Middle Earth

Overview

Middle Earth is a 24 km cross-country mountain bike network on Gale Road at Metricup, midway between Busselton and Cowaramup in Western Australia's South West. Despite the postcode shared with Margaret River wineries, the trailhead is a 20-minute drive north of Margaret River town and just a few minutes from the Beerfarm brewery — a pairing that defines the post-ride culture here.

The network is almost entirely fast, rolling, hand-built singletrack with rocky technical pinches, log obstacles, berms and a few beginner-friendly jumps. Riders describe it as "a maze" — the trails interweave to wring maximum mileage out of a relatively compact land parcel, and most riders take 1.5–3 hours to complete a full lap. It suits intermediate riders best, though strong beginners can ride it and advanced riders enjoy carrying speed through the flow. The riding is XC-style: pedally, undulating, with no big sustained climbs or descents.

Middle Earth was built more than a decade ago by two locals — Rod Lakelin and Pete Battye — initially as a way for Rod to connect with his teenage son and to give a friend going through a divorce a healthy outlet. From that personal project it grew into one of the South West's most-recognised networks, becoming the final stage of the long-running Cape to Cape MTB stage race. Today it is one of four trail networks managed by the Margaret River Off Road Cycling Association (MRORCA), alongside Wooditjup, The Creek and the Wadandi Track.

Location & Access

• Address: Gale Road, Metricup WA 6280 (trailhead loop begins/ends at Carbunup Road near the intersection with Gale Road).
• Coordinates (DB): -33.922292, 115.050116.
• Drive times:
  • Margaret River town — ≈20 min (≈25 km) north.
  • Busselton — ≈25 min (≈25 km) south.
  • Cowaramup — ≈10 min (≈10 km) south.
  • Perth — ≈2 h 50 min (≈250 km).
  • Bunbury — ≈1 h 5 min (≈85 km).
• Nearest town: Cowaramup or Metricup (no services in Metricup itself); Cowaramup has cafes, IGA, fuel.
• Nearest food/refreshment: Beerfarm Metricup (8 Gale Rd) — taproom, beer garden, wood-fired food — a short ride or 1-minute drive from the trailhead; widely cited as the post-ride stop.
• Public transport: None to the trailhead. TransWA South West Coach Lines services Cowaramup; you would need a lift or rideshare from there.

Best Season & Conditions

• Open year-round.
• Winter (Jun–Aug): Trails drain reasonably well but can be muddy after significant rainfall. Sandy sections firm up nicely with moisture.
• Spring (Sep–Nov): Often the best riding window — wildflowers, tacky dirt, mild temperatures.
• Summer (Dec–Feb): Hot and dry; ride early morning or late afternoon. Watch for fire-danger restricted-access days — a fire ran through part of the network in September 2025 (see Recent News below) and obstacles within the burn area may persist.
• Autumn (Mar–May): Stable, dry conditions. Cape to Cape race typically lands in October.
• Best up-to-date conditions: MRORCA Facebook/Instagram and Trailforks region reports (multiple riders post weekly conditions through the cooler months).

Managing Body & Trail Builders

• Land manager: Land sits on Forest Products Commission (FPC) WA-managed forestry tenure (pine plantation land typical of the Metricup / Carbunup area). MRORCA holds the formal land-use agreement to operate the trails.
• Trail club / operator: Margaret River Off Road Cycling Association (MRORCA) — manages, maintains and signs the trails; runs working bees and events. PO Box 1937, Margaret River WA 6285.
• Original builders: Rod Lakelin and Pete Battye (locals, hand-built over many years).
• Volunteering / membership: Via mrorca.org.au — membership supports trail upkeep across all four MRORCA networks (Wooditjup, The Creek, Middle Earth, Wadandi Track).
• Social channels: facebook.com/mrorca, instagram.com/mrorca_mtb, instagram.com/middleearthsmaps.

History & Background

• Construction: Built progressively from around 2013–2015 by Rod Lakelin and Pete Battye as a personal hand-built project. The "maze-like" layout reflects the priority of squeezing maximum singletrack into the available land parcel rather than following a master plan.
• Cape to Cape adoption: The network rose to public prominence when it was adopted as the final stage of the Cape to Cape MTB stage race (one of Australia's longest-running multi-day MTB events). Coverage by Australian Mountain Bike Magazine of that stage cemented the trail's reputation outside the Margaret River local scene.
• MRORCA stewardship: As Middle Earth grew in popularity, MRORCA absorbed it into its formal portfolio alongside the Margaret River–town networks, providing insurance, signage standards and trail-maintenance days.
• 2024: Cape to Cape ran a dedicated "singletrack party" event at Middle Earth in May 2024 — a one-day, singletrack-only crit-style format separate from the main October stage race.
• September 2025 fire: A fire affected part of the network in September 2025; trails reopened soon after, with riders advised that obstacles may persist within the burn area. By late November 2025, conditions were back to "ideal after recent rains" per trail reports.

Recent News & Updates

• Sep 2025: Fire through part of the network (Trailforks reports). MRORCA and rider community moved through cleanup; trails reopened with cautions in burn area.
• Oct–Nov 2025: Conditions reported "all clear / green / ideal" by multiple Trailforks region reports — fire damage limited, no extended closures.
• Oct 2026 (upcoming): Cape to Cape MTB scheduled 15–18 October 2026 — Middle Earth historically hosts the final stage.

Sources

1. MRORCA — Middle Earth trail page — https://www.mrorca.org.au/trails-middleearth (accessed 2026-05-20)
2. MRORCA — Home — https://www.mrorca.org.au/ (accessed 2026-05-20)
3. MRORCA — Other trails — https://www.mrorca.org.au/trails-othertrails (accessed 2026-05-20)
4. Margaret River Region (official tourism) — Middle Earth listing — https://www.margaretriver.com/things-to-do/attractions/cycling/mountain-biking/middle-earth-mountain-biking-trails/ (accessed 2026-05-20)
5. Accommodation Margaret River — Best Mountain Bike Trails Margaret River — https://www.accommodationmargaretriver.com/best-mountain-bike-trails-margaret-river/ (accessed 2026-05-20)
6. Summerstar — Margaret River Mountain Biking Trails — https://summerstar.com.au/blog/margaret-river-mountain-biking-trails (accessed 2026-05-20)
7. Australian Mountain Bike Magazine — "Cape to Cape Conquers Middle Earth" — https://www.ambmag.com.au/gallery/cape-to-cape-conquers-middle-earth-532647/ (accessed 2026-05-20)
8. Cape to Cape MTB — official race site (2026 dates 15–18 Oct) — https://capetocapemtb.com/ (accessed 2026-05-20)
9. Trailforks — Middle Earth region (403 to fetch, URL canonical and used by community) — https://www.trailforks.com/region/middle-earth/ (accessed 2026-05-20)
10. Trailforks trail reports — Oct/Nov 2025 conditions and September 2025 fire references — e.g. https://www.trailforks.com/report/4370255 (accessed 2026-05-20)
11. AllTrails — Middle Earth MTB Loop (403 to fetch, URL canonical) — https://www.alltrails.com/trail/australia/western-australia/middle-earth-mtb-loop (accessed 2026-05-20)