It was a windy day for my ride on the Munda Biddi Trail between Greens Pool and Denmark in the south-western region of Western Australia. As I was recovering from a minor back injury, I planned to cycle the relatively short distance of 17 kilometres .
Greens Pool to Lights Beach on the Munda Biddi Trail (6 kms)
When Derek dropped me at Greens Pool, it was not looking its picture perfect self. The southerly wind was roughing up the famously tranquil, turquoise waters.
I rode a few hundred metres up to join the Munda Biddi Trail. A sign for motorists warned of corrugations and pot holes on the dirt road ahead. It certainly was corrugated!
The Munda Biddi Trail followed this road for a little more than two kilometres towards Waterfall Beach.
and then turned off into the bush. The trail skirted behind sand dunes covered in coastal vegetation and then emerged to stunning coastal scenery.
After almost six kilometres, the Bibbulmun Trail, WA’s long distance walking track, joined the Munda Biddi,
and soon I had arrived at Lights Beach.
Lost again?
I had the WOW (Wilderness Ocean Walk) Trail on my bucket list for our stay in Denmark. However, I was surprised and a little concerned, when I saw the yellow Munda Biddi Trail marker pointing ahead to the WOW Trail.
Having already been lost on the Munda Biddi Trail once, I was very particular about making sure I was on track.
My Munda Biddi map showed the trail following Lights Road. However, the signboard at Lights Beach showed the Munda Biddi following the WOW Trail for a few kilometres and then heading up to join Lights Road.
Nervous about whether I was on track with the Munda Biddi or not, I even rode back to the Lights Beach carpark again to double-check. Eventually I decided to follow the WOW Trail, whether it was correct or otherwise. The main thing was that I knew how to get home and it was a great chance to get this coastal trail done.
The WOW Trail (Wilderness Ocean Walk, 9 kms)
The WOW Trail was described as easy and undulating. It certainly was undulating, but I would not call it easy. The excellent bitumen surface was a joy after some of the sandy surfaces I had been coping with recently on the Munda Biddi Trail, but some of the ascents and descents were quite sharp.
Taking care of my back, I found myself walking quite a few of the steeper sections.
The WOW Trail wound up and down the coastal cliffs
but beautiful views rewarded my efforts.
As I approached the end of the WOW Trail, the two wind turbines of the Denmark Community Windfarm came into view.
There was one more steep climb
and I was standing underneath the whooshing blades of the first turbine. I had a real sense of accomplishment after all the climbing.
Oddly, just as I arrived at the wind turbine carpark, I saw a yellow Munda Biddi marker, the first I had seen since the start of the WOW Trail. I was still on track! The Munda Biddi Trail must have been re-aligned to include the Wilderness Ocean Walk.
After a short rest, I followed the dirt road down to Ocean Beach Lookout.
Ocean Beach Cycleway to Denmark (10 kms)
At Ocean Beach Lookout, you can see the sandbar between Wilson Inlet and Ocean Beach.
During the stormy wet winters of this region, sand builds up and blocks Wilson Inlet off from the ocean. The sandbar is dredged once a year, and at that time the pink snapper that have been trapped in the inlet rush through to the ocean. Apparently it’s a fishing bonanza!
The Denmark Ocean Beach Cycleway starts at the lookout and follows Ocean Beach Road into the town of Denmark. The waters of the Wilson Inlet just inside the sandbar are particularly clear and blue.
As I cycled on towards the town of Denmark, I could see up to one hundred black swans through the paper bark trees lining the inlet. On the other side of Ocean Beach Road, kangaroos were grazing in the paddocks.
After the challenges of the WOW Trail, it was a relatively quick and easy ride along the Ocean Beach Cycleway into Denmark.
I had cycled a total of 25 kilometres between Greens Pool and Denmark and climbed 387 metres.
Coming into Denmark from Youngs Siding on the Munda Biddi Trail is easier than coming from the west. Other recent adventures on the Munda Biddi Trail have been between Torbay and Albany and getting lost near Dwellingup. If you like coastal trails, the Mandurah Coastal Ride and the Esperance Great Ocean Trail are excellent.
