How to Spend a Weekend Mountain Biking Around Collie

We Are Explorers acknowledges that this adventure is located on the traditional Country of the Wiilman and Kaneang peoples, who have occupied and cared for the lands, waters, and their inhabitants for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them as the Traditional Custodians and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

Quick Overview

Located an easy two hour drive from Perth and only 45 minutes from Bunbury, the 170km Wambenger Trails Mountain Bike network officially opened in October, firmly cementing Collie as an accredited WA Premier Trail Town.

There are six trailheads to choose from, each offering something different to suit different abilities. Come for a day, come for a week, just make sure you come and get amongst it.

Wambenger Mountain Bike Trails

There’s been some hype in the West. If you’re not a MTBer or don’t live in the area you can be forgiven for not getting caught up in it. For the rest of us though, the anticipation has been quickly building.

That’s right, the fully completed Wambenger MTB Trail network is finally here. The last stage officially opened in October this year making it the largest network of mountain bike trails in Western Australia, boasting over 170km of trail.

And it’s safe to say trail builders Common Ground Trails, Magic Dirt Trailworx, and Three Chillies Design have come up with the goods.

The Wambenger Trails are named after the Wambenger, a small marsupial with a black bushy tail found in the southwest forests of Western Australia.It’s a collection of six trailheads located within the Collie and Wellington National Park vicinity.

There are trails for all levels of mountain bikers ranging from green (easy) through to a double black (extreme). The network also caters for adaptive riders with suitable trails from the Arklow and the Wellington Dam trailheads as well as the Kylie Trail.

If you’re not sure what’s right for you, the Wambenger Trails App, Trails WA, and Trailforks app are handy companions to find out the best trails to suit your skill level.

The Transformation of Collie

The Collie River and surrounds were a rich source of water, food and spiritual significance for the Wiilman and Kaneang people of the Noongar Nation for many thousands of years. After the discovery of coal in 1883, Collie was declared a townsite in 1896 and began supplying the state with coal for power production.

This has continued to this day but now, as the state’s resource needs are changing, so too is Collie.

Amongst a myriad of other initiatives, the state government’s $10 million investment to transform Collie into a world-class trail destination means that the sea of high vis normally on display in town is gradually being replaced by Frankd, Fox, and Dharco threads.

How to Get to Collie

Collie and Wellington Dam are easily accessible from just about anywhere in the southwest.

From Perth hit the freeway south until you get to Raymond Road and head inland.

You can turn off on Wellington Dam Road to get the trails and campsites within the Wellington Dam National Park or continue on to Collie, a short 20-minute drive further on.

Where To Stay Near the Collie Trails

If you like to ride till you drop and just roll into a beer by the campfire you can’t go past camping at, our choice, Potters Gorge or the Honeymoon Pool campsites. Both are located in Wellington National Park and are popular with the locals and visitors for their stunning, jarrah forest-fringed sites that are a stone’s throw from the trails. Bookings can be made on the Explore Parks website.

If you prefer a warm shower and some country town vibes, Collie has plenty of accommodation options. Harris River Estate has two-bedroom chalets, sleeping up to seven, with the added bonus of having one of Collie’s oldest trails, Ray’s Trail, a short ride over the dam away.

In the heart of town, the Federal Hotel also offers rooms as does the recently renovated Crown Hotel. Contact the Collie Visitor Centre for more accommodation options (many of them are bike friendly!).

Where To Eat Near the Collie Trails

We were pretty impressed by the food on offer in Collie. At lunch on the first day, we found ourselves at The Kiosk at the Dam in Wellington National Park, a quirky, no fuss café serving a wide selection of delicious food, cakes and coffee as well as local craft beer and wine.

Later that evening, the Federal Hotel passed the pub test after serving up huge and delicious chicken parmi for all.

Sunday morning didn’t disappoint as we tucked into mouth-watering breakfast bagels and the best coffee in town at The Wagon, a popular converted train carriage. Later that day Harris River Estate welcomed us with a Farmhouse Platter and a selection of their best wines.

We also heard murmurs about the healthy options on offer at Tailored Grazing and the healing properties of a Barn-Zee’s Burgers & Barista brekky, but alas, we only had the weekend.

A Weekend Full of Action – Day 1

Need a bike?

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.

Honeymoon Pool Trailhead

We started the weekend with Honeymoon’s Over, a 5.6km blue rated trail that meanders along the Collie River before starting the climb to the top. Numerous steep switchback corners tested our fitness, but this was all forgotten with a beautiful Northern Jarrah forest backdrop, complete with epic views down the Collie River Valley.

