Behind the beach in Noosa

Noosa needs little introduction as a holiday paradise. As one of the jewels of the Sunshine Coast, Noosa has a laid back lifestyle, gorgeous white sandy beaches, plenty of accommodation from backjpacker dorms to upmarket villas, and some amazing coffee. Best of all, as soon as you arrive, you feel like you’re on holiday.

And to cyclists, while Noosa might be known for the Noosa Tri, and Noosa crit – and being a haven for triathletes – the mountain biking is also up to scratch. Right on the edge of Noosa, Tewantin National Park spreads out to the west and into the Sunshine Coast hinterland. The hills are home to countless kilometres of old double-track and fireroad, but the singletrack down lower is the real treasure.

The trails in Tewantin National Park have had a bit of a polish, with investment that was secured thanks to hardwork by the Noosa Trailblazers MTB Club, primarily from Damian Garry. There are trails to suit families, that are short, fairly flat, and don’t take you too far from the day area and some shade and water – but there are also trails that meander up the hills, and swoop down through the forest.

The Turn 10 trail comes right off Gyndier Drive, which is closed to traffic, and it’s pretty much a Black Diamond jumps line through the open bush up top, and the palms down below. And Gyndier Drive is probably the best way to access a lot of the trails, as the easy road climb means that you can ride the trails in the best direction – down! While most trails can be ridden both directions, they tend to flow best from uphill. Our favourite was to ride the climb, then carry on to Snake, and then Bloodwood, for an extended descent with plenty of line options.

Being just 30 minutes form the Sunshine Coast airport, the 25km of singletrack is a handy extra in an already sublime holiday location. Drop into Venture Cycles in Tewantin to grab a proper trail map, and get out to explore the mountain bike oasis behind the tropical paradise.

We’ll have a full feature in an upcoming issue. For more details on what’s on in Noosa, visit their website.