Bibbulmun Track

The Bibbulmun Track is one of the great long-distance walking trails of the Southern Hemisphere. A thousand kilometres of the southwest corner of Western Australia, from the Perth Hills east of the city to the fishing town of Albany on the Southern Ocean. Running it — actually running, not walking — is a different experience from the walking route, and a serious multi-week undertaking even for experienced athletes.

The track follows the same corridor as the Munda Biddi cycling route through large sections of the route, but the trail surface is different: narrow singletrack through dense forest, sections of boardwalk over wetlands, beach walking in the south, and some surprisingly technical rocky ridge sections in the Stirling Range near the end. Navigation is handled by yellow waugal (serpent) triangles painted on trees at regular intervals — adequate but not foolproof in the dense coastal heath where visibility is limited.

The hut system makes the logistics manageable. Forty-nine three-sided shelters with tank water and composting toilets are spaced 15-30km apart along the route. For running, this spacing typically means one to two huts per day. The shelters are free, first-come, and occasionally full during the peak Easter and school holiday windows — carry a lightweight tent as backup.

The karri forest sections in the southwest are the visual highlight. Karri trees grow to 80m and are found nowhere else on earth at this density. Running through a mature karri grove feels genuinely unlike anywhere else — the scale is wrong in a way that takes time to calibrate. South of Pemberton, the forest gives way to coastal heath and granite boulder country with unobstructed Indian Ocean views.

The south coast weather is the wildcard. The Southern Ocean drives strong fronts across the coast from April onwards, and the exposed sections near Albany can be genuinely unpleasant in rain and wind. Pack for it regardless of forecast — fronts move fast. Summer in Perth is brutal, but the track south of Dwellingup is cooler due to the forest canopy.

Most thru-runners complete the track in 17-22 days. The fastest known time is under 10 days. Plan for roughly 55-65km per day at a sustained running effort, with slower days in the technical coastal sections.