Scores of Brisbane bush reserves eyed for mountain biking trails

In total, 48 bushland sites are listed for off-road cycling in various forms over the next five years, and 38 proposed for longer-term development.

The council’s environment, parks and sustainability chairwoman Fiona Cunningham said the Mt Coot-tha trails were used more than 700,000 times annually.

“The draft strategy identifies a number of potential locations across Brisbane’s reserves and parks for different off-road cycling facilities including mountain bike trails, skills tracks, dirt jumps, pump tracks, cyclo-cross circuits and shared use tracks,” Cr Cunningham said.

But Bulimba Creek Catchment Co-ordination Committee president Michael Petter said the strategy did not provide enough information on the council’s plans for environment impact assessments at each reserve.

Mr Petter said many of Brisbane’s bushland reserves were specifically put aside for conservation, not for high-impact recreation.

“We’ve put a lot of effort into protecting these areas and … rehabilitating these areas, a lot of our time and money goes into these things,” Mr Petter said.

“We certainly don’t want to see these things undone.”

He said environment groups were calling on the council to delay the strategy and complete “more comprehensive discussions and assessments” and overhaul Brisbane’s nature conservation strategy.

Cr Cunningham said the council did not propose constructing off-road tracks in areas where landcare groups worked.

Brisbane Off-Road Riders Alliance president Dan Crawford, however, said mountain bikers were equally keen to stop illegal trail use and take responsibility as bushland conservators.

Mr Crawford said mountain bikers wanted to work with the bushcare groups to develop sustainable trails, pointing to the highly successful Blue Derby trails in Tasmania’s North East as an example of what Brisbane could offer.

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“We think we’re on the same side … we both want to protect reserves for recreation, which is partly what they’re there for,” Mr Crawford said.

Mr Crawford said BORRA, founded in late 2019 over concerns about the future of the Mount Coot-tha tracks, had witnessed a pandemic-triggered spike in interest from about mountain biking.

He said BORRA championed sustainable trail-building, ensuring tracks were built to prevent erosion with no ruts or sediment build-up, and with minimal impact on wildlife, trees and shrubs.

Cr Cunningham said the protection of habitat and wildlife corridors was a “very important component” of the strategy.

“… Council bushland reserves are protected primarily for nature conservation purposes,” she said.

“By providing additional facilities in low-impact locations and after full environmental assessments, we can reduce the risk of unauthorised trail construction in more sensitive areas.”

Bicycle Queensland director of advocacy Andrew Demack said opening up new trails would be welcome.

“Brisbane residents who want to ride off-road trails have been driving to trail networks in Logan, Redlands, Ipswich and Moreton council areas, because Brisbane has lagged behind in providing for mountain biking,” Mr Demack said.

“Purpose-built sustainable mountain bike trails have much less environmental impact than existing fire management trails.”

Mr Petter, however, said environment groups had “struggled for years” with the damage done by illegal mountain-biking tracks, and the risk would be worsened if mountain-biking was endorsed in reserves.

Consultation on the draft strategy is open until February 28.