Council endorses mountain biking plan worth $20m to region
A MASSIVE mountain biking master plan for the Toowoomba escarpment, which would add nearly 70km worth of trails, has been endorsed by the council.
Toowoomba
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A MASSIVE mountain biking master plan for the Toowoomba escarpment, which would add nearly 70km worth of trails and install new infrastructure, has been endorsed by the council.
Councillors voted this morning at a committee meeting to approve the mammoth report by Dirt Art into potential improvements to the region’s existing mountain bike infrastructure.
The report recommended adding 68km of new trails, including tracks for both early beginners and highly experienced riders, to Redwood and Jubilee Parks to complement the 28km already in place.
The new project has been estimated to inject $20 million into the region’s economy every year, once fully realised.
It also urged making the Bridge St Quarry site as the primary node to enter the trail area and host special events, with secondary nodes off Harvey and Woodridge Sts.
“The proposed master plan has been structured to provide maximum economic benefit opportunities to both TRC and LVRC municipal areas, and principally the towns of Toowoomba and Withcott,” the report said.
“The project proposes to develop a network of new trails and corresponding infrastructure that will establish the Toowoomba escarpment as a nationally-significant mountain bike destination.
“With the correct delivery approach and supported by a high-quality marketing campaign, Dirt Art believe Toowoomba has the potential to attract significant mountain bike visitation.”
The authors of the report, which was funded by the Toowoomba and Lockyer Valley Regional Councils and the State Government, recommended the council investigate shuttle options to help riders and economic impacts on the region.
Toowoomba Mountain Bike Club president Juliet Redding welcomed the plan, calling it an exciting development for southeast Queensland.
“There are very few opportunities to do mountain biking as a destination holiday in Queensland,” she said.
“We are wildly behind the proposal and we want to be very involved with its development.
“The trail network will meet the levels of all riders, and give us the chance to host national and international events.
“There are some exciting opportunities, and it doesn’t just benefit from a tourism perspective, but I would estimate there are 500 regular users of the trails right now.”
The plan will be considered for addition into the council’s 10-year capital works program.
