2022 Bibbulmun Track Hiker Survey
At 1000km long, the Bibbulmun Track is one of Australia’s greatest long-distance hiking trails. The Bibbulmun Track Hiker Survey is designed to provide hikers with a comprehensive and up-to-date planning resource to help them prepare for any trip ranging from day hikes to end-to-end thru hikes.
At its core, the survey is community driven as it is only made possible by hikers sharing their knowledge and experience. In 2022 we had 82 responses. If you want to participate in the 2023 survey, you can be notified when the survey is opened by filling out the form below.
Contents
Due to the wide scope of the survey, the results have been broken down into the following sections:
- Hiker demographics & motivation
- Hiking statistics
- Resupply
- Gear
- Hiker health
- Common fears & advice for future hikers
If there is something that isn’t covered in the survey, make sure to let us know so we can improve it for next year. Finally, as with any survey, there are a number of limitations that must be considered when interpreting the results:
- The survey results are only as reliable as the information collected.
- Survey results will skew towards the types of people that answered the survey (as shown below).
Age
Gender
Hiker Demographics
Where Are Hikers From?
Why Do People Choose the Bibbulmun Track?
How Do People Have Time to Hike on the Bibbulmun Track?
Some More Quick Facts
Top Three Planning Resources
Hiking Statistics
When Is The Track Busiest?
The Bibbulmun Track is busiest in the second half of September and the first week of October. This typically corresponds with prime orchid season, ideal temperatures, and school holidays!
End-To-End (E2E) Hikers
Which Direction Do E2E Hikers Walk?
Why Do Hikers Walk Southbound?
Why Do Hikers Walk Northbound?
How Long Does An E2E Take?
The average duration of an E2E was 48 days. This corresponds to hiking 20.8km per day (including rest days).
The average person took a total of 4 rest days (zeros) throughout their E2E.
How Much Does an E2E Cost?
What Is the Total Cost of Hiking the Bibbulmun Track?
How Much Does Hiking the Bibbulmun Track Cost?
The average cost per month on trail is $750, which works out to be $25 per day or $1.20 per kilometre!
Which Sections Do E2E Hikers Enjoy the Most? Which Is The Hardest?
Hikers favourite section of trail was Walpole to Denmark (30.2%), which was also rated as the most challenging section of trail (37.1%). Interestingly, however, 0% of people said Walpole to Denmark was both their favourite and most challenging section!
Favourite Section
Most Challenging Section
Why Do E2E Hikers Quit?
79.6% of hikers complete their end-to-end.
For those who don’t finish, 42.9% stop because they run out of time.
Return Rate
Of all E2E finishers, 76.7% reported that they would attempt another E2E.
16.3% would only hike their favourite sections again.
7.0% would not hike the trail again.
79.6%Â of hikers complete their end-to-end.
For those who don’t finish, 42.9% stop because they run out of time.
Why Do Hikers Not Finish Their E2E?
There was an issue displaying the chart. Please edit the chart in the admin area for more details.
Section hikers
The average section hiker completed 187.0 km along the Bibbulmun Track at any one time.
The most popular distance to hike was 60-80km, completed by 25.6% of hikers.
Most Popular Sections
Weighted by Distance from Perth
- Walpole – Denmark (↑ 2)
- Northcliffe – Walpole (↑ 2)
- Denmark – Albany (↑ 4)
- Balingup – Donnelly River (↓ 2)
- Donnelly River – Pemberton (↑ 3)
- Collie – Balingup (↓ 1)
- Pemberton – Northcliffe (↑ 2)
- Dwellingup – Collie (↓ 2)
- Kalamunda – Dwellingup (↓ 8)
Overall Popularity
Although Kalamunda – Dwellingup is the most popular section to hike on, it is likely not because it is the most scenic or enjoyable. Instead, Kalamunda – Dwellingup is probably the most popular because it is close to Perth (where most section hikers live).
Once section popularity is weighted by distance from Perth, the two most popular sections are Walpole – Denmark and Northcliffe – Walpole. This aligns with what E2E hikers reported as their favourite sections.
What Factors Negatively Impact Experience?
There will always be aspects of hiking that can make trips less enjoyable. We asked hikers to rate the following factors out of 10 (10 being the highest), depending on how negatively they impacted their experience.
Resupply
Resupply Strategy
“If I were to hike the trail again I would still mail some supplies, but resupply mostly from towns.”
“Next time, I would only send boxes to smaller towns, eg. Donnelly River.”
“Posting was so much hassle and didn’t work out to be much cheaper.”
Resupply Locations
Where Do Hikers Who Post Food Send Their Food Parcels To?
 TWR stands for Three Ways Roadhouse. Note that it is currently closed and it is unclear if/when it will reopen.
How Do Hikers Rate Each Town for Their Resupply Options?
Dwellingup (7.3/10)
Collie (8.8/10)
Balingup (5.3/10)
Donnelly River (5.1/10)
Pemberton (7.6/10)
Northcliffe (6.2/10)
Walpole (7.5/10)
Denmark (8.3/10)
Other Food Parcel Facts
How Did People Store Their Food at Night in Shelters?
The shelters on the Bibbulmun Track can attract mice and other rodents that might want to inspect your pack for food at night!
Note: Plastic tubs are typically only provided at shelters where rodents are more troublesome.
How Do Hikers Store Their Food at Night?
Additional Gear
Top 5 Additional Items
Camp shoes
Towel
Sit Pad
Paper Books
Town Clothes
Top 5 Items Hikers Picked Up
Blister care
Massage ball
Trekking poles
Bug net
Tarp (to use under mat in shelters)
Top 5 Items Hikers Discarded
Games
Umbrella
Guide books
Gas cannister stabiliser
Extra cooking utensils
Hiker Health
Injury
On average, injured hikers took an additional 1 day of rest due to their injury.
On average, hikers estimate their injury cost them an additional ~$37.
Top 5 Injuries on Trail
Illness
No hiker reported that they got COVID on trail.
Ticks
E2E hikers got an average of 2.9 ticks during their trek.
Worst 3 Sections for Ticks
Top 3 Items Carried to Remove Ticks
Common Fears & Advice For Future Hikers
Common Fears
Although the top two fears did not change before and after hiking, there were 36% fewer post hike fears submitted.
Top 5 Fears Pre Hike
Top 5 Fears Post Hike
Top 5 Things Hikers Would Do Differently Next Time
Final Comments
