- How long does it take to walk the Bibbulmun Track?
- How can I access the Track?
- Why can't I access the Track using other roads shown on the map?
- Can I drive to a campsite?
- Can I walk on the Track but get a soft bed each night?
- Do I need a map?
- What publications and maps are available for the Track and where can I get them?
- Where can I obtain the most up-to-date information on Track conditions?
- What if I get lost or sick/injured?
- Do I need to notify DEC? What is the Notice of Intent?
- Are fires allowed at campsites?
- How can I minimise my impact on the environment?
- Can I take a bike, ride a horse or take a pack animal on the Track?
- Can I take my dog on the Track?
- What facilities are at the campsites?
- Do I need to take a tent on the Track?
- What is the maximum group number allowed at a campsite?
- How much water do I need to take per day?
- Do I need to sterilise the water from the water tanks?
- Are there any snakes on the Track?
- What other pests are there?
- Is it too hot to walk in the summer?
- Can I access beaches on the South Coast directly from the Track?
- How do I cross the inlets indicated on the Southern maps 7 and 8?
- What equipment/food should I take?
- Are there any organised walks on the Bibbulmun Track?
- How do I commemorate completing the whole Track?
- Where can I purchase food and stove fuel on the route?
- Do mobile phones work out on the Track?
- Who is DEC?
- The Track is free, so how can I show my support?
- Questions not answered? Ask us a Question!
1. How long does it take to walk the Bibbulmun Track?
6 to 8 weeks is the average time taken to walk the whole Track, nearly 1000kms between Kalamunda and Albany, but many people choose to walk on the Track for much shorter walks. See our information on Day Walk Map Packs in various locations.
2. How can I access the Track?
The Bibbulmun Track can be accessed by vehicles at designated access points only. The 8 individual Bibbulmun Track maps, Northern and Southern Guidebooks show the car access points indicated by a red (or green) car. Red cars indicate vehicle access adjacent to the Track, whilst green cars indicate an access point close to the Track but still requiring a walk from your car to the Track.
Public transport: You can look up transport in the Track Guidebooks or the Bibbulmun Track Accommodation and Services Guide available from the Foundation. Alternatively see TransWA for WA regional public transport information or Transperth for Perth metro public transport (to Kalamunda only).
Own transport: Walk out and back (it looks different coming back!). Or you can do a car shuffle by leaving cars at either end of the walk and then picking up the first car on your way home.
Join one of our events – check out our Events Calendar. Call us to have it mailed to you twice a year. Walk the Track with trained Bibbulmun Track Foundation guides. We are the people with the most knowledge and experience of the Track! Better still, any profits from our events go straight back into the ongoing maintenance of the Bibbulmun Track!
Go with another tour operator - listed in the Bibbulmun Track Guide to Accommodation and Services Guide available from the Foundation.
Try a Bibbulmun Walking Break! Walk the Track in style with a daypack staying at off-Track accommodation with transfers and meals provided! Just bring your walking shoes and go! Find out more about our accommodation and walking holiday packages.
3. Why can't I access the Track using other roads shown on the map?
Only access points shown by a red (or green) car on the maps can be used. The other roads shown are often in disease risk areas ( DRA). Use of any vehicles in DRA is illegal because they spread the destructive 'dieback' root disease by transporting spores from the soil. Some roads are not accessible for safety reasons, accessibility or due to impact of vehicles on conservation values. Walkers are asked to take the details of vehicles found in DRA and report the registration, make, model and colour to the Foundation. See our Track conditions page for more info on Dieback and DRA. Remember, no red/green car = no access.
4. Can I drive to a campsite?
No, all campsites are for walkers only and are not accessible by vehicles of any description. This has been done to give walkers as natural an experience as possible and to minimise vandalism. Vehicles, trail bikes and mountain bikes can be a problem on the Track. Aside from causing inconvenience and annoyance to fellow walkers they have caused some serious damage to the Track and facilities as well as injury to at least one walker.
VEHICLES, TRAIL BIKES AND MOUNTAIN BIKES ARE NOT PERMITTED ON THE BIBBULMUN TRACK, OR AT ANY CAMPSITE.
