Since forever and a day the tranquil town of Narooma, situated approximately 4.5 hours South of Sydney and 3 hours Southeast of Canberra, has been a ‘must visit’ family holiday destination. Famous for its stunning coastal scenery and vibrant local food culture, it’s the perfect place to unwind and relax. But as if that wasn’t enough reason to want to visit Narooma, the region recently opened an 85km mind blowing mountain bike trail network.
Created by Dirt Art, this destination has instantly become regarded as (mainland) Australia’s number one ‘must ride’ MTB town. Honestly, already dozens of friends of the mag have made the journey over to ride there and they all won’t stop bloody talking about how good it is! No prizes for guessing where we’ll be going for our next [R]evo road trip. To learn more about the trail network and the surrounding area we reached out to Georgie from the local club who was one of the instrumental people behind the scenes in rallying to secure the $4.3 million dollar government grant which brought the trial network to life, and at the same time put Narooma on the mountain bike ‘map’.
[R]: Let’s start with an overview of the trail network – how many trails, how many Km’s in total, elevation gain/drop, what style of trails are on offer Enduro/XC/Gravity or a mix of everything?
So, there’s 54 different trails which cover 85 kms in total length. Essentially the park is divided into 3 distinct riding ‘zones’. These include:
Playground
This network of trails features an exciting range of green through to double black trails, which are mostly a mix of beginner and intermediate fun flow and jump trails to ease people into the network. It does have some gnarly rocky tech trails. One of the iconic must ride trails are located here – Thunderbirds are go! Which has the Ute jump in it – it’s a favourite with kids and oldies who like a bit of fun airtime. This area can be self-shuttled.
Gravity
This is the zone that seems to have everyone really buzzing with excitement! It consists of 2 ‘up’ trails, and 8 ‘down’ trails ranging from green/blue through to advanced double blacks. Everyone has their favourites here. The blue intermediate, fun and flowy, “I love Steve” consistently rates as the most popular, but for those that want something with a bit of everything “Chilli and Lime” with its steepness, gap jumps, big berms and jumps also captures attention. The Darcy Coutts built Goodbye Gravity is the big jump trail that aligns with A line at Whistler.
Wilderness
This collection of trails combines a little bit of absolutely everything for everyone. From rock drops and chutes, to XC, to fun flow and hand built singletrack you have literally kms and kms of trails to get lost in! People love exploring all of this on their e-Bikes and come back with a surprised look on their face saying Oh the old network is really good too!
Where are the trails located, how do you get there and where is the best place to park?
The trails are located in the Bodalla State Forest, the main trailhead is on the corner of the Princes Highway and Mitchells Ridge Rd and is the only place to park to access the trail system. This is located approximately 10-minutes drive from the centre of Narooma on the northern side. From Dalmeny and Kianga approximately a 5 to 7 minute drive. A link trail is being worked on from Dalmeny which then allows people to ride safely to the trails.
What trail recommendations/itinerary do you have for confident gravity orientated riders?
Warm up on I love Steve or Sir Wax a lot, move onto Colonel Senders (nice lily pad at the end of the trail) and Chilli and Lime
What about recommendation for lesser experienced riders who enjoy riding a bit of everything?
If you are not a “jumper” then warm up on Shredtopia/Puffy Horse, return to Twitching Whisker, ride across to Gravity and do I love Steve, Humpback and the Whale Trail. Big Ass Flies and Willie Wossell are singletrack fun.
Are there trails that are suitable for the whole family, in particular small children?
Definitely, we have kids riding from 3 years old and above. Kick Start/Witness the Fitness to take them to the top, take the long run down Shredtopia. If they are really young, it’s easy to just ride the trails from the junction at the end of the first section of Kick Start, as they’re shorter trails, they can do multiple runs.
Are there shuttle bus uplift options available?
Yes absolutely, in the Gravity section we have paid shuttles only available. The Mountain Bike Club paid to get a road upgraded which is only suitable for a limited number of vehicles. We really can’t afford to upgrade the road to a standard where it would take multiple vehicles. Southbound Escapes, a local business, provides them and the link to book is either our website or directly on their website. This business directly supports the club for trail maintenance.
Is there drinkable water available and toilet facilities on site?
We do not have on site drinking water just yet, but it is something that we’re working on. Unfortunately, the trailhead is located outside of the town’s water ‘mains’ network and so the bike park doesn’t have easy direct access to that water supply. There are 2 toilets located at main trailhead and one toilet in the wilderness at Red Knob Trailhead. We (the club) are currently applying for a grant to put another toilet at the Gravity Trailhead.
How far to the closest bike shops?
Narooma Cycles is in Narooma at the Narooma Plaza approximately 10 minutes away – they do all bike and e-Bike repairs on all major brands, they support the club also. Narooma Cycles will open a hire and small repair station at the trailhead in 2024.
Where’s the best / closest place to head for medical treatment if a rider suffers an injury out on the trails?
As in all remote country places – emergency services are not on the doorstep. We have a hospital at Moruya 20 minutes away to the north. Bega Hospital better equipped with any orthopaedic problems is 60 minutes to the south. We have ambulance, fire and rescue, VRA and RFS agencies in town that all have maps and EP’s of the trails. Ambulance does not have a 4 wheel drive, if you do need their services, when you call make sure you ask for Ambulance and VRA (or any of the others) then give the EP number which is situated approximately 400-500m along the trails and at the start and end.
What sort of accommodation options are there nearby for riders visiting from afar?
Many campgrounds, van parks, motels, hotels and AirBnBs. In fact, many of our sponsors are accommodation providers, please make sure you use them as the sponsors directly support the upkeep of the trails.
How can visiting riders help to support the trails and the club?
Supporting our sponsors is the number 1 way to support us! Let them know why you are, when you use them. Riders can also make donations to directly support our trail maintenance and ongoing additions to the trail network. We have QR codes at the trailhead, or you can donate through our website. Any donations gratefully received.
We welcome all mountain bikers to come and visit our trails and we hope to see you all out there one day soon!
For plenty more information about the trail network and everything you need to know about planning a trip to the region there’s a fantastic website that you can check out: www.mountainbikenarooma.com.au