Whitsundays’ mountain biking trails unveiled for Twin Creeks Eco Park

North QLD is gearing up to be a mountain biking hotspot with another competitor entering the race to tap into the lucrative tourism industry. Find out what’s planned.

There are two mountain bike projects across the Mackay Whitsunday region which could soon go head to head to be the first to open to the general public. Picture: Frances Andrijich

Another competitor has entered the race to lure the best mountain bikers from across the world with plans unveiled for a new tourism attraction in the Whitsundays.

It comes as Mackay Regional Council forges ahead with its flagship Pioneer Valley Mountain Bike Trails capitalising on the Eungella National Park, also known as the Land of the Clouds.

In an application to Whitsunday Regional Council, Blue Jeep Investments outlined plans to build Stage 1 of the Twin Creeks Eco Park on a 162ha site off Duval Road in Preston, nestled between the Conway National Park.

If approved, there would be various trails on the “generally quite steep” site ranging in difficulty from easy, suited to walkers and mountain bikers alike, to extreme for riders-only.

There are also trails just for walkers which “follow the creeks or natural features”.

The location of the proposed Twin Creeks Eco Park in Preston, Whitsundays. Picture: Veris

Documents state the project, part of a wider Hidden Valley Whitsundays development that was pre-approved in 2009, aims to redress the “severe lack of mainland tourist opportunities” and tap into the “exponential growth” witnessed in the mountain bike tourism industry.

“A region with extensive and exceptional natural attributes has an opportunity to showcase these assets and put itself on the national and international mountain bike circuit,” documents state.

It adds only Whitsunday Mountain Bike Club members will be allowed to use Stage 1, “allow(ing) the trail network to be tried and tested by experienced mountain bikers in preparation of Stage 2”.

Stage 2 adds more trails as well as toilet facilities, car parks and “envisaged” mountain bike events.

In the interim, there will be a temporary car park catering for up to 50 vehicles, with access via Bushranger Dr connecting to Rifle Range Rd.

The application states the Whitsunday council had acknowledged the “tremendous” opportunity of mountain bike tourism, having commissioned DirtArt in November 2020 to prepare its own concept plan.

The neighbouring Mackay council officially endorsed its Mountain Bike Strategy in February 2019, which Optium Planning Group prepared in partnership with World Trail.