A Locals High Country: Mt Beauty

Words: Chris Panozzo                                                                         Photos: Tim Bardsley-Smith

If only Australians celebrated mountain biking like they do surfing. I remember every news bulletin growing up would finish with the latest results from the World-Tour, here in the middle of the Aussie Alps I was painted a nightly picture of what Australian sport was if you weren’t that into footy, and that it was surfing. Sweet, surfing it was then, except for one problem, I was at least a five hour drive from my local break.

Now every kid in Australia has access to more mountain bike highlights on their phone than there are minutes in the day. Kids are telling their parents they want to go mountain biking, or maybe parents are telling their kids it’s time to go mountain biking, either way the next question is, how do I get to the Victorian High Country, and who do I know that can tell me where to ride?

Part 1 – Bright

Part 2 – Falls Creek

Where to begin:
All things begin and end at the Big Hill MTB Park. Situated just above the town on the road to Falls Creek this place holds special memories across generations. The local club has been holding events for more than 20 years, and helping put kids on bikes for that period of time you know the place must be special. The tracks spill out of the bush and sweep back to this one central point.

What to expect:
Lots of raw singletrack. Most of the well-established tracks here weren’t designed by committee, there was no need to gather input from the community, refer to guidelines from multiple organisations about sustainability, fall lines or the latest flow guidelines. These trails have evolved from race tracks, bunting was strung between tree’s by local volunteers who loved riding bikes and understood how they handled. The result is natural terrain developed from years of riding, they may look rowdy to the eye, but you will find that you’re not working against the bike, as it will naturally want to head in the same direction as you.

A locals Loop

Track Names:
Up Track > Big Easy Up > Power Up > Pole Track > Shuttle Road > Mount Beauty Summit Track >Nationals DH > Stay Woke: Refuel > Repeat Climb and descend > Honeysuckle.

You’re in luck, as one of the track recommendations from Ben is not on the map, or on Trailforks, so you’re about to get a secret track from a local who is one of the up and coming Australian Enduro racers, and the youngest ever to win a Junior EWS round, so get out your enduro rig for this one.

Leaving the carpark may seem confusing here, but there is only one way to start considering there are so many tracks looking back at you. Head left up the “Up Track” that runs parallel with the main road, within seconds you will be on the main up trail. Stick with this for a while, there are A lines that splinter off this trail which are tough tech climbs, but they all link back to this main artery that runs up the hill.

You will soon get to an area named five ways, five tracks cross at this point, so far you’re about 1/3 of the way, you can either take a sharp left with tech climbing, or take the 2nd right onto the Big Easy Up, which will take you up gently. Whichever you choose you end up roughly in the same spot, which is at the finish of a track called “Where am I”. Take the Power Up trail onto the Pole track and head left, this will pop you out onto the main shuttle road, turn right and a few pedals later you are at the main road crossing for most of the DH tracks, just above is Mount Beauty itself, the famous start line of so many National DH races. Turn left up the old fire road section of the Big Hill DH, then take a right and you are at the top of Mount Beauty! Phew!

There are many ways down from here, DH1 is the DH champs course from 1999, these days it’s way more fun on a trail bike. There are two more DH tracks starting from up here, I suggest a DH bike for these as they are definitely DH trails. Off the back is another trail bike friendly track, Tupac’s Back.

For this ride head down Nationals DH track. At the road crossing head straight across and along the trail that follows the powerlines, once you’re at a series of switchbacks, take a right then immediate left, now you’re on an unmarked but well ridden and recommended Beemac trail, Stay Woke. As the name suggests, stay woke. It’s steep, rocky, loose, off camber, rowdy and very fast. This trail will spit you out at the carpark at the bottom which makes it a great trail to shuttle as well.

The other recommendations? Take the same route back up and down till the beginning of Stay Woke, turn around and head along that trail, it’s called Honey Suckle, and it is famous for destroying XC riders. It was originally put in for XC National Champs way back in the day but is now a firm enduro favourite. As for the Milk Run? Well that’s outside the park and would require so much detail that you’re better off risking it and bribing a local to take you out there!

Here is a bullet point list of must ride trails. It’s also what Ben and I would ride any day of the week. Hopefully this makes life a bit easier next time someone tells you to Get Lost in the Big Hill MTB park.

• Tupac’s Back
• Jumping Jacks
• Weekend at Bernies
• DH1 & DH2
• Wildside
• The dippers
• Ooh La La
• El Presidente
• 3rd Parallel
• Blair Witch
• Banarama

Rider Profile
Name: Ben McIlroy
Nickname: B.Mac or Beemac (It’s the same thing)
Lives: I’m at uni in Melbourne.
Started riding: Big Hill Mountain Bike Park, Mt Beauty
Favourite tracks in Mount Beauty:
Stay Woke, Honey Suckle and Milk Run.
Random facts:
Candide Thovex tagged me in an Instagram post once after watching my ski video.
Your favourite clothing item: 
Probably Mum’s pink cord 5-panel hat, closely followed by my “keepin’ it real” unicorn shirt I found at Walmart while in the US, both were free.