If you ever see ANY vehicles on the Bibbulmun Track or at any campsite, you are asked to discreetly take note of their registration number, the make, model and colour of the vehicle and the location (be as specific as possible) and report it immediately to the Foundation. Whether you collect these details or not, please report the offence to us immediately after your walk. Your report contributes to the overall picture for the management of the Bibbulmun Track.
5. Can I walk on the Track but get a soft bed each night?
Yes! The Foundation's Accommodation and Services Guide lists many accommodation places of all styles. However it is not possible to walk the whole Track this way as on some sections there are several days of walking between access points. Bibbulmun Walking Breaks offer a wide range of self-guided accommodation and walking packages in 6 locations along the Track including all transfers, food, map and walk options.
6. Do I need a map?
YES DEFINITELY, or a Bibbulmun Track Guidebook. We also recommend that you take a compass and know how to use it. The Foundations holds courses if you don't! Even though the Track is marked with yellow triangular markers depicting the 'rainbow serpent' or 'Waugal', it is sometimes possible to miss Track markers for a variety of reasons. Trail markers vary in frequency according to the surroundings. For example, if there are frequent crossroads you will see more markers. If you have not seen a marker for 10 minutes, then turn around and look the other way as the Track is marked in both directions. If you see one going the other way at least you know you are still on the Track. If you don't, then retrace your steps to the last marker.
7. What publications and maps are available for the Track and where can I get them?
There are 8 maps and 2 guidebooks that cover the Track. In addition there are several publications produced by the Foundation and DEC that will assist you.
8. Where can I obtain the most up-to-date information on Track conditions?
You can check the latest Track News and Track Conditions on our website or by contacting the various DEC district offices.
9. What if I get lost or sick/injured?
You must leave details of your planned itinerary with a reliable contact at home who will alert the police if you fail to call/turn up at an agreed time and they are concerned that you are lost. A lone walker who is ill or injured should STAY ON THE TRACK even if it means spending an unplanned night in the forest. Camp close to the Track so you can be easily found.
N.B. The Police are the agency responsible for search and rescue in WA. They will usually involve the DEC in searches on the Track.
10. Do I need to notify DEC? What is the Notice of Intent?
Overnight walkers are advised to give the DEC Tracks and Trails Unit, or relevant DEC district office, their itinerary. Although DEC will not be monitoring any individual walker's progress (this is the responsibility of each walker's personal back-up), it is useful information in the event of a bush fire or other emergency when DEC may be contacted by emergency services. It is useful to contact the district office for the latest information on the Track conditions. Go to the Latest Track Conditions or contact the DEC districts. Walkers should always complete the green log book at each campsite. This gives vital information regarding your whereabouts to rescue personnel in the event of an emergency such as a wildfire. If you are walking in a group of 8 or more, and staying at a campsite, then you are requested to complete the Notice of Intent Form. This allows you and other groups to know if there are going to be groups at any campsite on a particular date.
11. Are fires allowed at campsites?
Please follow the Code of the Campsite and minimal impact guidelines.
During the summer months, when bushfires are a very real danger, certain days of high heat and/or wind are designated 'extreme fire hazard' days, and open fires are banned. Information on such conditions can be obtained from local radio stations or Shire Councils. If information is not readily available, use your common sense, but be aware of the real danger posed by wildfires. Several kilometres of the Track and some campsites have been lost to bush fires. Please do not light fires other than in the fireplaces provided, and resist lighting fires in summer.
Total fire bans are usually in place on the entire northern half of the Track between December and March each year.
A number of campsites on the Track are designated 'no fire' sites. These are Yourdamung and Blackwood campsites in the northern half of the Track and all campsites to the south and east of the Shannon River in the southern half, i.e. Mt Chance campsite to Albany. These are permanent NO FIRE campsites and fuel stoves must be taken.
To help preserve the environment and due to the increasing lack of firewood, use of fuel stoves for cooking is encouraged at all campsites. However, if you do choose to light a wood fire, use the fire ring provided at the campsite. Use only dead wood already on the ground (and watch for snakes) and keep the fire small - remember the old Aboriginal saying: White man make big fire, sit far away - black man make small fire, sit close.
12. How can I minimise my impact on the environment?
Walkers are kindly asked to adhere to the Leave No Trace principles and The Code of Campsite when using the Bibbulmun Track. Remember to leave the Track and its facilities in better condition than you found them. That way you and others will benefit from what the Track has to offer.
