DH trails around Canberra

[demo man]

okay, well here is a list of all the (legal) DH tracks and areas around Canberra.
i hope that these directions find you well.


Batemans Bay
Follow the Kings Highway to Batemans Bay. Turn left at the Pacific Highway. The Mountain is called Mount BigBit and is just off the road on the left hand side 10km from the Batemans Bay turn off. The Mountain is between the South Durras and South Durras Turnoffs. Signs will be erected by midday on the Saturday.


Kowen Forest
Travel to the junction of Pialligo Av. & Sutton Rd. just outside Queanbeyan. Head 9Km North from this junction towards Goulburn & look for the Forest boom gate on your right. This is about half a km before the Wamboin turnoff. Ride 150 metres up the firetrail to the cross-roads (powerline overhead).
To get to the DH course, turn right at the cross-roads and go to the next firetrail which heads left uphill. As you travel up this firetrail, you will see the DH course coming in on your right after approx. 500 metres. You can get to the top of the course by either staying on this firetrail or by walking up the course.


Majura Pines
A map is attached with all the legal trails marked out.
if you enter from the Mackenzie street gate you will see a large gap about 10-20 meters down the fire-road. walk up that track and you are on the newest addition to Majura. it goes from right up the top to right near the bottom.
i would recommend going with someone who knows their way around if it's your first time, as there are many secret spots that are well worth finding. set up a ride in the 'non-club rides' area.

there are two videos of two of the DH tracks on Farkin.
this one: http://forums.farkin.net/showthread.php?p=630100#post630100
and this one: http://forums.farkin.net/showthread.php?t=45811&highlight=Majura+vid

Stromlo DH
Turn into Uriarra Rd from the Cotter Rd. travel down Uriarra Rd approx 1.5 Km, 20 metres past the Coppins Crossing Turnoff (on the right) turn left off the road and through the gate. Immediately you are through the gate turn left and follow the (dirt) road untill you reach the dam. The dam is just off the road to the right and is in a cleared area just before a stand of gum trees. You are now at the finish off the DH track. The track winds up the hill to the telescopes/aireals.

NOTE: Stromlo is currently undergoing all sorts of changes, so keep an eye on trail news from CORC for more info.

Maps:
Stromlo in contrast to Canberra:

Stromlo closer up:

Tuggeranong Pines
Drive South on the Monaro Highway. Turn Left 4.4 km south of Mugga Way, and 3.2 Km south of the Isabela Drive turnoff. The road is closed by a locked gate. The Finish line is 50m from the gate on the road. The start line is up on the railway line.


Thredbo
From Sydney via Canberra:
Thredbo is 503 kms from Sydney (5.5 hours with stops) via the Hume Highway. Take the Federal Highway turnoff to Canberra, then the Monaro Highway to Cooma which is the start of the fully sealed Kosciuszko Alpine Way.

Isaacs
Travel south along Yamba drive, pass the hospital, cross hindmarsh drive and turn left at the third set of traffic lights. This should be Long Gully Rd.
Travel 50 metres down Long Gully Rd and the Park on the left of the road near the Forestry gate.
The track starts at the top of the hill near the radio towers and runs down the hill facing Long Gully Rd. it finishes on the fire road 50 metres from the forestry gate.




please pick up your rubbish, and clear up any other mess you may have made.
if you damage the track you should fix the track.






i had to write all this out twice coz my computer died. how crap.

 

[Yeti]

it a good start/try sam.....might wanna put ainslie up too...some killer single track up there, just a bit techy compared to majura. there is two different sides of the mountain from which the tracks run. A few tracks run down next to the road that takes you up too the top of the mountain. There are also other tracks that run down the face of the mountain facing ainslie/civic/braddon etc...these can also be accessed from the top.

 

[FR Drew]

You may have noticed that Sam said "legal" tracks.

Downhilling on the walking trails in Ainslie may well be fun but I think you'd find that officially it's not "keeping to the formed roads" as the folks who control the ACT Nature Parks would prefer.

