Pemberton Mountain Bike Park

Overview

Pemberton Mountain Bike Park sits in the old-growth Karri forest on the north-west edge of the small mill town of Pemberton, in WA's Southern Forests. Roughly 30 km of hand-built singletrack threads two main rises locals call "Main Hill" and "Pump Hill", with a third area — the new Arboretum trails — adding ~20 km of machine-built flow nearby. The famed "Karri loam" surface is consistently the headline: dark, grippy, near-tacky dirt that holds up year-round and is the reason riders fly across from Perth (about 3 h 20 m drive) and from the eastern states. The park has been classed by Trails WA as a national-level destination.

The network caters to all abilities. A 1.5 km XC skills loop and a polypave/dirt pump track sit at the car park; green and blue flow lines (Longshanks, Pirate Trail, Drop Bear) feed the main hills; the technical XCO and DH side leans hard on three signature descents — Cool Running (blue), Relentless Blue (black), Bloody Mary (black) — plus the very steep Nationals and Wahoo (both black). Connecting trails join the Munda Biddi (Pemberton is roughly the halfway point of the 1,000 km Perth–Albany route) and the Bibbulmun walking track, so multi-day riders use the town as a hub.

The park was opened in 2007 by the Pemberton Visitor Centre, Pemberton Camp School and a small group of local riders. It is now overseen by the Shire of Manjimup with DBCA (Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions) co-managing the surrounding State Forest land. The Pemberton Cycling Association does most volunteer trail maintenance, with WA trail builders Three Chillies Design returning regularly for major works (the rebuilt pump track in 2018, ongoing Arboretum builds for 2025).

Location & Access

Address: Swimming Pool Road, Pemberton WA 6260
Region: Southern Forests (also marketed under "Southern Forests & Valleys" tourism brand)
Drive times: ~3 h 20 m south from Perth (335 km via Bunbury/SW Highway); ~1 h south from Manjimup; ~2 h east from Margaret River
Public transport: Transwa coach (SW2) Perth–Pemberton service stops in town; no transport to the trailhead — taxi or walk (~2 km from town centre)
Parking: Free gravel car park at trailhead on Swimming Pool Road, adjacent to the Pemberton Pool and the pump/jump track
Coords: -34.4364, 116.0652 (verified against Google Maps)

Best Season & Conditions

Peak riding season: Year-round — the Karri loam holds up in both wet and dry. Spring (Sept–Nov) is widely cited as the best window for wildflowers and cool temps. Autumn (Mar–May) brings cool firm conditions and the major Relentless Blue / Karri Cup events.
Wet-weather impact: Generally rideable when wet (loam is famously grippy). Fallen Karri branches after big storms are the main hazard — trails may need clearing by club volunteers after weather events. Some low-lying connector sections can puddle.
Fire-danger / total-fire-ban impact: State forest may be closed on declared fire-ban days during summer (Dec–Mar). Check DBCA / Shire alerts before riding.
Snow / alpine season: N/A — too low and too far north for snow.
School-holiday surge: Busy on long weekends and WA school holidays (Apr, Jul, Oct, Dec/Jan). The Pemberton Enduro event weekend pushes capacity in early May.

Managing Body & Trail Builders

Land manager: Shire of Manjimup (park assets); Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) — surrounding State Forest tenure
Trail builder / maintainer: Pemberton Cycling Association (volunteers); Three Chillies Design (contracted major works, including 2018 pump track rebuild and ongoing Arboretum builds)
Volunteer / dig days: Pemberton Cycling Association meets Sundays; trail dig days announced via club Facebook/Instagram
Donations / membership: pembertoncycling.com.au — membership tiers via the website; pembertoncycling@gmail.com

History & Background

2007 — Park established through a partnership of the Pemberton Visitor Centre, Pemberton Camp School and the Pemberton Cycling Group, with support from the Shire of Manjimup and what was then Department of Environment & Conservation.
2010s — Iterative trail expansion across Main Hill and Pump Hill, building the network out to ~30 km.
2018 — Three Chillies Design returned to PolyPave the original dirt pump track and build concrete-lipped dirt jumps adjacent to the Pemberton natural swimming pool.
2020 — Pemberton Cycling Association formally incorporated (the town had a strong informal riding scene long before).
2021 — Shire of Manjimup published the Pemberton Trails Master Plan (with DBCA, DLGSC and the Visitor Centre), identifying the Arboretum Forest as the next expansion zone.
2025 — Arboretum trail network breaking ground / opening progressively: ~20 km of mostly green/blue machine-built flow trails by Three Chillies Design, with a black descent rumoured. Sets up Pemberton as a 50 km+ destination.

The park hosts the Relentless Blue (IMBA-style mountain bike challenge, traditionally first weekend in May) and is on the calendar for the Karri Valley Triathlon weekend in March. The wider region also stages multi-event Perth Trail Series events.

Sources

Trails WA — Pemberton Mountain Bike Park — https://trailswa.com.au/trails/trail-networks/pemberton-mountain-bike-park — accessed 2026-05-20
Pemberton Visitor Centre — Pemberton Mountain Bike Park — https://www.pembertonvisitor.com.au/pemberton-mountain-bike-park — accessed 2026-05-20
Visit Pemberton WA — Cycling & Trails — https://www.pembertonwa.com/cycletrails — accessed 2026-05-20
Shire of Manjimup — Mountain Biking — https://www.manjimup.wa.gov.au/our-places-and-spaces/paths-and-trails/mountain-biking — accessed 2026-05-20 (403 to WebFetch, but referenced via search excerpt)
Pemberton MTB Park brochure (PDF, 2016) — https://www.manjimup.wa.gov.au/repository/libraries/id:2dsd3ekxd17q9s83uxq6/hierarchy/SITE%20COLLECTION%20DOCUMENTS/our-places-and-spaces/paths-and-trails/Pem%20Mtb%20Park%20Brochure%20November%202016%20(1).pdf — accessed 2026-05-20
Pemberton Trails Master Plan 2021 (PDF) — https://www.manjimup.wa.gov.au/repository/libraries/id:2dsd3ekxd17q9s83uxq6/hierarchy/SITE%20COLLECTION%20DOCUMENTS/our-places-and-spaces/paths-and-trails/210504%20PEMBERTON%20TRAILS%20MASTER%20PLAN%20FINAL_Low%20Res.pdf — accessed 2026-05-20
Three Chillies Design — Pemberton MTB Park project page — https://www.threechilliesdesign.com.au/project/pemberton-mountain-bike-park/ — accessed 2026-05-20
Flow Mountain Bike — Pemberton destination — https://flowmountainbike.com/destination/pemberton/ — accessed 2026-05-20 (403 to WebFetch, accessed via search excerpts)
Pemberton Cycling Association — https://www.pembertoncycling.com.au/ — accessed 2026-05-20
Trailforks — Pemberton MTB Park region — https://www.trailforks.com/region/pemberton-mountain-bike-park/ — accessed 2026-05-20 (verified URL canonical; 403 to WebFetch)