Mountain bike hub, soccer fields among options for former Belair National Park golf course

Since last year, it’s been abandoned to turn into a dry, overgrown field. Now new life is coming to the defunct Belair Golf Course site.

• Govt seeks ideas for new uses of Belair Golf Course
• Glamping proposal for Lincoln National Park
• Controversial KI tourism accommodation plan

A mountain biking hub and soccer club base are among the frontrunners in the State Government’s bid to find a new use for the defunct Belair Golf Course.

The Environment Department received 13 expressions of interest in its call for new ventures at the 50ha site.

The former golf course, now overrun with weeds alongside its deteriorating country club, has been closed since early last year.

The Government has narrowed the potential ventures at the site down to four applications, which also include a sustainable trail design and construction education centre, and a “recreational hospitality-based endeavour”.

It did not provide more details about the hospitality venture, other than that it would feature “outdoor activities for a range of ages”.

Inside Line downhill mountain bike club committee member Joff Medder, of Belair, said a mountain bike hub would cement Belair as a centre for the sport, which was already extremely popular in the Mitcham Hills.

“I’m 49 so I’m at the older end of the sport, but there’s guys racing nationally that are 70 years old and you don’t get that in a lot of sports,” Mr Medder said.

It would be a great spot for beginner and intermediate trails, and would give biking clubs somewhere to meet, he said.

Joff Medder from Inside Line downhill bike club with 12-year-old Izack Fielder at the abandoned Belair Golf Course. Picture: Simon Cross

The former Belair Country Club, at Belair National Park. Picture: Tom Huntley

“If parents don’t ride, they can keep a close eye on their kids, without being on trails 5km from a trail hub.

“The national park is awesome for mountain biking and other sports, and it’s centrally located and accessible by train — so it’s got all the things everybody wants in a hills environment.”

Mr Medder, also a member of the Belair CFS, said the golf course could not be replanted with native vegetation, like the rest of the national park, because it was needed as a fire buffer zone next to homes.

The Upper Waterfall at Belair National Park. Picture: Michelle Etheridge

Sturt Lions Football Club also wants to use the site as a base. It now plays at various playing fields across southern Adelaide

Environment Minister David Speirs said the Government would now negotiate with project proponents.

“The proposals on the table will provide a real opportunity to reinvigorate the site for visitors to Belair National Park,” Mr Speirs said.

The four preferred proposals could potentially coexist at the site, and the hospitality venture was the only one of those, which had flagged the intention to use the building.

None said they wanted it demolished.

Mr Speirs said locals would have their chance to have a say on the proposals once the department had met with the proponents to work through their ideas.

The next round of consultation was likely to happen in July.

It will follow a separate process last year, when more than 2200 people had their say on what they wanted to happen with the golf course land.

The dead grass on the Belair Golf Course green.

In the interim, it has become popular with dog walkers and kangaroos, who are enjoying grazing on the former fairways.

The Belair Park Country Club in February fell into administration early last year.

The Government has ruled out selling any of the land.

Plans for Belair follow a State Government-run expression of interest process for nature-based tourism ideas in parks across the state.

It received 44 bids from tourism and business operators.

Among them was a glamping proposal for Lincoln National Park, and controversial accommodation project on the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail.

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