Page 4934 - Week 13 - Thursday, 2 November 2017
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I should also mention Stromlo Forest Park, a fantastic facility for mountain biking, as well as other activities such as running and horse riding. Unfortunately, the current master plan proposes to remove a significant amount of Stromlo’s beginner mountain bike trails at the base of the mountain, and replace them with ovals. Ovals are also a good community facility, of course, and the new communities in Molonglo will need such facilities, but the removal of the tracks is problematic. These are the tracks particularly used by beginner riders: kids and families. The change reduces the number of trails at Stromlo, even though its user base is growing, especially as the Molonglo Valley population is increasing.
Consider the situation that, of the three major off-road cycling areas in Canberra, we now have all of the Kowen Forest trails flagged for destruction from logging, trails in Majura Pines flagged for destruction from logging, and tracks at Stromlo proposed for removal. We should be going in the other direction: improving and protecting the trails, taking advantage of the fact that Canberra already has an excellent reputation as a destination for off-road riding, as well as on-road. We could become Australia’s mountain biking capital.
There are real economic opportunities that come with such a reputation. It is not surprising that we see developers in places like Denman Prospect, Wright and Coombs advertising with mountain biking imagery. Similarly, some Canberra hotels advertise themselves as mountain bike friendly. It is because this is a popular sport and Canberra has already established a good reputation. We are in danger of wasting this instead of harnessing it. At the moment you can come to Canberra for a week and ride different trails virtually every day. We must not undermine the terrific natural advantage that we have.
Other parts of Australia are embracing this opportunity. Parts of Australia such as Warburton in Victoria, Mount Buller, the Snowy Mountains Shire and the north-east of Tasmania are currently investing up to $10 million each in the development of specific mountain bike infrastructure, with a view to building a tourist destination specifically targeting mountain bike tourists. Currently, we are ahead of these places, but they will soon leave us behind, and if we are actively diminishing our mountain biking assets it will happen twice as fast.
We need a positive, long-term approach to managing recreational trails, as well as a positive plan to improve recreational cycling in the territory. This motion asks the government to do that. It asks for a proper analysis of the value of recreational trails and the associated networks across Canberra, including their social, health, economic and recreational value. It also asks the government to produce a cycling tourism strategy and mountain biking strategy, in order to grow the amount of cycling for both recreation and as a means of travel, to harness tourism opportunities, and to actually properly manage the resources we have for the long term, including by working with cycling stakeholders.
I expect one of the important outcomes from this exercise will be the identification of new areas in Canberra where the community and the government can build recreational trails and where they can remain for the long term as a valued and
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