Atherton Tablelands

[indica]

Had a spin today, was tops, great weather and the park was almost empty. Rode Bandy Bandy - having not been there for a while - it is much rougher up the top than it used to be. Love seeing how a trail weathers and wears in.

Our hard working trail crews have arrived in Far North Queensland, to layout some of the final and most important stages within the amazing Atherton Forest Park trail system. Over the past few weeks, each team have wound their way up and over mountains, snaked through valleys and skirted jungle streams to add many more and more kilometres of iconic ride lines within this famous destination.

Seen as the most crucial and significant phase of the overall construction, trails are finally linking and tying the entire park together, as first designed by our professional team, many years ago. Within a few months, most of the original design should be delivered, and opened to the entire mountain bike public to enjoy.

 

[tasty.dirt74]

Stairway?

You had a go at Stairway yet?

Its a epic trails, and only one piece of the puzzle..

 

[indica]

You had a go at Stairway yet?

I have, too long for me. It will be great when the rest is open with some bail-outs and linking bits.

 

[T-Rex]

Stupid question....

.. where is this park relative to Cairns? I was fortunate to have a few days in Cairns/Port Douglas a couple of weeks ago, bloody brillliant terrain. Had a run down the bump track outside Port Douglas, really cool track, that felt like a mix of Coffs DH and the river trail at Mt Buller.

Pretty keen to go back again next winter. Dunno how you locals would ride there in summer (aka wet season).

 

[indica]

.. where is this park relative to Cairns? .

1 to 1 1/2 hours away up in the mountains.
The trail head is around 700m above sea level. Summer / wet season is easy up here, early morning or night. If there was a god this would seriously be God's country.
60km bike park with a trail head in the town centre - behind a pub FFS. Town of 10K ish. Summer max 30°c/15°c, winter 20°c/10°c.
Hit me up T-Rex for guide and beers when you do make it.

 

[Jeffgre_6163]

.. where is this park relative to Cairns? I was fortunate to have a few days in Cairns/Port Douglas a couple of weeks ago, bloody brillliant terrain. Had a run down the bump track outside Port Douglas, really cool track, that felt like a mix of Coffs DH and the river trail at Mt Buller.

Pretty keen to go back again next winter. Dunno how you locals would ride there in summer (aka wet season).

All you could possibly want to know right here:
http://tablelandcyclesports.com/rides/where-to-ride/

 

[Fred Nurk]

1 to 1 1/2 hours away up in the mountains.
The trail head is around 700m above sea level. Summer / wet season is easy up here, early morning or night. If there was a god this would seriously be God's country.
60km bike park with a trail head in the town centre - behind a pub FFS. Town of 10K ish. Summer max 30°c/15°c, winter 20°c/10°c.
Hit me up T-Rex for guide and beers when you do make it.

So have they done the trail head behind the pub, or is it still yet to be built?

I've driven up and down the main street in Atherton a few times now, but haven't been there with my bike in over a year...:whistle:

 

[indica]

So have they done the trail head behind the pub, or is it still yet to be built?

Under construction now.
I drove past and saw a berm - there is going to be a pump track shortly and my son is pretty excited.

 

[indica]

Rode one of the newly opened sections today, spectacular descent with a couple of big black alternatives.

 

[T-Rex]

1 to 1 1/2 hours away up in the mountains.
The trail head is around 700m above sea level. Summer / wet season is easy up here, early morning or night. If there was a god this would seriously be God's country.
60km bike park with a trail head in the town centre - behind a pub FFS. Town of 10K ish. Summer max 30°c/15°c, winter 20°c/10°c.
Hit me up T-Rex for guide and beers when you do make it.

Thanks Indica, you can count on it. Didn't realise it was that mild up there in summer. And I love a track with a pub at the bottom of it!

 

[indica]

Just rode the new exit trail "ExCite" and it is stunning.
So well made and so many cool fun bits for people wanting to learn. A much better way to leave the park than riding the stupid meandering trail or the fire road.
Top stuff World Trail!

 

[outtacontrol]

Just rode the new exit trail "ExCite" and it is stunning.
So well made and so many cool fun bits for people wanting to learn. A much better way to leave the park than riding the stupid meandering trail or the fire road.
Top stuff World Trail!

Which one is the stupid meandering one??

 

[indica]

Which one is the stupid meandering one??

You know, on the V6 side, but not V6. I think the sign says Triple B Playground.
It's the track no one rides.
Your "mate" Louise and her nutbar husband liked it.

 

[outtacontrol]

.
Your "mate" Louise and her nutbar husband liked it.

haha, have you found out??

The nutbar part

 

[indica]

Went for a ride today on the as yet unnamed but numbered Trail 16.
Well fuck me if that doesn't cover some incredible country. It is a climb from Rocky Python to Stairway to Heaven.
Gets you to Three Ways.
There is a new descent being built that will "touch" Trail 16 at one point enabling looping if you are that way inclined.

The ride took 1 1/2 hours, the weather was shit and the trail being new meant there was a fair bit of dirt caked to my tires for a while.
Love living here.

 

[indica]

Rode trail 16 "Top Deck" today and a new descending trail 13 - not named yet.
Wow, stunning sweeping berm fest with sneaky hip jumps and wall rides galore. Shuttled it yesterday too with my 9 year old son.
Definitely gives Ricochet a run for it's money.
Long and very fast in some sections, people are going to come unstuck at high speed on this one.

 

[outtacontrol]

Heard somone ran into some kids riding dirt bikes up ricochet on the weekend

 

[Jeffgre_6163]

Heard somone ran into some kids riding dirt bikes up ricochet on the weekend

Apparently so.
I think those kids were quite fortunate actually. The rider that came across them just got them to turn around with a stern reprimand.
Could have been so much worse for those kids [and the MTB riders] had the circumstances of their meeting been different

 

[indica]

After a couple of solid months building & shaping some new trails around the Atherton Forest Park in North Queensland, our construction team have now headed south to Tasmania.
Atherton has some significantly new trails to stitch the entire park together, with even more to be built from October.
The latest & fastest track built on the hill, codenamed "Yahoo-Wahoo" is situated at the "3 Way Junction", on top of the new "Top Deck" climbing trails.
This new descending trail, Yahoo-Wahoo, similar to Ricochet, stitches the final feel good aspect of the mountain together, by linking and complimenting the ever popular "Ewe Beauty" exit trail, leading into the car park.

By combining these new products to a couple of existing trails, it now allows riders to mainly descend for around 25 minutes.

 

[indica]

http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentra...l-boom-continues-in-Tropical-North-Queensland

In the last two and a half years, 60km of mountain bike trails have been built in the Atherton Tablelands, the result of hard work, creative thinking and over a million dollars in funding, writes Kath Bicknell.