mountain biking in Beelu National Park

28 May 2018

In desperate need of some decent exercise and great trails, we decided that now was the time to put the mountain bikes to proper use.

With Drew in Broken Hill, I needed to make this happen on my own, so I hitched up my big girl pants and took a dose of toughen-up-princess! I changed the bike hitch from caravan to car, pumped up bike tyres, organised the children and drove us back to the hills and the mountain bike trails I’d found in Beelu National Park.

Tip #1: Get the trailforks app or website if you are looking for great trails.

By now we had the car navigational system fairly well sussed and the highways were starting to look familiar, so we arrived at the Kalamunda trail head without any fuss.

Tip #2: We parked in a picnic and parking area along Mundaring Weir Road. It was a very quiet spot and a local suggested that it would have been safer to leave the car at the parking area near the camel farm. Riders will find a bike hire shop there and there are normally people about.

Despite the considerable amount of rain, the trails were excellent. We rode the scorpion loop, a moderate level series of connected trails. The climbing consisted of good switchback and the downhill was flowing with a number of wooden berms, table tops and small drop-offs (more roll offs really). The signage was very good and we didn’t get lost once!

Tip #3: There are beginner trails and riding areas here, so it really does cater for everyone. There are great picnic areas too, so you can enjoy some munchies after your ride.

I was the only one to fall off for the day, although I was trying to avoid hitting Chase, who had balked at a tree root lying across the path. It was more of a compulsory dismount than a stack and I didn't get any sympathy from the boys.

We were heading to a second area when I discovered that the pesky leak in my front tyre had worsened and as I wasn’t sure how to replace the valve, we abandoned plans and headed back to the caravan park.

Tip #4: Note to self... do a bike mechanical course!