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.
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?
95.1% of hikers live in Australia, and 76.8% of all hikers are from Western Australia.
Why Do People Choose the Bibbulmun Track?
68.2% of people choose to hike on the Bibbulmun Track because of its reputation.
How Do People Have Time to Hike on the Bibbulmun Track?
32.9% of people hike on the Bibbulmun Track during their annual leave.
Some More Quick Facts:
51.2% of hikers did pre-hike training.
54.9% started their trek alone.
70.0% were planning their trip for <6 months.
10.1% of people had never hiked before.
Top Three Planning Resources
- The Bibbulmun Track Website (used by 97.0% of hikers)
- The Bibbulmun Track Facebook Group Page (used by 58.2% of hikers)
- The Bibbulmun Track Facebook Page (used by 51.9% of hikers)
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?
75.9% of hikers attempting an E2E walk southbound (Kalamunda – Albany).
Why Do Hikers Walk Southbound?
Why Do Hikers Walk Northbound?
How Long Does An E2E Take?
The average person took a total of 4 rest days (zeros) throughout their E2E.
How Much Does an E2E Cost?
The average total cost of a Bibbulmun E2E was ~$2300 (including gear, transport, food etc).
What Is the Toal Cost of Hiking the Bibbulmun Track?
The average on trail cost of a Bibbulmun E2E was ~$1200 (food, accomodation etc).
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?
Interestingly, however, 0% of people said Walpole – 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.
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.
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.
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
Overall Popularity
- Kalamunda – Dwellingup (24.7%)
- Balingup – Donnelly River (12.4%)
- Walpole – Denmark (12.4%)
- Northcliffe – Walpole (11.3%)
- Collie – Balingup (10.3%)
- Dwellingup – Collie (9.3%)
- Denmark – Albany (8.2%)
- Donnelly River – Pemberton (7.2%)
- Pemberton – Northcliffe (4.1%)
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)
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
82.6% of hikers would not change their resupply strategy.
14.5% would not post any resupply boxes.
2.9% would mail food to every town.
“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?
Other Food Parcel Facts
67.7% of hikers who posted food would change their parcel contents for next time. Of those hikers,
56.0% would pack less food.
28.0% would pack a larger variety of foods.
24.0% would pack more food.
16.0% would pack more dehydrated food.
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?
Gear
Base Weight
The average hiker base weight (pack weight minus food and water) was 10.5kg.
What Baseweight Do Hikers Have?
Tents
74.3% carried a freestanding tent.
69.6% carried a double-walled tent.
Most Popular Tents
 |  |  |
Rating: 8.5/10 | Rating: 9.6/10 | Rating: 9.0/10 |
Weight: 525g/18.5oz | Weight: 1220g/43oz | Weight: 1315g/46.4oz |
Type: 2 person, single-walled | Type: 2 person, double-walled, freestanding | Type: 1 person, double-walled, free standing |
 | | |
"Love it." | "Perfect. No issues in any weather yet." | "I could probably get a lighter tent if I spent more money, but this one is good enough for me!" |
Sleeping Bags
78% of hikers carried a sleeping bag whilst the other 22% carried a quilt.
Female hikers carried a sleeping bag/quilt with an average temperature rating of -3.8°C (25.2F).
Male hikers carried a sleeping bag/quilt with an average temperature rating of -1.9°C (28.6F).
How Many Hikers Were Cold At Night?
Note that being cold at night may also depend on factors such as the R value of your sleeping mat, sleeping in a tent vs a shelter, and how much you ate for dinner!
Most Popular Sleeping Bags
Note: The temperatures ratings are supplied by the manufacturer. The S2S Flame uses the EN women’s comfort rating, whereas the S2S Trek and S2S Spark use EN lower limit ratings.
 |  |  |
Rating: 8.2/10 | Rating: 9.25/10 | Rating: 7.3/10 |
Weight: 665g/23.5oz | Weight: 760g/26.8oz | Weight: 665g/23.5oz |
Fill weight: 440g/15.5oz | Fill weight: 350g/12.3oz | Fill weight: 430g/15.2oz |
Fill power: 850 cuin | Fill power: 650 cuin | Fill power: 850 cuin |
| | | |
"Love it. It was almost too warm for the Bibb." | "Perfect for the time of year and sleeping in huts." | "I got a large so I could have more space, but that made it a bit colder." |
Sleeping Bags
93.8% of hikers carried inflatable mats whilst the other 6.2% carried foam mats.
