Not that I know of. Last I heard was they were hoping "mid year"... It is delayed by whoever the contractor is as they haven't installed the road tunnel or bridge yet for the bikes...Does anyone happen to know if an re-opening date has been set?
Last year they were hoping for the end of the year! That is ridiculous and I am not seeing any transparency in reporting on how the project is going. It can't be that hard to build a temporary crossing if the bridge is delayed, with appropriate signage. There is no problem in my view with allowing crossing with a temporary gate with signs on it to watch out for trucks. It's a day's worth of work at the most.Not that I know of. Last I heard was they were hoping "mid year"... It is delayed by whoever the contractor is as they haven't installed the road tunnel or bridge yet for the bikes...
And how is that any different to the trail that has been there for the last few years?They don't need to make the entire trail artificial, but as far as I can tell every inch of the trail is going to be man-made without much in the way of natural sections.
That's the point - some more natural trail would be really good, and would be quicker to build and require less maintenance. It's definitely fun to ride for a change though.And how is that any different to the trail that has been there for the last few years?
There's a couple of vids doing the rounds in some MTB Facebook groups. One of a nice little gap here: https://www.facebook.com/foxpuppet/videos/10212452245000424/So has anyone taken a look at the new trails since they reopened some of the sections, per foxpuppet's post? I've got to go out of my way to go there to look for myself. If they've only opened a really short section then I might wait until the rest of the trail eventually opens.
Yeah, I rode there late Sunday morning and rode about 6 loops of the new trails that were open with only a few other people people around. The main positive difference is that the blue descent now has a lot more flow and is much faster. There are a couple of steeper sections with S corners that have alternative sneaky A lines where you can roll or drop the steep rocky sections between the corners linking the faster fall line. There are a few new small jumps near the bottom of the descent including the gap in the video mentioned above. On the other side of the trail (heading up towards the pool) there is a new easier green line climb which links to a new small but fun and flowy descent that leads back to near where the original pool climb starts so you can begin the new climb back to the start of the blue loop. There's nothing really that tech except for the small gap jump but all of the new stuff is still an absolute blast to ride fast. I still prefer the nearby H2O trail but as a work in progress it's very promising.So has anyone taken a look at the new trails since they reopened some of the sections, per foxpuppet's post? I've got to go out of my way to go there to look for myself. If they've only opened a really short section then I might wait until the rest of the trail eventually opens.
I don't think there has ever been a fire road link between them, there is some fire road, paved road, and waking tracks you can use to link it up. It's all still accessible. But not all rideable to do it.Does anyone know if it is still possible to ride between H2O in Westleigh and OMV in Hornsby via fire rd? I have seen a few notes that suggest it's possible but that new houses being built might cut it off.
If you look at the westleigh trail facebook page, I put a post up somewhere there about how to connect it all, but it's really simple. You CAN ride down the trail beside the fire station (walk the first lot then ride the rest), but you've got to be keen and fast to do it as they can be a bit rough at points.Shout out to JB on nobmob:
"The firetrail that runs from the end of Wareemba Ave Thornleigh to Valley Rd Hornsby is all rideable, apart from about 20 steps up to Valley Rd (right at the southernmost point of Valley Rd.). It's a bit of a climb up Rosemead Rd... 100m vertical, avg grade 14%"
Probably takes 20-25mins total depending on whether you ride the wall of death out of the valley. It is a great option to link up 2 trails that start or end on a train line for sure!
I looked for your post but couldn't find it unfortunately. I assume you mean Westleigh fire station, further along Quarter sessions road? There's a stub off to the right that looks like it might be a fire road entry. Fine with a rough road, just less keen on the monster walk up the valley to reach OMV.If you look at the westleigh trail facebook page, I put a post up somewhere there about how to connect it all, but it's really simple. You CAN ride down the trail beside the fire station (walk the first lot then ride the rest), but you've got to be keen and fast to do it as they can be a bit rough at points.
Otherwise you can go the route above, the road is pretty steep... It's a hard ride up a long hill. Don't walk the quarry steps carrying your bike, it's a LOT harder
Many many years ago (15, or more?) you used to be able to ride up the outside fence of the quarry up to the firetrail down the bottom of OMV... it's very very overgrown now and isn't possible to get through... would be good if someone cut it through again
I'll see if I can find it then, I mean the fire station on the small loop road where westleigh trail starts from... It's not a fire trail and there's no way to avoid the climb, really.I looked for your post but couldn't find it unfortunately. I assume you mean Westleigh fire station, further along Quarter sessions road? There's a stub off to the right that looks like it might be a fire road entry. Fine with a rough road, just less keen on the monster walk up the valley to reach OMV.