The best wildflower trek in the world… the best long distance trek for leisurely hikers… and the best long distance hike for first-time through hikers. The Bibbulmun ticks all the boxes.

We acknowledge the Nyoongar people as the traditional owners and custodians of the land and waters over which the Bibbulmun Track passes. Nyoongar people have a deep spiritual, emotional, social and physical connection to “country” (Boodja). We respect the Boodja when we walk the Bibbulmun Track to ensure its natural and cultural values are preserved for all future generations.

Hiker walking along a gravel track through a forest with dense understory of orange and yellow flowering shrubs

Why hike the Bibbulmun? There are so many other long-distance through-hikes in the world: the PCT, CDT, and the AT in the US, the Alta Vie and Haute routes in Europe, the Te Aroa in New Zealand, and even other treks in Australia, like the Heysen in South Australia, and the Australian Alps Walking Track in the east. All have something unique to offer but, for leisurely hikers and especially those who love Australia’s incredible wildflowers, the Bibbulmun is in a class of its own.

Astonishingly Rich Flora and Fauna

About the same geographic size as Southwest Western Australia, England has about 1500 vascular plant species, fewer than 50 of them unique. The other Australian land biodiversity hotspot, the Eastern Forests, also contains about 1,500 endemic plants.

A close up a clubbed spider orchid flower, with five slender pale green petals with a burgundy centre. — Clubbed Orchid

However, the biodiversity hotspot corner of Western Australia has approximately ***8,000*** different native plant species, about half of which are found nowhere else in Australia, let alone the world! It is an extraordinary place.

Two hikers standing inside the huge hollow trunk of a massive Tingle Tree. The space is big enough to fit a car! — Giant Tingle Tree

The Bibbulmun travels right across that Southwest hotspot, through every vegetation type from coastal heath and dunes, to swamp to jarrah, karri and the ancient Tingle forests, with hollow trunks wide enough to drive a van through. There is a small amount of bucolic farmland and a few hours of plantation forest, but the vast majority of the route is through native vegetation.

A small browny grey bandicoot walking in front of a hikers backpack on a surface of coarse bark chips — The Southwest is also home to unique animals: marsupials such as numbats, woylies, honey possums, plus numerous bird, reptile and insect species occur only in this region.

You’ll see bandicoots and annoyingly clever native rodents around the huts, snakes zipping across the track or curled in the sun beside it, mobs of kangaroos, and countless birds in the scrub. Whether you love plants, animals, nature or just walking in beautiful landscapes, the Bibbulmun Track has something for you.

Many Different Landforms

Over 1000km, the walk traverses red ironstone gravel in the Darling Range, elevated granite domes with vast views, coastal cliffs of jagged limestone, peaty swamp plains, gorges with cascading rivers, and white beach sand so fine it squeaks beneath your boots. You pass still lakes, wade tidal estuaries, skirt rock pools and edge along towering escarpments. For the observant, there’s something new to see every single day.

Short Daily Distances

Leisurely hikers will love the Bibbulmun’s daily distances, which are mostly between 12-20 km (7.5-12.4 miles), with a few under 10 km (6.2 miles) near the northern and southern ends, plus a number over 20km (12.4 miles). However, other than in water catchment areas and parks, you can break many of these longer days into two shorter ones, because there are other huts, campsites and often water sources between Official Track Huts. Our trip planning page describes these tweaks. This means there’s always plenty of time to boil the billy at lunch, to photograph the plentiful wildflowers and views, to climb the next hill, or to wait for that shy bird. Faster hikers often “double-hut”, bypassing a hut at lunchtime and going to the next one, but of course we preferred to enjoy each day and every hut.

Long Daylight Hours

The Bibbulmun is hiked between April and November. In winter, days are, of course, shorter, but even on the shortest midwinter day you’ll have more than ten hours of daylight; autumn and spring have 11 ½ - 12 ½ hrs of daylight, so that leisurely hikers need never rush to reach camp.