The climb earned us a short break at the top before we made our descent down the ridiculously-fun, Cash Out. Berms, ladder features, log rides, and doubles greeted us to start, followed by a more technical and rockier trail that ended with a rollercoaster of steep corners dipping up and down as the trail traversed the gully.

We climbed again to drop into Send It, a black diamond trail. Flow is the go here. Tight, super fun corners and tabletops broken up with a rock garden or two. Send It, lives up to its name.

Wellington Dam Trailhead

Next stop, the Wellington Dam trails. After fueling up at the cute and quirky café, The Kiosk at the Dam, we started the gentle, picturesque climb up green trail Big Dipper on our way to Pipe ’n Hot. It was an easy blue flow trail up top, once it passed the powerlines thing started to heat up.

Steep corners, berms and rocky sections challenged us before being greeted by a view of the mega mural on the Wellington Dam wall at the trail’s end.

This took us to the top with its switchback rock walls and pretty moss-covered granite giving very Derby-esk vibes.

We spent the rest of the afternoon hooting and hollering down blue trail Dam It, a crowd favourite, and Black Glove, which is black by name black by nature, before heading over to the trails that land at Potters Gorge campsite.

Scull and Elixir, the blue flow trails, were on recommendation and did not disappoint and Van Dam Green delighted as a cruisy traversing trail where brakes were optional.

Wagyl Biddi Trailhead

We’d heard there were a few short trails in the heart of Collie that were worth checking out so before we hit the pub for dinner, we took a quick spin. The Wagyl Biddi network has some fun berms, techy rock sections, and even a wall ride for those who can get on it.

For the most part though, Rocky Horror, Drop Dead Fred, and Marri Meander twist and wind through the bush bordered by the Collie River – providing a great little network for those who don’t want to travel out of town for a hit of trails.

Dip and Dinner

A dip at the stunning and surprisingly warm Minningup Pool was the perfect antidote to the collection of dirt and dust from the day’s ride and made us somewhat respectable to hit the Feddie (Federal Hotel) for dinner.

A good old fashioned country pub chicken parmi and a beer later, we were ready to make our way back to the beautiful forest-fringed Potters Gorge campsite, our home for the night, for a fire and to regale each other with stories from the trails.

A Weekend Full of Action – Day 2

Kylie Trailhead

The Wagon in Collie, our breakfast destination, served up mouth-watering breakfast bagels, smooth coffee, and smiles. Sufficiently fuelled, we began day two on perhaps the most beautiful of all the trails, the Kylie Trail.

Starting at Minningup Pool, the Kylie Trail is a 10km cross country delight that follows the Collie River west through 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 through spectacular bush, littered with wildflowers in spring, until finishing at the start of the sealed Karak Trail, named after the Noongar word for the forest red-tailed black cockatoo. This trail takes you back to town and to Minningup Pool, via the Collie River Trail.

Arklow Trailhead

The last trailhead we wanted to tick off the list was the Arklow Trails, some of the first trails in the area. Starting with Ray’s Trail, we couldn’t help but smile as we made our way along the 7km blue trail over some old-fashioned features including log rolls, drops and tight rocky sections, reminding us of a time before machine-built trails were a thing.

Next, we headed across the road on the hunt for another 7km blue trail, Far Lap, and its jump line, ladders, log rides and drops. 220 Trail warmed us up on the way and the Arklow Adaptive Trail provided a perfect cool down on the way back to the car. We ran out of steam to fit any more in but good additions here are Bull Ant, Pet Cemetery, and Dead Cat Trail.

Wildflower Walk

We rode in spring, a magical time in the south-west when the bush bursts to life. Wildflowers abound, we didn’t want to pass up the opportunity of a Wildflower Walk with Forest Explorers.

After visiting Harris River Estate – a labour of love hand-built by the owners Karl and Julie Hillier – for some tasty farmhouse food and a quick sample of their very quaffable wines, we met the lovely Alison at the Collie Visitor’s Centre for the Forest Explorers tour.

She took us out to a special place in the bush where the flowers were in full bloom. A blanket of Kennedia coccinea or Coral Vine for the layperson and a smattering of Purple Hovea welcomed us. We also spotted the odd Donkey Orchid while Alison explained some of the rich history of the area.

It was the perfect end to a great weekend.

Hot tip: Visit Bunbury Geographe’s website for even more ideas about what to see and do!

Collie, long synonymous with coal, surprised us all. It’s a town on the move and we can’t wait to see how it continues to transform. Come for a day, come for a week, you won’t be disappointed.