Mowbray Park Farm - Wollondilly MTB Club track

crank1979

Likes Bikes and Dirt
A fast little section around the lake used for paddling the canoes about. Some nice wildlife in there too.

[video=youtube;X-McmSt36Yw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-McmSt36Yw&feature=youtu.be[/video]
 

crank1979

Likes Bikes and Dirt
A short, slightly descending flowing section linking two dams. All of the land to the right is unfortunately another section we cannot use but we aren't really missing anything there.

[video=youtube;IACu-0k1IYM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IACu-0k1IYM&feature=youtu.be[/video]
 

rotorub

Likes Dirt
Well done on the build so far. The vid footage and pics make me keen to join WTB so I can ride it in the furture
 

crank1979

Likes Bikes and Dirt
You can see the second pine plantation ahead. We'll weave through it before coming down how it does in the video.

[video=youtube;aHwWRhuR4SM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHwWRhuR4SM&feature=youtu.be[/video]
 

crank1979

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Through a small thicket of trees. Not too tight but not flat out fast either. A few berms and things still to go in.

[video=youtube;qgvSUla3tXY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgvSUla3tXY&feature=youtu.be[/video]
 

crank1979

Likes Bikes and Dirt
We mowed in the proposed lines through a few section today. It was a hard 8km of pushing or pulling the mower across various bits. Then we rode it to make sure we had it right and only one corner needs tightening up! Pretty happy with that.

Smoothing out the flowing sections of trail!




Defining the trail...


All Mountain Mowing!


Trail defined...


Trail work spectators...


Next to start benching some sections now that we have all the turns worked out properly.
 
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crank1979

Likes Bikes and Dirt
We've spent a few afternoons this week roughing in some of the paddock sections.

This section of trail was already in place. It's a nice tree lined climb along the road in and out of the farm.


The top of the climb. The track twists around some trees up here.


Around the tree from the previous picture...


Looking down from the climb...
 

crank1979

Likes Bikes and Dirt
A cold and windy session this morning. I remarked the stuff going through the paddocks with a lawn mower to help dry the ground out a bit and make it easier to get to bare earth with the shipper snipper. Then we'll start adding some features and build drainage. It's nicer being able to see a line to ride/follow. Grade reversals are already marked, locations for rocks and bridges noted, wet areas noted. We are getting there!

The MPF staff have parallel fenced a section. This paddock had to be kept for use by livestock so we've got a fast, straight run from one end to the other. It won't stay straight or quite as fast. I'm pretty sure that tree in the foreground is just a really old thistle! Getting through the 'little' ones further down was hard going with the mower.


Originally this little channel was going to be ridden like a 'surfing' type section, flowing down from side to side. But it doesn't really have the right shape or is deep or long enough. Gap jump it is then!


Go easy on my PS skills. This is a really rough sketch of the planned line through this section of MPF.
 

crank1979

Likes Bikes and Dirt
3 of us went out armed with whipper snippers to rough out the trail and get the grass off the surface of the proposed lines. This will help it dry out quicker for future work. Once we've got it all cut in the drainage will be put in place followed by some jumps, berms and other features. The placement of the drainage and features have been work out along with the lines. Nothing is going straight up or down the hills/fall lines and it all follows the contours of the available terrain as well as it can we think. :)

The start of the trail after crossing the entrance driveway.


The lead up to the gap jump. Swing around to the left of the fence for an easy run into the jump.


The gap jump. It has a nice run in and landing. We'll be building the front lip up a little later on. It's about a bike length between edges.


Back to dirt for the trail around the stump after the gap jump.


3 of us got about a kilometer of trail down to dirt to help it dry out for further work.
 

crank1979

Likes Bikes and Dirt
We've been spending a lot of time getting the open sections right so that it all flows nicely. To keep the flow going these ramps will be used to cross fences instead of opening and closing gates. We're hoping to have the bridge put in that is needed at the end of the video in the next few weeks.

[video=youtube;Wd7wutgwhLE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd7wutgwhLE&feature=youtu.be[/video]
 

crank1979

Likes Bikes and Dirt
[video=youtube;RAbXNki9rYE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAbXNki9rYE[/video]

The plan is to build some timber ladder bridges over the little crossings. They are nice and dry now but it has taken weeks for them to get to that stage. Hopefully the bridges here will be in by November.
 

crank1979

Likes Bikes and Dirt
[video=youtube;fZ9bVUVgJnc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ9bVUVgJnc[/video]

It is still a working farm, so at some times there may be livestock in the fields. The animals seem to be getting used to us and stay out of the way or move.
 

crank1979

Likes Bikes and Dirt
[video=youtube;Ye68MN-cb14]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye68MN-cb14[/video]

The causeway into the creek and out.
 

crank1979

Likes Bikes and Dirt
We spent the afternoon cutting in some trail down the far end of the farm, redefining some other paddock stuff and roughing in 3 berms. We are changing our plan of attack now that Spring is here and looking at getting some machinery in to cut some of the paddock stuff in.

1st berm. This one tightens up a bit to set you up for the second berm.


First berm with Geoff working on the second one.


First berm with Geoff working on the second one.


3rd berm. Nice radius to help carry speed into the next section. Drains are in until the berms are finished so they don't erode until then. The logs will be used to help define the trail.


3rd berm again.


First berm on the right, Geoff working on the second, third near the logs. Drainage is all planned with temporary drains in place for now.
 

crank1979

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Second, taller ramp/

[video=youtube;q0IW5RtZzz4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0IW5RtZzz4[/video]

This one leads into the second pine plantation and the big bridge.
 

crank1979

Likes Bikes and Dirt
[video=youtube;_qcmsSWGlSg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qcmsSWGlSg[/video]

A tough climb and some fast off-camber stuff. A few berms and jumps to go in later as well. The climbing get faster the better packed down the track gets.

There are some excellent views from the top as well.
 

crank1979

Likes Bikes and Dirt
We've been going out pretty much every weekend and doing bits and pieces. We can see the end in sight, then we can modify a few bits.

This afternoon I put together the first of 6 bridges to be transported to the track. These will sit no more than 200mm off the ground to keep the bikes off a 6m wide boggy section that the track criss-crosses.

 
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