Cycle Route: Fremantle to Dwellingup
September 14th 2006 01:02
As a cycle tourer it's not often you'll get a recommendation to leave a capital city via the freeway. Perth is the exception.
The Kwinana Freeway heading south has a wide, smooth bicycle path which takes you well beyond the city limits and its busy streets. We got onto the freeway from Fremantle via North Lake Road then Farrington Road.
As we left, the Great Western Australian Bike Ride was on its final leg. A couple of thousand speeding, happy, tired, broken down, cheery cyclists waved at us for the first hour on the bike path. "You're going the wrong way!" they shouted.
Following the path to the end, we came to a roundabout where fast food joints and service stations provided snacking options. Feed your face here! Don't do what I did and leave it only to find I had the bonk when heading first up Baldivis Road then up Karnup Road to Serpentine.
While at my slowest and hungriest point "Norm" powered up beside me. Norm was on a lightweight racer without luggage. He said he'd just done a 190km round trip then proceeded to tell me I was the slowest cyclist he'd ever encountered. According to Norm I had too much gear, the wrong clothing and a crap bike. Thanks very much for your support on my first and hardest day Norm! (Has anyone else out there had a "Norm" experience they want to get off their chests?)
At around 68kms, we pedalled into Serpentine which is a tiny town with a general store, a pub, a roadhouse which shuts at 5pm on a weekend and a campsite. Don't be fooled by the nice little old lady at the campsite. She charged us a whopping $27.50AUS to camp - the most we've ever paid. The pub had good burgers for $10AUS a pop and the roadhouse did full hot brekkies for around $13.00AUS.
From Serpentine, we travelled down the South Western Highway to the turn off to Del Park Road and Dwellingup. At the first bend is a very steep gravel turn off at the top of which you can join up with the Munda Biddi Trail (http://www.mundabiddi.org.au/) and camp in one of the fantastic Munda Biddi Campsites. But if you intend to travel on any section of the Munda Biddi a map is essential.
Continuing along Del Park Road you face an uphill battle most of the way to Dwellingup. It's not too tough and the fantastic bush landscape on either side of you more than makes up for a bit of sweat.
The excellent caravan park at Dwellingup is set amongst natural bushland. It is on your rhs as you enter Dwellingup before the train track for the old fashioned steam train that runs through here. Find yourself one of the tentsites with mulch as a base otherwise you will be on ball bearing gravel. Sites are $15/2pax/night and basic backpacker beds are $30/2pax/night.
Dwellingup has a good general store with kangaroo pies. The Mill Cafe is usually chockers on weekends with motor bikers and 4wdrivers. The coffee is good if you can get some attention from the friendlly but stressed out waitresses stomping by. It has a nice log fire and plenty of bush ambience.
Claire :0)
The Kwinana Freeway heading south has a wide, smooth bicycle path which takes you well beyond the city limits and its busy streets. We got onto the freeway from Fremantle via North Lake Road then Farrington Road.
Dodgy Dutchman heading to Serpentine via Perth Cycle Path
As we left, the Great Western Australian Bike Ride was on its final leg. A couple of thousand speeding, happy, tired, broken down, cheery cyclists waved at us for the first hour on the bike path. "You're going the wrong way!" they shouted.
Following the path to the end, we came to a roundabout where fast food joints and service stations provided snacking options. Feed your face here! Don't do what I did and leave it only to find I had the bonk when heading first up Baldivis Road then up Karnup Road to Serpentine.
While at my slowest and hungriest point "Norm" powered up beside me. Norm was on a lightweight racer without luggage. He said he'd just done a 190km round trip then proceeded to tell me I was the slowest cyclist he'd ever encountered. According to Norm I had too much gear, the wrong clothing and a crap bike. Thanks very much for your support on my first and hardest day Norm! (Has anyone else out there had a "Norm" experience they want to get off their chests?)
At around 68kms, we pedalled into Serpentine which is a tiny town with a general store, a pub, a roadhouse which shuts at 5pm on a weekend and a campsite. Don't be fooled by the nice little old lady at the campsite. She charged us a whopping $27.50AUS to camp - the most we've ever paid. The pub had good burgers for $10AUS a pop and the roadhouse did full hot brekkies for around $13.00AUS.
From Serpentine, we travelled down the South Western Highway to the turn off to Del Park Road and Dwellingup. At the first bend is a very steep gravel turn off at the top of which you can join up with the Munda Biddi Trail (http://www.mundabiddi.org.au/) and camp in one of the fantastic Munda Biddi Campsites. But if you intend to travel on any section of the Munda Biddi a map is essential.
Continuing along Del Park Road you face an uphill battle most of the way to Dwellingup. It's not too tough and the fantastic bush landscape on either side of you more than makes up for a bit of sweat.
The excellent caravan park at Dwellingup is set amongst natural bushland. It is on your rhs as you enter Dwellingup before the train track for the old fashioned steam train that runs through here. Find yourself one of the tentsites with mulch as a base otherwise you will be on ball bearing gravel. Sites are $15/2pax/night and basic backpacker beds are $30/2pax/night.
Dwellingup has a good general store with kangaroo pies. The Mill Cafe is usually chockers on weekends with motor bikers and 4wdrivers. The coffee is good if you can get some attention from the friendlly but stressed out waitresses stomping by. It has a nice log fire and plenty of bush ambience.
Claire :0)
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