Second weekend of May, and the caravan park in town was fuller than I expected for a spot that far off the coast. Turns out half the vans had bikes strapped to the back, which tells you something about how Dwellingup's little tourist economy runs these days. It's not really a fishing town or a wine town. It's a trail town, and the Munda Biddi is the reason.
If you're weighing up camping at Dwellingup for a Munda Biddi weekend, the short version is: it works well, the logistics are simple, and there's more to do around the edges than the trail alone. I've done this trip a handful of times now, towing the van down from Perth on a Friday arvo, and I reckon it's one of the better weekend set-ups within two hours of the city.
Why Dwellingup works as a base for a Munda Biddi weekend
Dwellingup sits almost exactly where the northern and central sections of the Munda Biddi meet, which makes it a natural hinge point. You can ride north toward Nanga Mill and Lane Poole Reserve, or push south into jarrah forest that thins out and thickens again depending on how recently it's been through a prescribed burn. Either way, you're back in town by dark, which matters when you've got a van and a dog waiting.
The trail itself, on the Munda Biddi Trail southbound stretch, is well signed and mostly hard-packed gravel, with enough climbing to remind you that jarrah forest isn't flat. There are sections that feel like proper bush riding — sandy, a bit technical, roots across the track — and other stretches that are basically fire trail cruising. Bring wider tyres than you think you need. I learned that one the hard way on a set of 38mm gravel tyres that were fine until the sand got deep near the old timber mill sites.
Picking a site: powered, unpowered, or DBCA basic
You've got three real options around Dwellingup. There's the caravan park in town, which has power, hot showers, a laundry and is walking distance to the bakery and the pub. There are the DBCA-managed camp areas further into Lane Poole Reserve, bookable through the standard camp booking system, which are basic — pit toilets, no power, bring your own water — but sit right on the Murray River and cost a fraction of the town site. And there's free camping further out along forest roads if you're set up for it and don't mind no facilities at all.
Here's my mildly unpopular view on it: the town caravan park is a fine base, but I think it's overpriced for what you actually get on a powered site, especially in shoulder season when demand isn't exactly rocketing. You're paying town-caravan-park rates for something not far removed from a basic site with a power lead. If you don't need the laundry or the shower block, Nanga Mill or one of the other Lane Poole sites gets you the river frontage and a fraction of the noise, for less money. Fair enough if you want the convenience — I get it when you've ridden forty kays and just want a hot shower without boiling a kettle — but don't go in expecting a bargain.
Filling the rest of the weekend
The trail's the main event, but Dwellingup rewards a slower Saturday too. If you're not riding both days, the Dwellingup: Paddle and Picnic self-guided tour is a good half-day option on the Murray River, easy enough for anyone who's spent the morning nursing sore legs from the trail. It's the kind of low-effort activity that pairs well with a weekend built around cycling — you get time on the water without asking your body for anything more.
For a full day that covers more ground without needing your own bike at all, the Dwellingup Trains, Trails & Woodfired Delights Full Day Tour takes in the old timber heritage, a stretch of forest and a proper wood-fired feed at the end of it. Good one for a mixed group where not everyone's up for two days of riding.
Getting there, and what to do about the bike
Most people drive down, obviously, but if you're leaving the car at home it's worth checking Transperth to see how far the metro network gets you before you're relying on a coach or a lift for the last stretch out past Pinjarra. It's not a straight shot, but it's doable if you're patient and pack light.
Before you go, get the bike properly checked. Not just tyre pressure — brakes, chain wear, the lot. WestCycle has decent resources on trail-ready bike checks and it's worth ten minutes before you load up, because there's not a bike shop on the trail once you're past the Dwellingup shops. A snapped chain forty kilometres out is a long, ordinary walk back.
The trail south, and what people underestimate
People tend to underestimate the southbound run. It's not brutal, but it's longer between services than the section north toward Collie, and the forest cover means you lose phone signal in patches. If you're after something shorter as a warm-up before committing to a bigger day, the Sika / Munda Biddi Trail section is a good taste of what the terrain's like without the full commitment — good for testing gear, testing legs, working out if your saddle's actually set up right before you're three hours from the van.
Volunteers from the Munda Biddi Trail Foundation maintain long stretches of this network, and it shows in how well the trail's signed even in the thicker forest sections. Worth remembering that when you're filling a water bottle at one of the shelters — someone's out there keeping that infrastructure standing.
If you're chasing more than one trail this year
Dwellingup's not the only spot worth building a camping weekend around. If you find you like the format — camp, ride, eat well, repeat — it's worth looking further afield too. The Cape Le Grand to Wylie Bay walk over near Esperance is a completely different landscape, all granite and turquoise water instead of jarrah forest, but the same principle applies: camp close, walk or ride hard during the day, eat properly at night. Different trip, same bones.
What I'd actually pack
Beyond the obvious — helmet, spares, a decent pump — I'd throw in a proper first aid kit and more water than feels necessary. The forest sections don't have taps every few kilometres, and while the shelters are good, they're not guaranteed to have tank water depending on how dry the season's been. A headtorch too, in case the ride runs longer than planned and dusk catches you out before you're back at camp.
Van-wise, if you're on an unpowered site, a decent battery setup makes the difference between a comfortable weekend and one where you're rationing your fridge. I run a hundred-amp lithium setup in mine now and it's more than enough for two nights without power, even running a small fan through the warmer months.
Dwellingup does what a good trail town should do — it gets out of the way and lets the forest do the talking, but it's got enough around the edges that a non-rider in the group won't be bored. Book your site early if you're going the town caravan park route on a long weekend, because it does fill, overpriced or not.