Excellent Seasons and Climate

Hiker waking on top of a grassy hill with a single large eucalypt to his right with forest covered vegetation on distant hills in the background. — Unlike Northern Hemisphere long distance hikes, where big days are often required to complete the trek before snow arrives, The Bibbulmun has no such constraints; autumn gets progressively cooler and wetter, but many people happily hike through winter. Spring is delightful, with pleasant temperatures during the day, plus a number of hot or wet ones, depending on the year.

Hiking in summer is strongly discouraged due to Australia’s extreme heat – often many days above 40 C (104 F) – and the correspondingly high bushfire risk. Summer bushfires are frequent and very dangerous, with no guarantee that hikers, even with PLBs, can be rescued from the track if fires move too fast with too much smoke to let aircraft approach: take a look at this very lucky hiker (1:41 and the very end show the proximity of the fire). If you require evacuation, you are endangering not only yourself but also your rescuers. Please don’t hike this track in summer.

Excellent FREE* Facilities on the Track

A hut, rainwater tank, toilet and campsites await you at the end of every day’s walking. There’s always a sheltered table to prepare dinner and breakfast, and no multiday water carries. This makes for easy planning and light packs. These facilities are completely free to hikers.

*However, if you can afford to pay it forward by supporting volunteers, ensuring other hikers continue to enjoy those same fantastic facilities, join the Bibbulmun Track Foundation (see below) and those facilities will cost you a measly $1.12/day, or 89c/day concession.

A small three side hut with 3 hikers sitting around a table under the veranda of the hut. A small camp fire is in the foreground with a rainwater tank next to the hut.

Well-Spaced, Friendly Country Towns

Country towns are well-spaced along the track, and their friendly, helpful visitor centres are accustomed to storing food drops and/or bounce boxes. There’s only one long stretch where you require an out-of-town food drop, and track transfer services or trail angels can leave your parcel or meet you at the midway point.

The towns have BnBs, pub(s), café(s), motel(s), a caravan park &/or backpacker accommodation to suit every budget. The little supermarkets as well as many of the Visitor Centres stock dehydrated food and supplies suited to backpacking, as well as things like inflatable pillows, bug nets etc.

A smiling woman seated in a cafe holding up to the camera a very large plate of food in front of her, with a glass of wine next to the plate. There is another equally large plate of food in the foreground, along with a side dish of extra vegetables. — *The towns are a great place to stop and have rest, refuel and of course*

*enjoy a glass of wine!*

Townsfolk like hikers and the business and appreciation we bring, and you will be warmly welcomed by everyone.

Excellent Waymarkers

The track is well marked with the distinctive triangular Waugul signs, usually at eye level on trees every few hundred metres, as well as at intersections, bends, rock slabs and other places you’re likely to miss the track. Keep your eyes peeled and you’ll only need your hiking app or maps now and then.

A rustic post and rail black wooden fence and gate with tall bamboo in the background and poplar trees to the right

A Well-Maintained Track

The Bibbulmun is mostly single track, plus quiet forestry tracks (we never saw a single vehicle on them), lovely old logging bullock rail trails, and a small amount of larger roads, mainly into and out of towns. It is maintained by the Department of Parks and Wildlife, heavily supported by the Bibbulmun Track Foundation and its volunteers, and it shows in the best way possible. From the trimmed scrub either side of the track and carefully placed logs or branches to block deceptive side tracks, the place the Bibbulmun holds in the hearts of track “vollies” is clear. Of course, after storms or the wettest June on record, as when we hiked, there will be fallen trees and branches to clamber over, but there is no real bush bashing such as you find in Tasmania and New Zealand.

Back view of hiker walking on grassy track in dappled sunlight between pine trees

Although parts of the track, particularly in the Darling Range, are rough and rocky, and others are through soft sand in dunes or on beaches, surfaces underfoot are generally good. Even the infamous calf deep wading in the Pingerup Plains is firm sand – some people do this section barefoot despite the snakes!

Modest Daily Elevation Gains and Losses

On a world scale of hikes, the Bibbulmun’s daily elevation gains and losses are modest, with the greatest being just over 700 m (2,300 feet), and the vast majority much less than that. These aren’t alpine peaks in Europe or New Zealand! If you struggle up mountains, then the Bibbulmun, whilst not flat, is much more doable than long distance hikes in those other countries.

