The 5 Best Mountain Bike Trails in Collie

Cathy’s ridden the best of the South West to bring you this list of five unmissable mountain bike trails in Collie, only two hours south of Perth.

We acknowledge the Wiilman and Kaneang peoples, the Traditional Custodians of the Country on which this adventure takes place, who have occupied and cared for this land and water for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

Collie has long been synonymous with coal, but there’s change afoot. Collie has recently been recognised as one of WA’s accredited Trail Towns, which means there are great trails and a full range of accommodation, services, and trail-friendly businesses to cater for trail visitors.

Get pumped – the fully completed Wambenger MTB Trail network is finally here! The last stage has officially opened making it the largest network of mountain bike trails in Western Australia, boasting over 170km of trail. Come for a day, come for a week, just make sure you come and get amongst it because the trails here are good, very good!

There’s heaps to enjoy before and after your rides too, check out our and the region’s See & Do page for ideas.

Wambenger Trails Overview

Just two hours from Perth, the Wambenger Trail network is one you don’t want to miss. Western Australian trail builders Magic Dirt Trailworx, Common Ground Trails, and Three Chillies Design have created some of the best trails in the state with a healthy selection of green and blue trails for beginners and intermediates, and recently added black and double black trails for more advanced riders.

The trail network encompasses six trailheads each suited to your preferred riding style including adaptive, cross country (XC), and gravity, flow, and technical trails where features abound and smiles are guaranteed.

Hot tip: Download the Wambenger Trails App for a complete trail guide!

With the 2024 AusCycling MTB Enduro National Championships and the UCI Oceania Championship races held here this October, some of the top riders descended on the region. The Wambenger Trails will no longer be as elusive as their cute black, bushy tailed namesake (wambengers are a small, adorable marsupial that’s native to WA).

Read on to discover the best mountain bike trails in the network.

The Top 5 Trails

1. Honeymoon’s Over

Trailhead: Honeymoon Pool Trails
Trail type: Climb, blue trail
Distance: 5.6km
Difficulty: Intermediate

Whether you like climbing or not, this trail is a ripper! Yes, you could take the fire road to get up the 245m climb to the top of the Honeymoon Trails, but why would you when you’ve got an ascent like this?

The 5.6km trail starts almost directly from the Honeymoon Pool campsite before meandering along the Collie River. A couple of kilometres in there’s a beautiful spot where the granite meets the water, perfect for a stop to dip your toes, if you’re already feeling the heat.

Keep riding a little longer and you’ll start the climb. While challenging in parts with steep, tight switchbacks it’s easy to forget the slog when you’re surrounded by the jarrah, marri and grass trees at every bend, not to mention some breathtaking views down towards the Collie River.

A giant granite outcrop halfway up the climb makes a great spot for some photos and the occasional feature – including log rides and technical A-line shortcuts – will keep more advanced riders on their toes.

Before you know it, you’re at the top ready to send it down one of the three downhill trails back to the trailhead to go again.

2. Cash Out

Trailhead: Honeymoon Pool Trails
Trail type: Gravity, blue trail
Distance: 3.1km
Difficulty: Intermediate

If you’ve climbed Honeymoon’s Over, you might want to take a break before getting stuck into this one. Cash Out is ridiculously good fun and takes the title of ‘best trail’ in the network, as voted by me.

This 3.1km epic descent starts as a bustling flow trail adorned with berms, ladder features, log rides, and a double or two, all under the watchful eye of the beautiful South West bush. Up here you can stay off the brakes and let the trail take you to nirvana.

Once the elevation really starts to drop, the trail opens up, becoming more technical and rockier, a challenging transition from the ride you’ve just had!

If you do stop here, you’ll be treated to views the other way up the Collie River. Most likely though, you’ll keep the wheels rolling, continuing down towards the end of the trail but not before being greeted by a series of seriously steep corners as the trail traverses the gully.

Arriving at the end, exhaling, the first thing you’ll say is ‘let’s go again!’ Cash Out gets better and better with every ride.

