14 October 2023

Another early start in a vain attempt to beat the heat. Tempting to stop for a fried breakfast but that wasn’t for another 1/2 hour…..

This is what the M – B should be! A little up and down in the forest and then a mile of downhill! After that downhill through almost primeval forest. Glorious!

Of course, as we know, the Munda Biddi takes as much as it gives. After a fabulous section carved out of the side of a river valley (where I startled a large roo) it started to undulate. Eventually ending up at One Tree Bridge. Why? In times gone by somebody felled a tree across the river and nailed a bridge to it!

Of course that bridge has long been replaced by a modern one but the old one has been kept as a tourist item. The cyclists, and walkers, have to use a very wobbly suspension bridge next to it…

And then the uphill began. Alongside the river but winding and climbing. Soooo hard.

However, eventually it popped out into an almost Alpine meadow! And one of the huts where I stopped for a brew and a snack. And was joined by a bunch of older gentlemen on e-bikes.

Then I headed off on what were, in part, old railway tracks presumably from the logging days. Some hard but mostly get your head down and keep peddling.

And eventually ended in Manjimup.

Which, if you have been paying attention, is where the trail ended last time!!!!!!

The plan was to find somewhere air-conditioned to stay but everything is booked for some mining thing so I gave up and found a camp site within easy distance of the local brewery outlet.

So here we are two beers and a large steak later and sticky toffee pudding and feeling much better.

Not sure what the plan for the next few days is. Monday is forecast HOT but I may do a shorter run to Quininup where it may not be too busy and sit out the heat (in the pub?)

No critters today – though warnings about snakes on the Southern section. So just a reprise of last time where Pig was eating M&Ms while we sat out the rain. Except I took them on the other camera….