Seclusion and Wilderness – Sort Of

Although this walk is not like those in the Australian Alps or much of Tasmania, it feels surprisingly wild. This is because of very clever routing: in many sections, the track gives the illusion of wilderness, rather than actual wilderness – there may be a mine, road or clear-felled forest hidden just a few ridges away. Having said that, the track also passes through numerous pristine conservation parks and reserves, including very large ones on the coast.

When we hiked there were few people on the track, with usually 4-6 people in the huts including us; a handful of times we were alone, and only thrice were there more than ten people (one was a school group). So although this hike is not secluded in Australian terms, it is nowhere near as busy as through-hikes in Europe or the US.

Meet Fantastic People

The most unexpected bonus of the track for us was the wonderful people we met. On the track, the suburb you live in, the job you do or don’t have, your income, your level of education, are all irrelevant. You’ll meet people from every walk of life, and they’ll have only two things in common: they are on the track, and they are interesting. Let’s face it, anyone who decides to hike 1,000km, whether in one hit as an end-to-ender, or in sections as a section hiker, is not quite in the middle of the bell curve!

People are on the track for numerous reasons: for personal challenge, for self improvement or insight, for fitness, for mental health, to mend relationships, to process lost relationships or, like us, to simply to go for a long walk in a beautiful natural environment. Enjoy terrific conversation and laughs around the campfire and dinner table but introverts, worry not: you have campsites for personal space should you want them.

Cultural Opportunities

There are plenty of opportunities to learn about the Noongar people of the region, with physical artifacts visible along the trail if you know what to look for.

The Bibbulmun Track Foundation

This largely volunteer organisation is what makes the Bibbulmun Track what it is. The sense of community between hikers, volunteers and townsfolk is palpable. The Foundation is an incredible resource that:

Smiling bald man sitting in a shelter holding up a Bibbulmun Track map — The Bibbulmun Foundation

Sells maps and guidebooks
Provides a comprehensive section by section guide of the entire track, a distance calculator, and provides all the info you need about track towns and walker-friendly accommodation and services
Runs fantastic online and in-person workshops on topics such as navigation, food and gear, and E2E hiking, especially for beginners.

A groundcover shrub with spectacular electric blue flowers in the foreground of an open woodland forest. with — The Foundation can also supply hire equipment such as sleeping bags and packs, tents and stoves, PLBs and dehydrators.

You can join guided tours, both day and overnight, for different groups (over 60s, beginners, Dads with kids etc).
If you become a member, you get discounts on the seminars, workshops and all merchandise. You receive the thrice yearly magazine and a badge and certificate when you complete an E2E (end to end).

Best of all, you receive a one-on-one trip planning consultation (in person, online, and/or via email) with an experienced hiker. This is invaluable, especially if you are new to hiking. Ours looked at our itinerary and gear list and we tweaked them in light of his advice. This service would be especially helpful for overseas hikers who are unfamiliar with Australian conditions.

Best long-distance hike for First Time Through Hikers

All of the above make this walk the perfect through hike for those who have never done a long distance hike before. The services, facilities, track condition, terrain, waymarking, maps, support and distances all help ensure that anyone who does a bit of research (and you’re reading this, aren’t you?) has a great chance of success; see also our Motivation articles for long distance hikers.

We set off on the same day as another couple (mid 50s and mid 70s, of average fitness) who had never done an overnight hike or slept in a tent before, let alone complete a long distance hike. But like us they finished successfully, very proud and happy about their achievement. If they can do it, and we can do it, chances are you can too!

An old male western grey kangaroo looking into the lens, surrounded by pink and white wildflowers — *“Fair dinkum - it’s all true!”*

Enticing, isn’t it? See hike planning for more as well as posts on trip planning for leisurely hikers, food, and wildflowers. Or Subscribe - it's easy and free!

The Bibbulmun Track: The Best Long Distance Wildflower Walk for Slower Hikers