Atherton Mountain Bike Park gets an additional 20km's

North Queensland isn’t resting on it’s laurels, and work has continued so the area can position itself as a mountain biking mecca, with 40km of trail built at Atherton Forest Mountain Bike Park (AFMBP) and another 20km to come.

$750,000 of funding has been provided by the Queensland Government, and the Australian Government is providing and additional $500,000 for the construction of about 60 kilometres of singletrack at the park.

On ANZAC Day, AFMBP hosted the fourth round of the Real Insurance XCM Series in the lead up to the World Cup event in Cairns and National Parks Minister Steve Dickson said the trail expansion would further build on enthusiasm for the activity.

“Mountain biking is booming internationally, and with 40km of trail complete, this network has already attracted national events and will continue to attract tourists from across Australia and internationally,” Mr Dickson said.

“Local businesses are already seeing benefits, which will continue to grow as visitors choose to stay overnight to experience the full extent of this trail network and visit nearby mountain biking sites like Smithfield, Davies Creek and in the Misty Mountains,” he said.

“It’s great to see the region attracting new fans, and we will continue to build quality infrastructure to grow tourism and support active lifestyles, as part of the Government’s promise to grow tourism as one of the four pillars of the economy.

Dirt Art Director Simon French, whose company completes trail design and construction nation-wide, and was responsible for 11km of recently constructed trail in the AFMBP network, said the project was their first set of trails traversing so many types of forest.

“The epic ride is being dubbed ‘stairway to heaven’ by locals due to its many climbing switchbacks and wide sweeping views,” Mr French said.

“It takes riders from open forest, across some spectacular granite ridges, over the Great Dividing Range, through gnarly basalt and rainforest country and back out into tall eucalypt forest. Our people have worked over six months through tough conditions, including periods of hot humid conditions, even pending lightning storms and a tropical cyclone. The final product will be a challenging but memorable ride and a great addition to the Park,” he said.

A contract for up to 20 kilometres of additional mountain-bike single trail has been awarded to World Trail. Glen Jacobs said it had been immensely rewarding to be part of the development of the forest trails at Atherton.

“From early concept design through to actual trail building, this project has been tremendously exciting,” Jacobs said. “World Trail has been keen to see this area developed for sustainable mountain biking and we have enjoyed being a key part of the trail work. We have been heartened by the way the Tablelands and broader north Queensland communities have ‘plugged in’ to the Atherton Forest Mountain Bike Park project. It will be a huge win for the community,” he said.

More events will get to use the trails later this year, as the 20th Crocodile Trophy utilises the trail network for two stages of the 9 day, UCI ranked stage race in late October. As an international event, this will really help put the park, and the quality of the trails, on the map.

Check park alerts before visiting a national park or State forest, at www.nprsr.qld.gov.au