13. Can I take a bike, ride a horse or take a pack animal on the Track?
No! The Track is purpose built for walkers only. Illegal use of mountain and trail bikes has eroded the Track badly in some places. These activities are not permitted in DRA and drinking water catchment areas through which the Track passes. If you are interested in mountain biking or off-road cycle touring then go to the Munda Biddi Trail Foundation website or contact the DEC Tracks and Trails Unit.
14. Can I take my dog on the Track?
Dogs, whether on or off the lead, are not permitted in drinking water catchments, National Parks, Conservation Parks or Nature Reserves . Many campsites and a large proportion of the Track fall into this category. Futhermore, fox baits are dropped periodically by aeroplane in other areas along the Track. If the 1080 poison baits are picked up by a dog, it will lead to a quick and painful death. Don't take the risk!
15. What facilities are at the campsites?
Each campsite has a three-sided timber shelter which sleeps between 8 and 16, tent sites, bush toilet (bring toilet paper), rainwater tank, picnic table and a fireplace where fires are permitted. Check out the Track Facilities page on our website.
16. Do I need to take a tent on the Track?
There are 48 campsites along the Track which are spaced a day's walk apart. There is no booking system for shelters. Therefore all walkers wishing to stay on the Track overnight MUST TAKE A TENT in case the shelter is full on arrival. Designated tent sites, located at the campsites, should be used and no camping is permitted in drinking water catchment areas - i.e. most of the Track between Kalamunda and Collie and south of the Blackwood River. The Bibbulmun Track Foundation offers tents for hire.
17. What is the maximum group number allowed at a campsite?
Groups of 8 people or more may NOT occupy a shelter before 6pm. In the interests of minimal impact, there should be NO MORE THAN 17 PEOPLE in any one group staying overnight at any campsite. Groups only walking the Track as a day-walk should not exceed 20.
18. How much water do I need to take per day?
2 litres of water is the minimum recommendation for cool weather and 4 litres in hot weather. Walkers should avoid walking in temperatures above the high 20's.
19. Do I need to sterilise the water from the water tanks?
Yes, this is advised - either boil it or contact your nearest outdoor recreation store for other suggestions. We recommend treating water with chemical sterilisers.
20. Are there any snakes on the Track?
Oh yes! Snakes are quite common, especially in late winter and spring, near the south coast and in damp swampy areas. The heavy footfalls of a walker are usually enough to frighten them away before they are seen. Don't scrabble about in the undergrowth for firewood with bare hands, take special care with small children and wear sturdy shoes and thick socks. Wearing gaiters is highly recommended on the south coast.
21. What other pests are there?
March flies and ticks in warm weather, mosquitoes, sandflies and midges are common, so insect repellent is recommended. A mosquito net is also useful in the open fronted shelters or some walkers use the shell (sealed inner) from their tent. Protection from mosquitoes is essential to prevent infection with Ross River Virus. Yet another reason to carry a tent with you!
22. Is it too hot to walk in the summer?
Generally it is not recommended as the Track gets very hot and the fire risk is greater. However shorter walks on the in the Karri Forest can be comfortable on cooler days even in summer. Even when walking in winter, ALWAYS COVER UP AND WEAR A HAT AND SUNSCREEN. The south coast, whilst may be cooler, offers little protection from the sun due to the lack of a forest canopy.
23. Can I access beaches on the south coast directly from the Track?
Consult the guidebook and maps as the Track does traverse beaches in a number of places on the south coast. The southern guidebook points out beach access points from the cliff path. NEVER ATTEMPT TO ACCESS THE BEACH UNLESS ON A CLEARLY DEFINED TRAIL (see safety section regarding rips and beach walking in the southern guidebook and contact the local DEC district office before setting out).
24. How do I cross the inlets indicated on the southern maps 7 and 8?
Consult the guidebook and maps. Check the current Track Conditions for inlet crossings. There are canoes at the Irwin Inlet. The Torbay and Parry Inlet channels may need to be waded carefully during certain times of the year and may be closed in dangerous conditions. Some inlets have a sand bar for varying periods during the year. Contact the DEC district office for advice if unsure.