Description
This trek starts out at the Gull Service Station on the Great Northern Highway approximately 1.3 km north of the Great Northern Highway / West Swan Road junction. It heads off north for 7 km before turning west (left) onto Warbrook Road. About 8 kms later the road becomes a sand track. This track continues westerly until it meets a Transmission Line service track where you turn north (right) and continue to just short of the Pinjar Gas Turbine Station. Here it turns east (right) and runs around the northern side of Muchea Hill, finishing up at the end of Archibald Street, 2 km from Muchea. The trek is sand after the first 15 kms and varies with the
weather and conditions from very soft and deep in the dry months, to reasonably firm in the wet months. Some sections of difficult sand driving in soft / deep sand are encountered, particularly on the Eastern leg after the Gas station.
Interactive Route Map

Position: 116.0289ºE 31.7708ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place: Great Northern Hwy & Warbrook Rd
Distance: 6.98km
Average Speed: 84.68km/h
Features:

Position: 116.0381ºE 31.7116ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place: Twin Swamps
Distance: 2.95km
Average Speed: 65.43km/h
Features:

Position: 116.0120ºE 31.7210ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place: Warbrook
Distance: 0.26km
Average Speed: 38.68km/h
Features:

Position: 116.0062ºE 31.7186ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place: Warbrook Road & Wise Road
Distance: 5.01km
Average Speed: 63.18km/h
Features:

Position: 115.9538ºE 31.7220ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place: Underwood Rd & Power Line Service Tk
Distance: 4.32km
Average Speed: 22.78km/h
Underwood Rd & Power Line Service Tk
A minor set of power lines veers off further right - do not take this track. The West Swan to Muchea trek follows the Major Power Lines for the next 17 km.
Features:

Position: 115.9088ºE 31.7203ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place: Neaves Road & Power Line Service Tk
Distance: 4.25km
Average Speed: 15.69km/h
Features:

Position: 115.8854ºE 31.6875ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place: Coastal Plain Walk Trail
Distance: 7.85km
Average Speed: 19.07km/h
Features:

Position: 115.8606ºE 31.6215ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place: RAAF Boundary Rd & Power Line Service Tk
Distance: 4.91km
Average Speed: 20.36km/h
Features:

Position: 115.8352ºE 31.5834ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place: RAAF Boundary Rd & McKinley Rd
Distance: 6.62km
Average Speed: 17.51km/h
Features:

Position: 115.9003ºE 31.5716ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place: RAAF Boundary Rd & Power Line Service Tk
Distance: 1.82km
Average Speed: 20.26km/h
Features:

Position: 115.9006ºE 31.5554ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place: Power Line Service Tk & Pinjarra Gas Pipeline Service Tk
Distance: 1.88km
Average Speed: 18.3km/h
Features:

Position: 115.9203ºE 31.5549ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place: Power Line Service Tk & Unknown Sand Tk
Distance: 1.74km
Average Speed: 21.58km/h
Features:

Position: 115.9386ºE 31.5555ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place: Payne St & Archibald St
Distance: 4.8km
Average Speed: 18.85km/h
Features:

Position: 115.9553ºE 31.5866ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place: Muchea
Distance: 1.48km
Average Speed: 60.57km/h
Muchea
Muchea is a suburb in the Shire of Chittering with a postcode of 6501. The town is surrounded by shrub and woodlands, and colourful wildflowers during spring really complement this picturesque town. Muchea is becoming a larger industry as the Shire's population grows.
Position: 115.9719ºE 31.5817ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place: BP Service Station (East of Muchea)
Distance: 0.56km
Average Speed: 35.04km/h
Position: 115.9777ºE 31.5804ºS (GDA 94)
Permits
No
permits are required for the West Swan to Muchea trek.
Things to See & Do
Preparation
A full tank of fuel will be sufficient for this trek. Fuel and other services, including fast food and drinks, are available at the service stations at either end of the trek.
Minimum
recovery gear of a long handled shovel and air compressor for reinflating
tyres is suggested. However if travelling in company with another vehicle, the standard sand equipment of snatch strap and shackles are also advisable. If you are not equipped with an on-board air compressor, it is possible to drive slowly (under 40 kph) from the end of the sand to the service station at Muchea and pump up there, as it is only about 2.5 km. It is also wise to carry adequate
communications and
navigation equipment.
The trek can take 3 hours or more so it’s a good idea to pack the
fridge with some drinks and snacks. There are plenty of
places to stop, but none could really be called good picnic spots.
Fuel Supplies & Usage
Usage is averaged from
TrekFuel (* specific to trek) submissions and calculated based on trek distance.
Best Time To Visit
Closest Climatic Station
Pearce Raaf
Distance from Trek Mid Point 7.7km E
| | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Mean Max. °C |
33.0 | 33.1 | 30.5 | 26.4 |
21.8 | 18.8 | 17.7 | 18.2 |
19.9 | 23.2 | 27.0 | 30.0 |
| Mean Min. °C |
16.9 | 17.4 | 15.9 | 13.4 |
11.0 | 9.5 | 8.5 | 8.2 |
8.8 | 10.0 | 12.4 | 14.7 |
| Mean Rain mm |
8.4 | 12.5 | 15.0 | 34.7 |
88.1 | 138.7 | 135.9 | 107.0 |
69.3 | 37.3 | 23.4 | 8.5 |
Best time to travel Ok time to travel Travel NOT recommended
Camp Sites & Accomodation
Environment
The terrain initially is flat and forested pine plantation, and then heads through pretty standard Western Coastal areas consisting of lots of Melaleuca and generally thick, low scrub. There are usually lots of kangaroo’s and birds to be seen.
After turning east towards Muchea, the track becomes quite hilly in parts as it goes over and around the various spurs running off the northern side of the Muchea Hill area. This section of track is also usually loose and soft, requiring tyre pressures to be reduced.
History
The trek traverses an area marked on some older maps with the following: WARNING - RAAF Air Weapons Range, Prohibited Area. Today, it’s not used as an Air Weapons Range any more, however there is a Rifle Range located within this area. There are Range Boundary signs on the northern most leg of the trek. This trek utilises the Range Boundary fire-break and Power Lines Service tracks and is safe to travel. However, because of the use of the area as a rifle range, you should not venture to the right (east and south) during this trek. At least one organisation has received permission to use this trek whenever required for training purposes, and therefore it is safe to traverse.
Distance is GPS recorded driving distance (not straight line), Direction is straight line from start to end, Time is calculated from actual GPS driving data.