Most Popular Inflatable Sleeping Mats
 |  |  |
Rating: 7.4/10 | Rating: 7.6/10 | Rating: 8.8/10 |
Weight: 350g/12.5oz | Weight: 470g/16.6oz | Weight: 410g/14.5oz |
R-value: 4.5 | R-value: 3.2 | R-value: 4.2 |
| | | |
"Love it apart from the noise it makes when you move." | "Noisy, looses air." | "Super comfortable and easy to inflate." |
Most Popular Foam Sleeping Mats
 |  |
Weight: 397g/14oz | Weight: 415g |
R-value: 2.0 | R-value: 2.0 |
Backpacks
Most Popular Backpacks
 |  |  |  |
Rating: 8.3/10 | Rating: 8.0/10 | Rating: 6.8/10 | Rating:10.0/10 |
Weight: 1946g/68.6oz | Weight: 1280g/45.2oz | Weight: 2231g/78.7oz | Weight: 1920g/67.7oz |
| | | | |
"I had everything I needed without going without (I am not an UL hiker). 50L pack was able to fit everything inside, nothing strapped on the outside." | "Probably should have picked something lighter." "Too big and heavy for what I needed on the Bibb." "Pulls on my shoulders, gives me bruises." | "My Aarn gave me much less shoulder pain than my previous pack. I particularly liked the very large and moulded hip belt which made a huge difference to me." |
Stoves
92.7% of hikers carried a stove.
Of those, 92.0% used gas canisters for fuel.
The average pot capacity for a solo hiker was 1.0L.
Most Popular Stoves
 |  |  |  |
Rating: 9.1/10 | Rating: 8.4/10 | Rating: 8.9/10 | Rating: 9.2/10 |
Weight: 415g/14.6oz | Weight: 330g/1.2oz | Weight: 99g/3.5oz | Weight: 73g/2.6oz |
Fuel: Gas canisters | Fuel: Methylated spirits | Fuel: Gas canisters | Fuel: Gas canisters |
| | | | |
"Perfect for this trip. Robust, light, fast and fuel efficient." "Feels too heavy." | "Great but I would prefer to have something lighter." | "Hungry on fuel because no protection of flame from wind." "It did the job. I mostly go stoveless now." | "Lightweight, did what I needed it to do." |
Trekking Poles
79% of hikers used trekking poles.
Most Popular Trekking Poles
 |  |  |
Rating: 8.3/10 | Rating: 9.7/10 | Rating: 9.3/10 |
Weight: 490g/17.3oz | Weight: 486g/17.1oz | Weight: 340g/12.0oz |
Material: Alloy | Material: Carbon | Material: Carbon |
| | | |
"Never hike without them."
| "Don’t leave home without them." | "They are lightweight and sturdy." |
Shoes
The average E2E hiker used 1.3 pairs of shoes for the whole trail.
45.5% of hikers wore trail running shoes, 30% wore lightweight hiking boots and 24.5% wore heavy duty hiking boots.
Most Popular Shoes
 |  |  |
Rating: 9.8/10 | Rating: 4.5/10 | Rating: 7.8/10 |
Weight: 300g/10.6oz | Weight: 442g/15.6oz | Weight: 1210g/42.7oz |
Style: Trail running shoe | Style: Lightweight hiking boots | Style: Heavy duty hiking boots |
Waterproof: No | Waterproof: Yes | Waterproof: Yes |
| | | |
"Great shoe, but not overly protected toe." | "Started to leak." | "Once they got wet they stayed wet." "Excellent, took some time to wear in, but now are fantastic." "They were too heavy." |
Socks
The average E2E hiker carried 3 pairs of socks at any given time.
Most Popular Socks
 |  |  |
Weight: 32g/1.1oz | Weight: 65g/2.3oz | Weight: 55g/1.9oz |
Rain Jackets
Most Popular Rain Jackets
 |  |  |  |
Rating: 5.0/10 | Rating: 8.5/10 | Rating: 8.5/10 | Rating: 8.5/10 |
Weight: 230g/8.1oz | Weight: 394g/13.9oz | Weight: 434g/15.3oz | Weight: 293g/10.6oz |
| | | | |
"Got caught on the vegetation all the time." | "Did what it needed to do as well as any raincoat can." | "Water would go up the sleeves from my wrists." | "Nice and Light." |
Insulation Layers
Most Popular Down & Synthetic Jacket
 |  |
Rating: 7.0/10 | Rating: 10.0/10 |
Weight: 240g/8.5oz | Weight: 238g/8.4oz |
Type: Down jacket | Type: Synthetic jacket |
Fill weight: 73g/2.6oz | Fill type: 2oz/yd² Climashield APEX |
Fill power: 650 cuin | |
Most Popular Fleece Jackets
 |  |
Rating: 10.0/10 | Rating: 7.0/10 |
Weight: 140g/4.9oz | Weight: 330g/11.6oz |
| | |
"Best bit of gear ever." | "Only wore in camps and towns." "Good as a mid layer, but I generally used it in combination with a Marmont merino wool base." |
Electronics
80.2% of hikers carried a power bank.
