Daredevils expected to flock to the dramatic new mountain bike trail offering

A soon-to-be-launched mountain bike trail network down a mountain on the state’s rugged West Coast will offer some of the biggest descents in the world.

TASMANIA’S booming mountain bike sector is about to be boosted with the official opening of a dramatic trail down Mt Owen on the state’s West Coast.

Dirt Art and the West Coast Council will launch the 35km Queenstown Mountain Bike Trails on December 10.

Dirt Art managing director Simon French said the Mt Owen project was one of the company’s most challenging and rewarding builds to date.

“This trail network is the first of its kind in Australia, offering big mountain riding experiences currently only found in the northern hemisphere or New Zealand,” he said.

With an over 800m vertical elevation on some trails, the network offers some of the biggest purpose-built descending opportunities in Australia.

“These final set of trails on Mt Owen being finished marks a significant milestone in achieving the council’s vision for a suite of unique and world-class mountain bike trails on the West Coast,” Mayor Shane Pitt said.

“We’ve seen plenty of interest from riders already and are seeing a lot of new businesses and opportunities opening up right across the board. It’s a very exciting time to be on the West Coast.”

A rider descends the new Mt Owen bike trail.

The trails – which attracted $2.5m in federal government funding – capitalise on the rugged West Coast landscape and are just a few kilometres out of Queenstown.

The 35km trail network includes five primary descending trails, accessed via a shuttle bus service. Two descending trails finish in the township of Linda, where the historic pub is getting a new lease of life.

Four loop trails have been developed, which begin and end on Tramway St, a short ride from the Queenstown CBD.

The project is part of a larger West Coast Mountain Bike Project, which includes construction of a trail network in Zeehan (currently under construction), and planning for a broader suite of

riding experiences across the region.