3. Big Dipper & Pipe ’n Hot

Trailhead: Wellington Dam Trails
Trail type: Cross-country/descending, green and blue trails
Distance: ~3km
Difficulty: Beginner-intermediate

Technically this is two trails that we’ll wrap into one, mainly because you need one to get to the other and really, they both deserve a shout out. Big Dipper, a 2.3km green beginner trail which is also suited to adaptive riders, starts from The Kiosk at Wellington Dam. It gently climbs through the forest giving you time to appreciate the spring flowers, during the months of September and October, and stunning light as it streams through the canopy of the ever present jarrah trees.

Just under halfway along, you can choose to continue on this trail or head down Pipe ’n Hot, a 1.1km blue intermediate trail. If you continue, you’ll be treated to a cruisy, downhill flow trail, perfect for families or those who are new to mountain biking.

If you veer to your right, you’ll start down Pipe ’n Hot. Lots of flow, berms, and small rocky sections do well to get you in the mood. Once you hit the power lines though, the trail descends into a gully.

Here you’ll meet fast, steep corners and rocky sections before being spat out at the bottom to be welcomed by a view of the mega mural on the Wellington Dam wall. What a way to finish!

4. Kylie Trail

Trailhead: Kylie Trails
Trail type: Cross-country, green trail
Distance: 10km
Difficulty: Beginner – Intermediate

Leaving the Wellington National Park behind and heading closer to town to the Westralia Conservation Park, an equally picturesque Kylie Trail awaits. Starting at Minningup Pool the Kylie Trail is a 10km cross country delight that follows the Collie River west passing the Djinang Koorliny Lookout and new 94m Kaniyang Wiilman Suspension Bridge.

Like its counterparts, the bush here is stunning, as is the riding. Over the 10km, you’ll climb and descend a barely noticeable 150 metres, winding and twisting up and down the contours of the valley. Xanthorrhoea’s (grass trees) scatter the landscape and provide a contrasting backdrop to the slightly red-tinged earth.

Unless you’ve got a pick-up at the end, you’ll need to ride the sealed Karak Trail, named after the Noongar word for the forest red-tailed black cockatoo, back to town before making your way to Minninup Pool, ideally via the Collie River Trail.

5. Far Lap

Trailhead: Arklow Trails
Trail type: Cross-country, blue trail
Distance: 7.2km
Difficulty: Beginner-Intermediate

The Arklow Trails are some of the oldest trails in the area and can be accessed a short ride from town.

Far Lap is an old school, cross-country trail littered with built features including a three-tabletop jump line and some challenging log rides, interspersed with rollable ladder features and berms as well as easy drops. This trail is perfect for beginners wanting to advance their skills.

To get to the start of the trail, we recommend parking at Rays Trail and riding 220 Trail towards Harris Dam. When you finish Far Lap continue riding the fun Arklow Adaptive trail back to the car or if you want to add in more trail, choose from Bull Ant, Pet Cemetery, and Deadcat trails.

Collie Wambenger Mountain Bike Trails FAQs

How many kilometres of trails are there?

There’s over 170km of MTB trails across six trailheads! Lots for you and your bike to enjoy.

Is it easy to find and get around?

Yes. The trails are just two hours from Perth and 45 minutes from Bunbury, check out Visit Bunbury Geographe to get your bearings. They have some of the best signage I’ve seen making it easy to get your bearings. The Wambenger Trails App, Trails WA, and the Trailforks app also have up-to-date info.

Is bike hire available?

E-bike hire is available from Adventure Connections at the Adventure Hub at Wellington Dam, while mountain bike hire is available from Crank’n Cycles in Collie’s town centre.

How long will I need to explore the trails?

Come for a day, a weekend, or stay for a week! There’s plenty to keep you entertained trail wise but also heaps of non-MTB activities.

Are there places to stay?

Yes. Camp under the shadow of the mighty Jarrah forest at either Honeymoon Pool or Potters Gorge campsites or head to town to the Feddie (Federal Hotel) or Crown Hotel for rooms. Harris River Estate also has self-contained cabins with direct access to Ray’s Trail. Contact the Collie Visitor Centre for more accommodation options (many of them are bike-friendly!).