Wangetti trail builder claps back at Glen Jacob’s harsh criticism of $47m track
An internationally-recognised trail builder has claimed the $47.1m state government-approved Wangetti Trail is potentially unsafe, as the LNP for the first time commits to the completion of the tourism drawcard.
Cairns
Don't miss out on the headlines from Cairns. Followed categories will be added to My News.
An internationally recognised trail builder has claimed the $47.1m state government-approved Wangetti Trail is potentially unsafe due to the track not being “professionally built”.
Some mountain bikers hitting the first 7.8km section of the Wangetti Trail after it opened in September have delivered a scathing critique of the track linking Palm Cove and Ellis Beach.
Eventually, the project will become a 94km hiking and mountain biking track connecting Palm Cove to Port Douglas through the Macalister Range National Park.
At the heart of criticism, levelled at the tourism product which was delivered by Toowoomba based company Wagner’s, is a claim the trail has too many tight switchbacks surfaced with slippery bush stones and some of the corners don’t have any camber or berms meaning they can’t be navigated at speed by riders.
The company has denied there are any issues with the trail, which was signed off by the government and other experts.
Until the Wangetti project the Toowoomba company specialising in quarry, concrete and composite fibre technologies had never built a dual purpose bush trail before.
A view that the trail prioritises the needs of hikers over riders has been raised by many including Glen Jacobs whose company World Trails was overlooked in 2020 by the state government after submitting a comprehensive tender proposal.
“We were very disappointed to not be awarded the contract but we were more upset that a professional trail builder didn’t get the contract,” he said.
“(Wagner’s) have told me that, they now realise there’s a lot more that goes into building a hybrid trail than what they thought.”
Mr Jacobs, who pioneered the development of the Smithfield Mountain Bike Park used annually for the international Crankworx event, said he believed the standard of the Wangetti Trail had “taken the industry back 20 years”.
“My fear is someone will die on that trail, it’s not designed right and it’s not a professionally designed trail,” he said.
However Wagners rejected the claims.
“The trial has been built to comply with the published guidelines,” a company spokesman. said.
“It has been signed off on by the government and other experts and it’s fine.
“The Wangetti Trail is an asset that all of North Queensland should be proud of.”
Mr Jacobs who has featured prominently in the promotion of an LNP election promise to extend the network of bike tracks at Smithfield said he was a-political and supported whichever party delivered the most for the sport.
Mountain bike enthusiast Tony Trafford made the point that a dual use, two-way trail had to strike a balance between the safety of hikers and thrills of riders.
He said the Wangetti Trail was never meant to be a hardcore downhill track.
“It has to be a commercially viable project, it has to pay off, if it’s a sick mountain biking trail that no one can ride it’s not going to work,” he said.
“Once they allow the walkers on the trail it was never going to be a very good trail for bikers.
“It’s not dangerous for walkers because it’s so slow, I saw a guy doing it in a wheelchair and I think that was fantastic.
“There are wheelchairs and prams going over it and that is amazing.”
Looking forward to the proposed next stages between Ellis Beach and Port Douglas Mr Trafford said he would like to see divided sections that offer exclusive use for hikers and riders. But given the complicated nature of Indigenous land use agreements and a dispute with Douglas Shire Council that surfaced in 2022 over the trail’s maintenance and alignment, full completion of the controversial tourism attraction could be some time away.
Keen mountain bike rider and prominent Cairns businessman Craig Squire after riding the tail for the first time didn’t hold back when expressing his disapproval.
“If the whole trail continues in this vein it will be an embarrassment for the Cairns mountain bike community, it will not be world class and attract riders from around the world as was it’s intention and considerable funding provided for,” he said.
Another rider Sebastian Reddan believed the project had been “hijacked by eco-hikers and campers” to make the rail “just not fun to ride.”
“But realistically what do you expect when it is primarily a walking trail,” he said.
A potential change of government on Saturday is another factor that could determine if
the beleaguered project ever gets finished, given the LNP’s silence on trail and a flagship pledge of $14m to extend the Smithfield Mountain Bike Trail.
The LNP’s Barron River candidate Bree James has been a vocal opponent of the trail and she branded the tourism offering the “Wrong-getti Trail” at a candidates debate in October.
“The mountain bike and running community are calling it that, due to trail design by a southern company that have never built a track,” she said.
But despite attacking the government for the long overdue and over budget project, for the first time on Thursday Ms James committed to the completion of the trail all the way to Port Douglas.
“The LNP government will deliver the Wangetti Trail for Far North Queensland and we will provide the tourism and recreation opportunities we’ve been missing out on under Labor,” she said.
More Coverage
Originally published as Wangetti trail builder claps back at Glen Jacob’s harsh criticism of $47m track
Woman allegedly raped, bitten on waterfall Tinder date, court hears
A man told his Tinder date he was a rainforest guide before taking her on a date to an isolated stream in Far North Queensland where he allegedly raped and bit her, a court has heard.
Temperatures soar as Far North braces for ‘severe’ weather
It’s hot in the city - and in the regions - with some areas of North Queensland poised for temperatures of 35C as we head into storm season.