There are plenty of east coast dwellers who wrongly think of Western Australia as a vast and largely empty wasteland that has been heavily exploited by miners. As amazing as that seems, the truth is that many don’t realise that the state’s South West region is as green and bountiful as anywhere in the country, particularly around the towns of Pemberton and Manjimup.

The reasons for spouting the virtues of the state’s far south are many. For starters, it is a land of tall timbers unlike anywhere else. Its towering karri and jarrah forests shade rich, loamy soils that produce world-class wines and harvest aromatic black truffles that are coveted by gourmands the world over.

The Southern Ocean pounds its coastline, yet it has proved to be extremely resilient, sheltering sandy beaches and inlets. It has a wealth of national parks that are sanctuaries for native marsupials and birds. It’s a place with an incredible array of unique experiences and adventures, from hiking and mountain biking to witnessing migrating humpback whales swimming close to shore. Add it all up and a visit here makes for an ideal family getaway.

The trees will dwarf anyone who walks through here

PEDAL POWER

Back in 2006, representatives from the Pemberton Visitors Centre began discussing the idea of constructing mountain bike trails as a means of broadening its appeal to visitors. Three years later, with funding assistance from various government bodies, the Pemberton Mountain Bike Park opened on a forested hill above the historic town pool.

Further trails have since been added — some machine-built, others handcrafted using volunteer labour — and there are now 32km of trails graded beginner to advanced. Included is a pump track and skills loop, with technical climbs and fast, flowy downhills featuring tight corners, drop-offs, rollovers, and rock gardens.

The park is split into four blocks and your time will be best spent if you focus mostly on the cleared trails in Blocks A and B. Trails in the other two blocks can be overgrown or blocked by fallen branches, particularly after some stormy weather. Until visitor numbers increase, trail maintenance will continue to be managed by volunteers.

The signature trail is Relentless Blue. Measuring just under 4km, it’s the longest trail on the mountain and its ramped berms, wall rides, and log rollovers will doubtless test your MTB skills. Then there’s Cool Runnings, where racing down steep earth berms and dirt jumps will leave you feeling like an Olympic bobsledder before you’re done. Pemberton Discovery Tours (pembertondiscoverytours.com.au) has a limited range of rental bikes so, if you can, bring your own.

There are also myriad opportunities for road biking. The region’s rolling hills and windy roads make for some great fitness terrain. National Geographic included the Munda Biddi Trail (mundabiddi.org.au) as one of its Top 10 Cycle Routes in the World. The 1000-kilometrelong bike trail, which means ‘path through the forest’ in the Noongar language, links Mundaring with Albany using a network of bush tracks, firebreaks, and rail trails. Along the way, it passes through the townships of Nannup, Manjimup, Pemberton, and Northcliffe. Purpose-built accommodation huts reserved solely for riders are spread out along the route. All but one are accessible by car.

Pemberton’s mountain bike trails suit all ages

OUT AND ABOUT

You’ll need a head for heights if you want to tackle one of three karri tree climbs in the region. The tallest, at 75m, is the Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree, inside Warren National Park south of Pemberton. Next is the Gloucester Tree in Pemberton itself. The 61m-high tree was first used as a fire lookout in 1947. A wooden cabin was built 51m above the ground at the Diamond Tree, halfway between Pemberton and Manjimup. It’s the only one of the three trees that can’t be climbed today.

Inside the Walpole-Nornalup National Park, a bridge weaves through the forest canopy 40 metres above the forest floor in the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk (valleyofthegiants.com.au). Keep your eyes peeled for quokkas rummaging through the scrub below.

Back in Pemberton, kids will love trying to hook a fresh rainbow trout or marron (freshwater crayfish) at Old Vasse Trout & Marron Farm (oldvassetroutandmarronfarm.com.au). Entry costs apply. Rods available at an an extra fee and they’ll give you a container full of doughy bait balls that get snapped up the moment they hit the water.

Located just 30km south of Pemberton, the Yeagarup Sand Dunes is a moving dune  system offering plenty of offroad adventures. Experienced 4WD aficionados can follow old forestry tracks through the Warren and D’Entrecasteaux National Parks before crossing Australia’s largest landlocked coastal dune system to Yeagarup Beach.

Tackle the karri tree climbs

Alternatively, Pemberton Discovery Tours (pembertondiscoverytours.com.au) has been ferrying guests to the dunes on their Beach & Forest Eco Adventure tour since 1999. Four-hour tours depart daily at 9am and 2pm and come highly recommended for their local insights.

