Atherton Tablelands
- Thread starter indica
- Start date
indica
Serial flasher
Rode it today. Steep berms getting you up to the top quick smart, ride able on a 15kg 6 inch travel bike in the big ring - and I'm not that fit.
Great views...
Somewhere to sit to enjoy the scenery...
Before the options come...
Three options here as per the last post. The fall is about 1 1/2 to 2 metres with 1 blue and 2 black lines...
Things never look as big as they really are...
Great views...
Somewhere to sit to enjoy the scenery...
Before the options come...
Three options here as per the last post. The fall is about 1 1/2 to 2 metres with 1 blue and 2 black lines...
Things never look as big as they really are...
tasty.dirt74
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Thanks for the pics and updates..
Cant wait to come up.
Cant wait to come up.
digitalhippie
Likes Dirt
experienced new levels of dirty trail love at Atherton today. Richochet (#9), Ridgey Didge (#6) and Bandy Bandy (#7) come back and live with me in Victoria!
Big thanks to indica & outtacontrol for getting me sorted and Jeffgre_6163 for the guide! Good to meet all you guys.
Look away now kiddies... :hippie:
Big thanks to indica & outtacontrol for getting me sorted and Jeffgre_6163 for the guide! Good to meet all you guys.
Look away now kiddies... :hippie:
Jeffgre_6163
Likes Dirt
No worries, happy that you enjoyed yourself.
Don't listen to Indica - spread the word, Atherton MTB park is open for business!
digitalhippie
Likes Dirt
Got a bunch of pics and stuff at Atherton, will post a story when I get back to the land of interweb in the next couple of days.
Rode up Bump track this morning and down again for some old school MTB fun. Smithfield this arvo... yes FNQ is sweet :smile:
Rode up Bump track this morning and down again for some old school MTB fun. Smithfield this arvo... yes FNQ is sweet :smile:
outtacontrol
Likes Bikes and Dirt
You must have big motor Pete. Jeff said you guys rode the whole network in the morning, and then we saw you out again having another crack in the arvo.
Twice up to Ricochet....Respect
indica
Serial flasher
I bumped into Pete then too.You must have big motor Pete. Jeff said you guys rode the whole network in the morning, and then we saw you out again having another crack in the arvo.
Twice up to Ricochet....Respect
Sorry I missed you Dags, didn't make plans because I wasnae sure the bike would be back.
outtacontrol
Likes Bikes and Dirt
All good. Sunday was a bit of a blow out for me...
outtacontrol
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Just curious, with all the new trail going in, who will maintain it all??
That is a shit load of brushcutting before you even think about tidying up the trail surface after the wet season. If it is anything like Palleranda down here (that QPS manage) it won't all stay open for long. The word from the rangers down here is that they have the initial budget for the build, but then very very little for maintenance. It gets brush cut when it is almost unrideable, and then only in sections and the tread has never been touched. It was built as a Green trail, but the tread has weathered so that is not the case anymore.
Would hate to see that happen to Baldy...
That is a shit load of brushcutting before you even think about tidying up the trail surface after the wet season. If it is anything like Palleranda down here (that QPS manage) it won't all stay open for long. The word from the rangers down here is that they have the initial budget for the build, but then very very little for maintenance. It gets brush cut when it is almost unrideable, and then only in sections and the tread has never been touched. It was built as a Green trail, but the tread has weathered so that is not the case anymore.
Would hate to see that happen to Baldy...
Jeffgre_6163
Likes Dirt
Good question.
I am more than willing and have the time to help out, but even as a local I really have no idea what the formal maintenance plan is or funding allocated.
However I get emails from Tableland Cycle Sports that advise of working bees from time to time and I have attended a few in the last 18 months [though not recently due to work].
Problem is that I believe you have to be a TCS member to get the emails and be covered by insurance while working so spontaneous trail maintenance by motivated riders is not permitted.
What I would like to see is advice of upcoming working bees put on the sign at the trail head, but something tells me that this wont happen.
As has happened over the last 15 years when the trails were informal I believe that the dedicated local who have ridden the area for years will just get in and do it and to hell with bureaucracy.
indica
Serial flasher
World Trail have maintenace as part of thier contract, I have no idea how far that goes, but they did plenty of remidial work to Ridgey recently.
Parks have done a fair bit too. I believe it was Parks that brushcuttered the whole park recently.
In other news, trail 8 appears to be coming along nicely and will be a sweet addition providing access to Ridgey from the Golf Course side of the hill.
Parks have done a fair bit too. I believe it was Parks that brushcuttered the whole park recently.
In other news, trail 8 appears to be coming along nicely and will be a sweet addition providing access to Ridgey from the Golf Course side of the hill.
outtacontrol
Likes Bikes and Dirt
That's not a word
The brush cutting was what I was interested about more so than tread condition. Baldy's soil is waaaay better than ours, so the rocks won't be as much as an issue. The grass however is another thing again. The more kms of trail means a much bigger effort to cut the grass.
At Douglas it is a huge job and we wouldn't have as much trail as you guys now...
4dabush
Likes Dirt
Lots of volunteers walking with backpack sprayers... I think stealth maintenance will be the only way...much like we do at Smithy and Kuranda. Much better approach and if done regularly is low impact and almost invisible. Let stuff get waist high and its a big job, and far more likely to result in the wrong plant being sprayed. I can push mow all of Smithys green loop in 1.5hrs now we've kept on top of it, so 30mins once a week and it all stays neat, safe and easy to maintain over 3 weeks.That's not a word
The brush cutting was what I was interested about more so than tread condition. Baldy's soil is waaaay better than ours, so the rocks won't be as much as an issue. The grass however is another thing again. The more kms of trail means a much bigger effort to cut the grass.
At Douglas it is a huge job and we wouldn't have as much trail as you guys now...
outtacontrol
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Spraying poison in a National Park?? Not sure how well that would go down with the local rangers??
4dabush
Likes Dirt
`
Hence the stealth mode. However, I would think that with the relationships we (the whole northern MTB community) are building with QPS and if we are careful and responsible and are also eradicating pests like Lantana, Snakeweed, Sicklepod and Guinea Grass, I would very much doubt there would be much for anyone to complain about...and those 4 can be found along almost any trail up here. In fact the Section 34 agreement for Smithfield requires the Club to help manage these invasive plants...not that we could ever keep up with them...so if I was ever asked what I was doing - that's what I would refer to.
Last year I passed 3 rangers walking into Flatsnake/Blacksnake with chainsaw in hand to clear some trees in that had fallen, and a few hours later came back past them and they were really positive on the fact volunteers were out keeping the trails clear.