhead
We began the weekend with Honeymoon’s Over, a 5.6km blue rated path that meanders alongside the Collie River earlier than beginning the climb to the highest. Quite a few steep switchback corners examined our health, however this was all forgotten with a fantastic Northern Jarrah forest backdrop, full with epic views down the Collie River Valley.
The climb earned us a brief break on the high earlier than we made our descent down the ridiculously-fun, Money Out. Berms, ladder options, log rides, and doubles greeted us to start out, adopted by a extra technical and rockier path that ended with a rollercoaster of steep corners dipping up and down because the path traversed the gully.
We climbed once more to drop into Ship It, a black diamond path. Move is the go right here. Tight, tremendous enjoyable corners and tabletops damaged up with a rock backyard or two. Ship It, lives as much as its title.
Wellington Dam Trailhead
Subsequent cease, the Wellington Dam trails. After fueling up on the cute and quirky café, The Kiosk on the Dam, we began the mild, picturesque climb up inexperienced path Massive Dipper on our method to Pipe ’n Sizzling. It was a straightforward blue circulation path up high, as soon as it handed the powerlines factor began to warmth up.
Steep corners, berms and rocky sections challenged us earlier than being greeted by a view of the mega mural on the Wellington Dam wall on the path’s finish.
This took us to the highest with its switchback rock partitions and fairly moss-covered granite giving very Derby-esk vibes.
We spent the remainder of the afternoon hooting and hollering down blue path Dam It, a crowd favorite, and Black Glove, which is black by title black by nature, earlier than heading over to the paths that land at Potters Gorge campsite.
Scull and Elixir, the blue circulation trails, had been on suggestion and didn’t disappoint and Van Dam Inexperienced delighted as a cruisy traversing path the place brakes had been non-obligatory.
Wagyl Biddi Trailhead
We’d heard there have been just a few quick trails within the coronary heart of Collie that had been value trying out so earlier than we hit the pub for dinner, we took a fast spin. The Wagyl Biddi community has some enjoyable berms, techy rock sections, and even a wall trip for many who can get on it.
For probably the most half although, Rocky Horror, Drop Lifeless Fred, and Marri Meander twist and wind by the bush bordered by the Collie River – offering an ideal little community for many who don’t need to journey out of city for successful of trails.
Dip and Dinner
A dip on the gorgeous and surprisingly heat Minningup Pool was the proper antidote to the gathering of grime and mud from the day’s trip and made us considerably respectable to hit the Feddie (Federal Lodge) for dinner.
An excellent quaint nation pub hen parmi and a beer later, we had been able to make our manner again to the gorgeous forest-fringed Potters Gorge campsite, our house for the night time, for a hearth and to regale one another with tales from the paths.
A Weekend Stuffed with Motion – Day 2
Kylie Trailhead
The Wagon in Collie, our breakfast vacation spot, served up mouth-watering breakfast bagels, clean espresso, and smiles. Sufficiently fuelled, we started day two on maybe probably the most stunning of all the paths, the Kylie Path.
Beginning at Minningup Pool, the Kylie Path is a 10km cross nation delight that follows the Collie River west by the Westralia Conservation Park passing the scenic Djinang Koorliny Lookout and Kaniyang Wiilman Bridge.
It winds and twists, up and down the contours of the valley by spectacular bush, suffering from wildflowers in spring, till ending initially of the sealed Karak Path, named after the Noongar phrase for the forest red-tailed black cockatoo. This path takes you again to city and to Minningup Pool, through the Collie River Path.
Arklow Trailhead
The final trailhead we needed to tick off the record was the Arklow Trails, a few of the first trails within the space. Beginning with Ray’s Path, we couldn’t assist however smile as we made our manner alongside the 7km blue path over some old style options together with log rolls, drops and tight rocky sections, reminding us of a time earlier than machine-built trails had been a factor.
Subsequent, we headed throughout the street on the hunt for an additional 7km blue path, Far Lap, and its bounce line, ladders, log rides and drops. 220 Path warmed us up on the way in which and the Arklow Adaptive Path supplied an ideal calm down on the way in which again to the automotive. We ran out of steam to suit any extra in however good additions listed here are Bull Ant, Pet Cemetery, and Lifeless Cat Path.
Wildflower Stroll
We rode in spring, a magical time within the south-west when the bush bursts to life. Wildflowers abound, we didn’t need to go up the chance of a Wildflower Stroll with Forest Explorers.
After visiting Harris River Property – a labour of affection hand-built by the homeowners Karl and Julie Hillier – for some tasty farmhouse meals and a fast pattern of their very quaffable wines, we met the beautiful Alison on the Collie Customer’s Centre for the Forest Explorers tour.
She took us out to a particular place within the bush the place the flowers had been in full bloom. A blanket of Kennedia coccinea or Coral Vine for the layperson and a smattering of Purple Hovea welcomed us. We additionally noticed the odd Donkey Orchid whereas Alison defined a few of the wealthy historical past of the realm.
It was the proper finish to an ideal weekend.
Sizzling tip: Go to Bunbury Geographe’s web site for much more concepts about what to see and do!
Collie, lengthy synonymous with coal, stunned us all. It’s a city on the transfer and we will’t wait to see the way it continues to remodel. Come for a day, come for per week, you received’t be upset.
