The You Yangs Thread

[Jpez]

Back open as of today with a few trail closures due to water damage.

It'll be good to get out there again and stretch the legs.

I'll be over at the stock yards side tomorrow morning if anyone else is heading out too.

It’s running nicely too. Will be even better when a few more tires have dispersed the top dust. I’ll be avoiding it on weekends for a few weeks at least though.
It’ll be pack jammed. I was there late arvo yesterday and even as it was getting dark there were still a bunch of cars spread from the top to the bottom carparks.

 

[smitho]

Rode Saturday morning. There were lots of people but it’s a big place and people were pretty well dispersed.

Wasn’t setting any speed records but still managed a career high 8 overtakes on Cressy’s though - including a couple of live ones in the A-line over taking lane!


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[mike14]

PV have released the master plan for the You Yangs area. https://engage.vic.gov.au/future-investment-you-yangs-and-serendip-sanctuary
(links on the right hand side)

No new trails are listed except maybe trail access from Little River to the Youies, and an easier link between Stockyards and the other side.
They do mention the need to fix the carpark and do some work on the existing trails, but mtb upgrades seem well down the priority list (I've only skimmed the document).

They mention the potential to "Establish a new mountain biking hub, complete with kiosk for light meals and beverages, bike repair shop, small offices/rooms for mountain bike group use, toilets, showers/end of trip amenities, bike racks, storage rooms (for event equipment), and shaded outdoor seating area."
This seems pretty far fetched to me unless there's a huge tourism boom, as who's paying to operate a kiosk and bike store that gets traffic 2 days a week?

Looking at the response profile it seems that the mtb community was quite active in providing responses to the initial community engagement, but the upgrade focus is on education and indigenous awareness.

There's an online community engagement evening on 16 Sept if you are interested. Can register at the link above

 

[leitch]

It's a pretty solid outcome. It's a masterplan only (and draft at that) so the chances of much of it going through to actual completion/delivery in the proposed form is pretty slim, but as it relates to MTB there are some good indicators:

• PV is aware that the infrastructure at the Youies is absolute trash and is prioritising improvements to road access, parking, and amenities.
• They identify "extreme growth" opportunities in adventure tourism including MTB, leading to their consideration of opportunities for commercialisation

Agreed that the likelihood of further trail development is extremely slim, however even just a sealed car park, new change rooms/toilets and some storage provision for club equipment etc, along with some trail maintenance and landscaping/remediation of the pit etc would be a great contribution and a clear sign of long-term commitment.

 

[fjohn860]

Seemed like a token gesture at most for the mtb side of things, but it's better than nothing.

Hopefully the things mentioned don't get watered down and actually happen.


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[fjohn860]

A fair while ago there was talk of a new section of single-track that would link track 1 to the stockyards.

But that was a long time ago.

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[Boom King]

It's also a plan that deals with improvements to a part of the park that is nowhere near the current trails, hence the cursery mention re MTB.

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[leitch]

 

[kbekus]

On the bright side, at least it appears that they're not winding back access..... some more amenities might be nice but am I wrong in thinking a sealed car park is a bit OTT? It would be great to see track 1 finished around to the Stockyards, seems ages ago that parts 1 and 2 were completed, it's cool to ride that track but a bummer it just finishes at the loop road.

 

[mike14]

On the bright side, at least it appears that they're not winding back access..... some more amenities might be nice but am I wrong in thinking a sealed car park is a bit OTT? It would be great to see track 1 finished around to the Stockyards, seems ages ago that parts 1 and 2 were completed, it's cool to ride that track but a bummer it just finishes at the loop road.

At the Stockyards side? They've got to do something with the car park because it's a shambles at times. Whether it needs to be sealed rather than just graded and graveled I don't know, but I assume putting in a sealed carpark means less maintenance in the long run

 

[leitch]

At the Stockyards side? They've got to do something with the car park because it's a shambles at times. Whether it needs to be sealed rather than just graded and graveled I don't know, but I assume putting in a sealed carpark means less maintenance in the long run

Exactly. As it is it's basically just one big water runoff path and gets so rutted out and fucked up so quickly that they'd need to be grading it every 6 months to keep it in a relatively good state. Sealing it would mean they can install proper water gardens and runoff management, plus to our benefit it instills a sense of permanence to the trailhead.

 

[Mattyp]

Exactly. As it is it's basically just one big water runoff path and gets so rutted out and fucked up so quickly that they'd need to be grading it every 6 months to keep it in a relatively good state. Sealing it would mean they can install proper water gardens and runoff management, plus to our benefit it instills a sense of permanence to the trailhead.

if they seal the carpark they'll need to seal the road as well, and add about 15 speed humps to stop people hitting roos every couple of days, there's hundreds of them in the paddocks on the way in but people still do 100km/h right up until the carpark entry.

 

[leitch]

if they seal the carpark they'll need to seal the road as well, and add about 15 speed humps to stop people hitting roos every couple of days, there's hundreds of them in the paddocks on the way in but people still do 100km/h right up until the carpark entry.

That's because it's fun, Matt.

Me, in my euro hatch hitting the waterbar right after the bitumen stops:

 

[Mattyp]

i find the great circle drive is better for a full rally attack...its .one way so you know no-one is coming the other way

 

[cammas]

i find the great circle drive is better for a full rally attack...its .one way so you know no-one is coming the other way

I couldn’t count how many people I’ve seen going the wrong way and when they blocked one end due to the erosion, people would just come around the wrong way. One young bloke thought his first generation Navara was a rally car, I could hear the poor thing screaming through the trees on Junction track.

 

[fjohn860]

i find the great circle drive is better for a full rally attack...its .one way so you know no-one is coming the other way

Not today it wasn't apparently. Old mate in a hilux flying down the wrong way.

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[Mattyp]

Well shit, if someone wants to risk running into this by going the wrong way good luck to them

 

[mike14]

Turns out my registration for tonight's Info Session didn't work and it is now sold out.
If anyone from here logs in tonight, cliff notes would be much appreciated!

 

[Spike-X]

If anyone from Melbourne is thinking about sneaking down for a sneaky sesh, think again. Police are cruising through the car park on a regular basis checking rego plates for you big city types.

 

[mike14]

If anyone from Melbourne is thinking about sneaking down for a sneaky sesh, think again. Police are cruising through the car park on a regular basis checking rego plates for you big city types.

No-one would be that foolish, everybody knows that the 'rona is just lurking in the Cresseys rock gardens waiting for riders to go OTB so it can strike!