Mountain biking in Tropical North Queensland

In Tropical North Queensland, the trail network at Smithfield is being world famous for the World Cup XC and DH courses. Walking trails at Mission Beach are being opened to mountainbikers. Atherton has had over 80km of World Trail designed and built trails carved lovingly into the hills. And the dirt roads and fire trails have been mapped so you could ride north to the Bump Track at Port Douglas without putting a knobby tyre on tar.

‘The area has a long mountain biking history: World Cups and a World Championship in the 90s put Cairns on the MTB Map. The trails at Smithfield were set up as a dedicated MTB park, which now holds more than 60km of trails. Now, with a re- invigorated mountain biking boom and World Cup events that will culminate in the World Championships in 2017, it’s back in the limelight.

Throw in fresh water lakes to swim in, two World Heritage areas alongside each other in the Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics, warm temperatures in middle of the year, fantastic fresh tropical fruit, an international airport and a laid back approach to life – what more do you need?

Locations

Cassowary Coast Trails

South of Cairns, the World Heritage listed rainforest of the Cassowary Coast lies waiting. The combination of shaded firetrails, old walking tracks that have been remade for mountainbiking, and fresh water swimming holes should entice you to head south once you’ve flown all that way north.

Cardwell Forest Drive leads to a maze of tracks up to 40km in length, with gradings of easy, medium or difficult. Attie Falls and the Spa Pool are must-dos for a post-ride cooldown. Especially if you have gone to tackle the climb up to Cardwell lookout.

The biggest attraction down south should be the Misty Mountains Trails. Although they were developed for bushwalking, they are all being progressively reworked for mountainbikers.

Wooroonooran National Park can be accessed from the Palmerston Highway and Mena Creek near Innisfail or from the Atherton Tablelands at Ravenshoe and Millaa Millaa. They are good mountainbike rides of varying distances. The trails include K-Tree Road, Suttees Gap Road, Maalan Road and Old Palmerston Highway.

Of course, you could just cruise the hardpack sand of Mission Beach, which is 10.6km either direction, with views to Dunk Island. The local club runs night rides along the beach.

Smithfield

Minjin, Cadel’s, The Crocodile Slide, Barramundi, Cuss Cuss – we end up with some funny trail names in Australia. Names aside, the quality of trails that weave together into a complex tapestry of singletrack nirvana above James Cook University will make students apply to transfer, academics apply for positions and the rest of us consider further education or second degrees.

The Smithfield MTB Park is right behind the University, about a 15 minute drive north of Cairns or about half an hour in the bike lane if you have a tailwind!

The trails have been carved into the volcanic clay, and mostly twist and turn through seemingly impenetrable rainforest. There are tales of a panther, or of a big black cat, further up the mountain. Looking around Smithfield, you do get the sense that just about anything could be watching you from the forest.

The World Cup came back to Smithfield in 2014, and will again in 2106. There are over 60km of trails in the park, including a pump track right at the park entrance, and the infamous dirt bowl as featured decades ago on Pepsi Max Extremists.

All trails are well groomed, and graded. If it says it is difficult, it has been designed to test the world’s best trail builders. Take heed!

Atherton Tablelands

There are places you can visit that make you stop, think, and wonder “Could I move here? Could I make it work?” The Atherton Tablelands are one of those places.

Having ridden through Atherton in both 2011 and 2012 with the Crocodile Trophy, then spending time there for the XCM Championships in 2013, plus again in 2014 for a marathon and then the Croc again – it’s a question I have often asked myself. The climate, trails, lifestyle and pace of life will have a strong pull on any city-dweller who yearns for a change.

The Tablelands are the fruit bowl of Northern Queensland. The soil is very fertile, and there are numerous reservoirs and freshwater lakes. Farmland spreads from Atherton to the ranges, and old forestry roads climb into the hills above Lake Tinaroo that will carry you all the way back to Cairns, north to Port Douglas, or inland even further to Irvinebank and beyond.

But the real gem is the Atherton Forest MTB Park, just outside of town beyond the gun club. Built with combined funding from local businesses and clubs, plus the state and federal government, there are more than 70km of purpose-built singletrack laid over the hills just two kilometres from the centre of Atherton – and the new Trail 1 connects the park right from behind the pub and cafe in town.

The trails at Atherton follow a grading system, and all have a number, some have a name. Trails 6,7 and 8 must be ridden. While 6 and 7 are brilliant, twisting their way up climbs with reverse grades and back down again with countless berms, trail 8 is really something. But the newer trails of Snakes and Ladders, Cliffhanger, Waterfall and Wahoo Yahoo are worth the trip. The maps use numbers, and the trails have named signs. It’s a bit tricky but makes sense once you’re there.

Atherton will keep you occupied, but don’t just stay put, there are more trails around Lake Tinaroo and up at Mareeba. Drop into the shop on the main street, or look up RideCairns for more details.

Port Douglas

Port Douglas is known more for resorts than a place to rip trails. But then, it is the home of the infamous RRR Race which finishes on the sand of Four Mile Beach. And just south of town the Bump Track shows that you can make great use of old infrastructure. What was once the route for forestry bullock trains from the port to the tablelands is now a multi-use trail. It is well graded and in good condition – however it does feature the infamous Australian waterbar – so don’t overcook it.

The RRR route with 35 and 70km options is always open to ride, although gates must be shut on the route. It starts at Mt Molloy and follows Wetherby Station Road to a disused forestry trail. From here it turns into Black Mountain Road and ends in the Bump Track.

If you like climbing the 28km climb on the Mt Lewis Track winds through rainforest, or you can take the CREB track to Roaring Meg falls. While the riding here is not purpose built, you are at the start of the Daintree and a spectacular environment.