The Wollongong cycling community will soon have its first dedicated public mountain bike track and skills park at Helensburgh, thanks to grassroots efforts from the town’s cycle club.
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The Helensburgh Off Road Cycle Club has asked Wollongong council’s permission to take over a parcel of land at the back of the Rex Jackson sport fields to build a three kilometre mountain bike track and skills park.
The club has been using the land and a mown grass track informally for some time, but club member Matt Cady said they now had “thousands of tonnes of dirt coming in” to build a proper track.
“We’ll be bringing in excavators and drainage and all that sort of stuff,” he said.
“The track will be 3.1 kilometres long, open from daylight to dusk and it will be for people of all riding abilities.
“There’s nothing like it in the Illawarra, and we hope this will be a pilot project for mountain biking in the region.”
The project also includes the installation of signs for different trails, and ongoing maintenance.
In their development application now on public exhibition, the club said it hoped the track would appeal to children, families and mountain biking enthusiast, boosting tourism and trade in Helensburgh shops and cafes.
There’s nothing like it in the Illawarra, and we hope this will be a pilot project for mountain biking in the region.
- Matthew Cady
“Official dedicated mountain bike tracks are not only more appealing to riders, but they encourage visiting mountainbike enthusiasts to visit and give new mountain bike riders and families the confidence to learn and explore,” the application said.
“This provides enormous community benefits through encouraging healthy lifestyles and, with a growth in visitor numbers, increasing tourism dollars for the town.”
The application also said schools could use the track, which would also be used for mountain biking events.
While the club is applying for grants money, the track will, at present, be completely community-funded and maintained by volunteers.
Mr Cady said the club hoped to be able to complete the track by early next year, but said works were dependent on funds.
For more information or to help with funding contact the club: www.horcc.com.au