That said, people walk dogs in the ACT nature parks and let them crap too which is also not strictly Kosher (unless it's Brown's Eastern Banded Marsupial Dog or something similar). It's a bit hard to take when you get chatted by some grumpy a55hole about riding in the park when he's there with his hound.

If you're going to ride in the parks, try to ride where the walkers don't go and try to be discreet/sensitive about how you impact the environment. We want friends in the ACT parks, not enemies.

 

[demo man]

yeah, like Drew said i'm only going to post up directions to legal tracks.

i like riding the trails on Ainslie too, but posting their location would probably only lead to their eventual destruction....

and i don't want that (i assume no bikers do).

 

[demo man]

Isaacs directions added and maps to Stromlo added.

see ya out there!

 

[mattvincent]

Nice work sam it looks like it is all going well.

 

[Joel O]

You may have noticed that Sam said "legal" tracks.

Downhilling on the walking trails in Ainslie may well be fun but I think you'd find that officially it's not "keeping to the formed roads" as the folks who control the ACT Nature Parks would prefer.

although it's probably not the best attitude i find that if someone does pull you up just appologise and say that you though "formed roads" meant sticking to a track and not just bush bashing.

 

[FR Drew]

Agreed, that'd be my policy too.

Still, Sam is here representing CORC who have done alot as far as trails advocacy goes so he can hardly be telling us to flout the rules in the territory.

If someone else wants to post up non-official tracks in the ACT, fine, but as the CORC DH rep here, it's not something that Sam should do or be seen to advocate.

Heck, once some of the militant dog walkers back off a bit, there's a nice nature park hill near my place that I've got my eye on where the pre-existing bunny trails may get some "development" but that's another story....

 

[slared]

i thought tugges pines was closed now cuz of the paintball shit?

 

[demo man]

since when?

i know of people riding the DH trails about 1 week ago, so unless it's happened since then then the trails are still there.

 

[Kramer]

I know it's not really a DH trail, but is "the quarry" at Red Hill legal?

 

[RedPill]

Red-Hill is pretty much illegal, not sure what track you are talking about, but i know alot of tracks/jumps have been demolished their over the last year or so.

 

[Kramer]

It the area that looks like an old quarry - possibly from some kind of excavation or just really severe erosion. Anyway it's just up behind Deakin at the base of Red Hill. I have a feeling that is juuusst inside an area of Canberra Nature Park. It looks like it gets ridden a bit as there are heaps of lines everywhere

Perhaps the CORC trails advocacy people could follow this up as a possible small MTB park (just the corner where the good riding is).

 

[RedPill]

are you talking about the Redhill anticline? i think you are, that is what alot of people ride, dont think its illegal. so you should be fine.

 

[demo man]

i don't know but i've sent off some e-mails and will try and find out about Red Hill.

i've never ridden there - what's it like?

 

[demo man]

okay, the results are in! and the winner is.....

illegal.

it is basicly illegal to ride bikes anywhere with eucalypts.
and as you would already know it is illegal to ride within the Canberra Nature Park.

as per usual fire roads are okay unless signposted otherwise (like in parts of the brindabela's and Mt. Taylor).

so you're not meant to be riding there.

 

[RedPill]

Yeah it's illegal, but we ride the single tracks and the anticline and stuff all the time, havent been told off, so just stick to them i reckon.

 

[demo man]

just don't build any more stuff though.

main reason is - it costs the forrestries heaps of money to rip down our stuff.

mtbing is a big expense to forrestries, they are putting up the cash to put up signage all over majura and i think sparrow hill, and a whole bunch of other stuff, but they still have to waste crap loads of money on ripping down illegaly built stuff, money that could be used in much better ways.

just be concious of that next time you want to build something massive and dangerous.


i'm not meaning to single any one out if i come across that way.

 

[Kramer]

I know this is a bit off the topic, but since you mentioned it...What's the deal with all the street signs in the forests? Have forestry workers getting lost in their own forests?

 

[Kramer]

Also, yes I agree if you must ride at Red Hill, ride gently - this is kinda freeridey stuff so lets leave it like that, no noth shore stuff, and keep the skidding to a minimum, etc...