I wasn’t going to mention the Collie Darkan Rail Trail to my husband and support driver, Derek, as I thought it would be too much driving around for him while we were based in Collie. However, somehow he found out about it and suggested I ride the trail. What more encouragement did I need?
Darkan to Bowelling (30 Kilometres)
Derek took me to the Darkan Railway Precinct to begin my ride on the Collie Darkan Rail Trail.
The station, built in 1907, is beautifully restored. The stationmaster’s residence, from the same era, is also well preserved.
The first seven kilometres were a steady but gentle climb.
I reached the crest of the hill at Gibbs Siding, and then enjoyed five kilometres of easy rolling to Boolading. You can still see the remains of the platform there.
As I continued on, a few brown kangaroos on the side of the track raised their heads from grazing to watch me pass.
In this section, I noticed that some of the embankments were eroding and in need of maintenance.
I stopped at James Crossing to look at the creek.
Suddenly, behind me, there was a loud splash. I turned to find two large male kangaroos had fallen into the water. They had been fighting. The loser made a hasty retreat. The winner jumped ahead of me along the trail, occasionally stopping to make sure he had got rid of his competitor.
After another nine kilometres, I arrived at the recently restored Bowelling Station.
The wide eaves made a cool place to rest and eat my lunch. I phoned Derek on the satellite phone to let him know how I was progressing.
Bowelling to Buckingham (19 Kilometres)
Another ten kilometres on from Bowelling, I came to Cowcher Bridge.
It was interesting to see lichen growing on the railings. Everything was so dry now at the end of summer, it was hard to imagine the kind of wet weather that would produce lichen!
Soon I arrived at Cowcher siding. While I was taking photos, this couple rode past, calling out a friendly greeting.
As I cycled on, I came to a section where grass had overgrown the track.
I am nervous about snakes, particularly in summer, and thought twice about proceeding. Then I remembered the couple in front of me. Hopefully the noise of their tyres had cleared any slithering creatures from the path.
Only a few more kilometres and I arrived at Buckingham Siding. From there, the last kilometre of the Collie Darkan Rail Trail is on bitumen.
When I arrived at the Trail Head, the couple I had seen earlier were chatting with Derek. Traci and Rob, from Busselton, were disappointed that the trail didn’t continue to Collie.
The Muja open cut coal mine currently occupies the former railway corridor between Buckingham and Collie. When the mining is finished, the Collie Darkan Rail Trail wll be extended to Collie. In the meantime, the trail finishes on the Coalfields Highway near Buckingham.
I had cycled 49 kilometres and climbed 584 metres.
Rarebits on Burrowes
Later that week we were staying at Lakeside Camping at Lake Towerinning.
I went in to Darkan to do some shopping and dropped in to Rarebits on Burrowes for a coffee. The proprietress, Pam, had a wonderful array of home-made cakes on display.
While chatting with Pam, I mentioned that I had cycled the Collie Darkan Rail Trail between Darkan and Buckingham a few days previously. She informed me that an extension (known as the Hillman Section) had been opened towards Dardadine in the north-east, although she wasn’t sure how far it went.
Darkan to near Dardadine (Hillman Section – 15 Kms One Way)
Needless to say, the next day, while Derek and Kenji the dog were relaxing at our lakeside camp, I drove to Darkan (35 kilometres from Lake Towerinning). I planned to do an out-and-back ride from Darkan along the Hillman Section to see where it went.
The Hillman Section started, somewhat inauspiciously, with a detour around the grain storage facilities. I was discouraged to find myself knee deep in weeds,
but fortunately the track surface improved as I continued.
The character of the Hillman Section varied from this kind of dry, scrubby forest
to open farmland.
After seven kilometres, I reached the site of the Hillman Siding.
One very interesting aspect of the Hillman Section was that there were many old railway spikes scattered along the length of the trail.
After fifteen kilometres, I came to the trail head, which was just short of the former siding of Dardadine.
By the time I returned to Darkan I had cycled 30 kilometres and climbed 538 metres. Because of the easy rail trail gradients, I had barely noticed the change in elevation.
Summary
I had really enjoyed my time on the Collie Darkan Rail Trail. All together, from Buckingham to near Dardadine you can ride 64 kilometres of good quality rail trail, with only a few short sections needing some maintenance. It’s a wonderful asset to the region.
For more convenient access to the Collie Darkan Rail Trail, there is also a caravan park in Darkan. Another useful reference for the Collie Darkan Rail Trail is the Rail Trails Australia website.
You can read about other excellent rail trails in the south-west region of Western Australia in my article 5 Wonderful West Australian Rail Trails.
