from left, Ms Jodie Hanns MLA. Member for Collie Preston, Hon Reece Whitby MLA Minister for Environment, Sarah Stanley, Shire President, Shire of Collie.
Photo credit Tim Allot
The Kylie Trail NOW OPEN!
We acknowledge the Wiilman people of the Noongar nation as the Traditional Owners of the land through which the trail passes.
The Kylie Trail was officially opened Wednesday 24 August, by the Minister for the Environment, the Hon Reece Whitby MLA, in Collie with a celebration of all things mountain biking.
Let’s get the obvious question out of the way first. The 10km Kylie Trail is not named after Kylie Minogue (she should be so lucky). The word ‘Kylie’ is the Noongar word for boomerang or throwing stick and is emblematic of the trail with its curved boomerang shape.
This recent addition to the Wambenger Trails network in Collie is part of the State Government’s $10million Collie Adventure Trails initiative which is establishing the town as a premier trail and adventure destination.
Kylie Trail
The trail runs through the 855-hectare Westralia Conservation Park, west of Collie. Riders will experience a fun, flowing mountain bike trail. The Kylie Trail can be combined with the Collie River Trail and Karak Trail. This 21km loop should take between 1 ½ hours and 2 ½ hours and that starts and finishes in the town of Collie.
The best place to start this loop is the Soldiers Park Trailhead where riders can enjoy a leisurely cycle on the sealed surface, dual-use and dual directional Collie River Trail, which follows the Collie River and meanders past the more technical Wagyl Biddi MTB trail network.
More adventurous riders may want to get off the hardened surface of the Collie River Trail and try their hand at one of the MTB trails in the Wagyl Biddi network such as Sprockets Rocket or the more difficult Dropped Pye Zone, before rejoining the neighbouring Collie River trail.
After passing the Collie Golf Club, riders will reach the Kylie Trailhead at Minningup Pool and start on the single-direction Kylie Trail, maybe resting at the impressive Djinang Koorliny Lookout over the Collie River valley. Further down the trail, a visit to the inspiring Kaniyang Wiilman Bridge will not disappoint.
Riders will follow the crescent of the Kylie Trail through the protected Westralia Conservation Park bushland high above the river and ride through jarrah and marri trees which attract the forest red-tailed black cockatoos looking for a meal of seeds in the eucalypt nuts. In the spring this is an ideal location to enjoy a myriad of wildflowers along the trail.
This MTB trail loop has been designed to attract riders of all levels of experience and so that those using adaptive bikes can also access the Kylie trail. (see video below).
Minister Whitby trying out the new Kylie Trail
At the northern end of the Kylie Trail, riders can connect with the Karak Trail, named after the Noongar word for the forest red-tailed black cockatoo, and follow this dual directional trail back into Collie and ride from the Visitor Centre through town to get back to the start point at Soldier Park.
Welcome to Country conducted by Joe Northover, traditional custodian. Photo Credit Tim Allot
What's next?
Work is also underway to complete a further 47km of mountain bike trail in Stages 2 and 3 of the Collie Adventure Trails project. These new trails will link Wellington Dam, Honeymoon Pool and the existing MTB network at Mt Lennard through the spectacular Collie River valley.
Tenders have recently been awarded to two local trail building companies with Magic Dirt Trailworx constructing 31km and Three Chillies Designs constructing 16km of the new trails.
Nearly 110km of mountain bike trails are being built, including 58km added to Wellington National Park, 29km in the Arklow forest north of Collie, as well as new mountain bike jump trails linking existing trails in the Arklow forest.
Work continues on improving the facilities at Wellington Dam to cater for the increasing number of visitors coming to use the new trails or to view the mural on the Wellington Dam wall. Expanded car parking, more shared-use trails and an upgraded kiosk and café facilities at the Wellington Dam site.
The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions is collaborating with the Shire of Collie, and local community groups to build the Wambenger Trails into a network that will attract tourism, not only from Perth, but from all over Australia and the world.
This will not only boost jobs and help local businesses in Collie by becoming a ‘trail and adventure town’ but will also showcase the nature and culture of the area enabling people to reconnect with nature and rejuvenate and improve their physical and mental health.
New trails will open progressively and are expected to be completed by December 2023. The Kylie Trail is definitely one that you won’t be able to get out of your head!
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