The average power bank capacity was 12005 mAh.
For an iPhone 14, that’s around 2.5 full charges.
Most Popular Power Banks
 |  |  |
Rating: 9.3/10 | Rating: 9.0/10 | Rating: 9.7/10 |
Weight: 210g/7.4oz | Weight: 150g/5.29oz | Weight: 343g/12.1oz |
| | | |
"Had plenary of capacity and charges pretty fast- but heavy." "Didn’t run out of power, but deliberately left my phone on flight mode most of the time." | "Very good. Just needed a double charger for in town to recharge them." "Was supposed to charge iPhone 3.5 times but did not do this. Maybe 2-3 times." |
Most Popular SOS Devices
 |  |  |
Rating: 8.5/10 | Rating: 7.0/10 | Rating: 7.6/10 |
Weight: 100g/3.5oz | Weight: 198g/7oz | Weight: 114g/4.0oz |
| | | |
"The tracking wasn't as accurate as my watch and I sometimes had trouble connecting to my phone via bluetooth." "Good to tell family where I was each night. I felt safer knowing they knew." | "Only carry it for the tracking feature for my spouse." "Sometimes it takes a while for the message to send." "Sometimes showed flat batteries even when freshly charged." "Expensive for 8 - 15 days hiking per year for 5 years." |
Navigation
80.5% of hikers used their phone as one of their means of navigation.
Top 3 Apps Used by Hikers Who Navigate with Their Phone
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
26.3% of hikers got injured on trail.
85.7% of these were new injuries.
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
- Knee pain
- Sprained ankle
- ITB pain
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Shin splints
Illness
9% of hikers got sick on trail.
No hiker reported that they got COVID on trail.
Water Treatment
The average water carrying capacity was 2.6L.
How Often Did Hikers Treat Their Water?
Top 3 Water Treatment methods
- Water purification tablets (used by 63.5% of hikers)
- Water filter (used by 36.5% of hikers)
- Boiling water (used by 21.2% of hikers)
Most Popular Water filters
 |  |  |
Rating: 9.4/10 | Rating: 9.5/10 | Rating: 9.0/10 |
Weight: 21g/0.7oz | Weight: 57g/2.0oz | Weight: 39g/1.4oz |
| | | |
"Super fast flow." "Slowed down through the hike." | "Light and easy to use. Doesn’t take too long and can be set up to gravity feed." "Worked really well and didn't effect the taste." | "Great as long as we remembered to flush it in town." "No problem as long as you flush it regularly." |
Ticks
53.5% of E2E hikers encountered ticks on the trail.
E2E hikers got an average of 2.9 ticks during their trek.
Worst 3 Sections for Ticks
- Kalamunda – Dwellingup
- Dwellingup – Collie
- Denmark – Albany
Top 3 Items Carried to Remove Ticks
- Normal tweezers (33.7% of hikers)
- Nothing (30.3% of hikers)
- Tick tweezers (15.7% of hikers)
Female Hygiene
20% of females carried a wee rag.
How Did Female Hikers Manage Their Period on Trail?
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
- Snakes (45.9%)
- Getting injured (37.7%)
- Getting lost (29.5%)
- Rain/getting wet (27.9%)
- Rodents in shelters (27.9%)
Top 5 Fears Post Hike
- Snakes (32.8%)
- Getting injured (27.9%)
- Rodents in shelters (18.0%)
- Bugs (e.g. ticks, spiders) (14.8%)
- Extreme heat (13.1%)
“The Bibbulmun Track is very safe and a great trail to learn how to thru hike!“
“Lots of snakes around Denmark, but they aren’t dangerous if you watch where you step. Ticks and rodents more annoying than anything.“
“I think these concerns can all be mitigated with some planning.”
Top 5 Things Hikers Would Do Differently Next Time
- Refine gear/reduce base weight
- Slow down
- Train more
- Walk with a friend
- Keep a journal
Final Comments
“One of the best experiences of my life. I look fondly on all experiences even the beach sections which were particularly bad mostly due to weather and my lack of fitness at the beginning.“
“Safe and achievable hiking.“
“I hate it so much I have completed 6 E2E’s and now volunteer for 500+ hrs a year.”
“If I could give it 20 out of 10 I would. My advice would be to plan and train as best you can so you know what you are heading into and avoid unnecessary issues that take away from the experience.”
“The Bibbulmun is fantastic and well worth doing. My mistake was having a far too structured and optimistic timetable.“
“Great variety of landscapes and vegetation.”
“Thank you BTF volunteers!”
