Munda Biddi trail ride an ode to man’s late father

Embarking on a 750km cycling journey, Perth-based John Berger set out to ride from Collie to Albany by Anzac day. Riding to town after town with stops in Nannup, Manjimup, Pemberton, Northcliff and Walpole this month, Mr Berger cycled the Munda Biddi Trail all the way south. The main motivation to take on such a feat was to complete the trail by his 60th birthday this year. “My dad died when he was 62,” Mr Berger said. “I set myself a goal to say that I’m not going to end up down the same path. I’ll keep myself fit and healthy. “Part of doing that is to take on the Munda Biddi Trail.” The trail, the name of which translates to “path through the forest” in the Noongar language, is a 1072km off-road cycling trail through the Darling Ranges and Southern Forests of Western Australia. An avid cyclist, Mr Berger was introduced to mountain biking by his son almost three years ago. “(My son) suggested we do a leg of the Munda Biddi,” he said. “We rode from Jarrahdale to Mundaring, which is about 100km, and that got the bug in me.” After achieving the Perth to Collie leg in spring last year, Mr Berger set the goal to ride the rest of the trail from Collie to Albany this year. During leave from work, Mr Berger set out on the two-week adventure on April 10. As a social worker, Mr Berger has worked in human services most of his life. Recently, he was the CEO of a homelessness service in Perth. While Mr Berger pre-planned the journey he was undertaking on the Munda Biddi Trail, he said adjustments were needed daily to prepare for the days ahead. “You can set yourself a goal for the day, but when you’re out there riding and coming across things, you’ve got to be willing to vary things or change it up according to the conditions,” he said. “I’m surprised how well I’ve been able to do it. Taking rest days was important because after six days of riding, I was tending to rush things a little bit. “I ended up making silly little mistakes, like forgetting something.” With the original goal to reach Albany by Anzac Day last Thursday, and only three days to go when he spoke to the Times, Mr Berger said he had to be “willing to say I won’t be making the end of the journey on Anzac Day”. Part of reaching the destination by last Thursday was also to consider his wife Catherine. “I’ve brought my partner on this journey, so there’s a time frame,” Mr Berger said. “She’s kindly offered her time to be with me on this journey, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to do it. There’s no way I could have done it without her support. (I am) extremely grateful for that.” Staying two days in each town allowed the couple to “enjoy the local environment” while gaining insight into the local issues and challenges. Hearing about the lack of rain and feed from town to town, Mr Berger also noticed the hot, dry, and dusty terrain on the biking journey. Mr Berger accomplished his original goal, despite doubts three days earlier. “The fact the geography keeps changing is great, but when you’re out there, doing each leg, you think, ‘Oh my gosh, the road looks like it goes on forever’,” he said. With an exciting update on Thursday, Mr Berger told the Times he was “elated” to accomplish the original schedule. When Mr Berger left Denmark on Wednesday April 24, he decided to cycle the rest of the way to Albany, an 82km ride, making it the longest day of the whole trip. “By the time I reached Denmark, I felt I had broken the back of the journey,” he said. “I started to feel sad the journey was coming to an end—all my efforts had gotten me to this point. “Albany was a sight for sore eyes, and in some ways, I couldn’t believe that I had completed the whole journey. “I could have thrown in the towel at some point and decided ‘this is all too hard’. But no, you persist and keep going and deal with what’s in front of you.” Arriving in Albany in time for the Anzac Day dawn service after a two-week ride, Mr Berger said he felt privileged to attend and pay his respects.