Summers are ideal for lazy drifting down the Blackwood River, the longest waterway in this region. Blackwood River Canoeing in Nannup rents canoes by the hour or offers tours up to five days long (fees apply), inclusive of canoe equipment, transport, and backup. Car shuttles and resupplies can be arranged and guides or camping equipment supplied. Contact them via their Facebook page.

Beer or wine? The choice is yours at Jarrah Jacks

ACE OF BASE

Just down the road from Pemberton, nestled on the banks of the tranquil Lake Beedelup, among some of the most magnificent karri forest imaginable, is the RAC Karri Valley Resort (parksandresorts.rac.com.au/karri-valley/). The recently refurbished resort makes an ideal base to explore the South West region’s forests and coastline.

The resort accommodation is mostly in self-contained chalets sleeping up to eight people. Otherwise, there’s the option of a pampered stay in Lakeside Rooms on the water’s edge, then dining on award-winning meals accompanied by first-class Southern Forests wines at the Lakeside Restaurant, which is open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

New to the resort is a campground offering powered, unpowered, and ensuite sites. Located on the opposite side of the Vasse Highway, the campground is less than a 20 minute walk from the lake and resort facilities. With a modern camp kitchen, barbecues, large recreation room, tennis court, BMX track, and nature playground, this is the perfect setting for you and your family to relax on a nature escape.

Campground guests can still enjoy all of the resort’s popular activities — these include walking trails, canoe and SUP hire, mini golf, archery, bike rental, and an animal farm. Bring your hiking shoes to follow the walking trails around the lake, or head to Beedelup Falls. Another trail branches off towards the Walk- Through Tree — a giant karri tree whose name is self-explanatory. Or you can stop over at the resort during a long distance hike along the Bibbulman Track (bibbulmuntrack.org.au). The trail passes right through before continuing on to Pemberton and beyond.

Ah, the serenity!

TUMMY FILLERS

It’s fair to say that the Southern Forests and Valleys region is Western Australia’s food bowl. Its fertile soils and temperate climate produce epicurean treats like avocados, chestnuts, hazelnuts, cherries, ginseng, green tea, and black truffles as well as standard fare such as beef, lamb, and potatoes.

With such rich culinary harvests, it should come as no surprise to learn that Pemberton and Manjimup attract foodies who seek true field to plate experiences. And on that front, the twin towns are well stocked.

In Pemberton, the atmospheric Treehouse Tapas & Wine Bar (treehousewinebar.com.au) on Brockman Street delivers a menu  that is as varied as it is tasty, paired with regional wines. As a quirky aside, menus are displayed inside a vintage collection of hardcover books whose titles include A Christmas Carol and Indoor Gardening Made Easy, or Bob the Builder for kids.

For a juicy burger or salt and pepper squid washed down with tasty craft beers, venture to Jarrah Jacks, on a hillside overlooking a sloping vineyard just outside Pemberton. It includes indoor and outdoor play areas, a great kid’s menu and high chairs for little ones. Adults can order tasting paddles serving Lumberjack Lager, Karri Pale Ale, English Best Bitter, and Northern English Brown. There’s also a selection of local wines, including white varietals from the brewery owners’ Slippery Estate vineyard.

The karri forests are amazing

Tucked away behind the main street of Pemberton on Dickinson Street is a gourmet cafe that specialises in smoked goods. Dubbed Holy Smoke (holysmoke.com.au), it adjoins a wood gallery showcasing beautifully crafted timber furniture and household utensils.

The once tough-as-nails timber town of Manjimup has undergone a complete makeover and it now produces 95 per cent of the black  truffles harvested in Australia. The largest producer of all is Truffle Hill (trufflehill.com.au), which exports to more than 30 countries around the world. Come here during the winter truffle season from June to September and you can join trained Labradors on a truffle hunt.

Tall Timbers (talltimbersmanjimup.com.au) restaurant in Manjimup has 40 local wines to choose from. All are dispensed from an innovative bottle-to-glass system that preserves the wine’s character long after the bottle has been opened.

Coffee lovers will find the best brews at Southern Roasting Co. (southernroasting.com), inside a heritage-listed building formerly used as laundry in Manjimup.

Alternatively, Melo Velo (melovelo.com.au) in Nannup serves healthy meals and barista-made coffee inside its red brick walls. Fittingly, given that the cyclists in the Tour of Margaret River Classic pedal right past its front door each November, you can rent bikes from the workshop up front. Otherwise, chow down on freshly baked goods in the cafe’s peaceful outdoor garden.

Category: Destinations
Written: Mon 01 Nov 2021
Printed: November, 2021
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