Nannup, Collie and Dwellingup, WA Part 1
Here we go on another Western Australia road trip! There’s something truly special about getting to WA and exploring the rapidly developing trail towns. The first scenes we shot straight off the plane were full of energy and frivolity and this set the tone for the week ahead! After picking up the Nissans and Giant e-bikes it was a swift departure driving from Perth to Nannup.
We had already visited Nannup in Season 1 of Trail Towns and this is the first repeat, but it was for good reason. Since we visited last a new MTB trail network has opened at Tank 7 & 8 and loads of new businesses too. So it felt like a new place with all of this development. We got to sample the delicious beers at the Nannup Brewing Co. to kick things off. They also had a ripper feed on offer and I would highly recommend a visit.
The first ride we did was a gravel loop to showcase some of the roads used in the world series gravel event SEVEN! There are a lot of short sharp hills, but they weren’t a problem for Deetz and I as we were on our trusty e-bikes! After stretching the legs we met up with Jordy, a good friend and a trail builder from Three Chillies that's been doing some good digging in the woods. Riding with Jordy is always a treat, we first met in Andorra at the 2015 World MTB Champs and have crossed paths many times to rip trails all over the place. Jordy built the massive double black diamond track at Tank 7 and showed us how to ride it… it's massive! The shoot was so fun with heaps of locals coming out to have a party and some shuttle runs with a DJ and BBQ all put on by the local council. What a day!
One thing that was funny about Nannup was whenever we saw the other cycle tourists in town they wanted to have a chat and talk about Trail Towns! Everyone had watched the show and planned a trip there to enjoy riding the Munda Biddi trail! Deetz was blown away. But our time in Nannup was too brief as we headed to Collie. On the way we came across Gnomesville, a very random roadside park that has thousands of garden gnomes grouped together to create a very magical and very random scene.
Collie is an old mining town that's transitioning into a Trail Town! Tourism in Collie is a key strategy to keeping the economy ticking over once the mines are closed. Art has been integrated into the centre of town and everywhere you look there’s something new to take in. Meeting up with Donald Cook, one of the artists, gave even more insight into the art scene. The rail history was exciting for Deetz, while I was more interested in the coffee and food scene, which was quite impressive.
You can really see a bright future for the town with the Wellington Dam trails expanding and new trails having been finished since filming! The dam wall also has the largest mural in the world on the face of it, at a whopping 8000m2!!! The trails we got to ride with Archie were confidence inspiring and logical to link together. Gone are the days when trails would create more confusion and throw you into a disoriented state. These trails have been planned out so you can ride as long or as short as you like. There’s even a cafe at one trailhead and a campground at the other! I already can’t wait to go back and check more trails out!
We got back to Collie and checked into the Black Diamond Lodge! Bike friendly accommodation and right in town next to the pub. Always a dangerous combination. That night we met a bunch of Bibblemen track walkers and swapped stories over a frothy around the campfire… delightful.
The WA episode was so packed full of action that we had to split it into two episodes to allow them to breathe and not miss out on the beauty of the region. It’s the first time we’ve done this… after having a hectic season one WA episode we didn’t want to fall into that trap again. There’s simply too much happening in these little trail towns.
