Mountain Bike Skills Area - Brookfield
The Shire of Augusta Margaret River has established a low-key mountain bike skills area in Public Recreation Reserve 48184, on the corner of Bottlebrush and Leschenaultia Drive in Brookfield. To determine if the trails and surrounding environment could be managed effectively by users, a 12 month trial period was implemented from January 2023 to January 2024.
Have your say
Now that the 12 month trial is complete, the Shire is inviting nearby residents and interested community members to provide feedback on the trial. Feedback received will be considered by the Shire to decide how the mountain bike skills area will be managed into the future.
We have put together a short survey (available below) for you to provide your feedback.
The survey will remain open until 5pm, Friday 3 May.
All survey participants will go into the draw to win one of two $50 vouchers to The Hairy Marron.
Background
Unsanctioned building of mountain bike trails in bushland parks and reserves poses an ongoing threat to the environment and the safety of the community, and in principle is not permitted in Shire reserves. Over recent years, informal bike trails and jumps have been built, and received heavy use in the reserve in Brookfield.
In highly sensitive environments, or where informal trails pose a safety risk to users, the Shire will remove the trails, rehabilitate the site, and take measures to prohibit any further trail building. However, trail removal is not always a feasible option. Removal can be costly where trails are well established and may not reduce trail building as the activity is likely to move to another location. Given the significant level of building and use of trails in the Reserve and its semi-degraded condition, the Shire has trialed an approach of allowing trail use to continue, while managing the environmental and safety risks.
About the 12 month trial
The twelve-month trial of a sanctioned mountain bike skills area at the Reserve involved:
- A concept plan detailing the mountain bike skills area and features to be included.
- Notifying nearby residents about the trial and providing the opportunity to comment on the project. Several submissions were received which were addressed and/or incorporated into the project.
- Marking out of a 0.25 hectare formal mountain bike skills area within the existing trail area in Reserve 48184, using natural features such as rocks and logs as a border to distinguish between the trail use area and the remaining native bushland.
- Engaging professional trail builders to repair, remediate, and re-work unsanctioned trails and jumps to provide a small network of trails for all skill levels that meet Australian Mountain Bike Trail safety standards.
- Running a community workshop involving local youth to learn about sustainable trail building and help construct the trail area.
- Establishing a new entry into the reserve and repairing the reserve boundary fence.
- Undertaking increased reserve inspections and maintenance of trails.
- Implementing conservation work within the bushland portion of the reserve to improve biodiversity values, including weed control and revegetation.
Future management options
The Shire will be considering options for managing the mountain bike skills area in the future, which will be based on a range of factors including community feedback on the trial (see below), expected costs, environmental impacts, and safety considerations.
If you have any questions about the project, please contact the Senior Environment and Landcare Officer on 9780 5218, or email environment@amrshire.wa.gov.au
