The evolution of Maydena Bike Park
When we first visited Maydena Bike Park, it was pretty hectic. Has it mellowed, or expanded?
In late 2017 we were invited down to get a taste of the brown loam at Australia's latest mountain bike creation – Maydena Bike Park. The vision of Simon French of Dirt Art, Maydena was aiming for the stars. With over 800m of vertical drop to play with on some pretty steep slopes, we found that Maydena delivered hard gravity riding and committing lines. Was it for everyone? No, not really. But it was unique for Australia, and the scope for offering a lot more was clear.
We've just spent a couple of days at Maydena Bike Park, and the plethora of trails that make a web down the forested slopes are a testament to the updates to the trails at the mountain bike park.
But it's not just about trails, the bike park has food, a liquor licence, bike wash, Canyon hire bikes and a full workshop. The town has some catching up to do, but there are a number of houses converted for AirBnB accommodation to suit mountain bikers, plus there's a campground down the road (Left of Field Caravan Park) near the pub to suit those with a campervan or caravan – or a tent.
And the big difference is all the extra trails that have been built. With lots more green runs and blue runs, plus more pro lines as well, the variety at Maydena Bike Park has really expanded. There's a climbing trail if you want to climb all the way to midline under your own steam (or that of an eMTB) and that gives you access to a whole lot of terrain.
But Maydena Bike Park is still on a big hill in Southern Tasmania. It's raw. It's wild. It's steep. The green trails here aren't a flat, groomed trail around a lake. Their a green gravity run, and a great way to start progressing your riding.
Maydena is not like you're local mountain bike park. And I think that's awesome. We'll have a full feature in a coming issue.
