{"id":197890,"date":"2017-12-13T13:26:13","date_gmt":"2017-12-13T03:26:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=197890"},"modified":"2020-08-09T15:26:21","modified_gmt":"2020-08-09T05:26:21","slug":"cycling-trails-get-go-ahead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2017\/12\/13\/cycling-trails-get-go-ahead\/","title":{"rendered":"Cycling Trails Get Go-Ahead"},"content":{"rendered":"
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An ambitious plan by the South Burnett Mountain Bike Club to develop a series of cycling trails in the Mceuen Forestry near Wondai has received a go-ahead from the State Government (Photo: SBMTB)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The club will start off with two trails and expand the number over time (Photo: SBMTB)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

December 13, 2017<\/strong><\/p>\n

The South Burnett Mountain Bike Club (SBMTB) has received approval to begin construction of a dedicated series of cycling trails through the Mceuen forestry area near Wondai.<\/p>\n

This week the club signed a Collaborative Agreement with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS).<\/p>\n

The agreement will allow the club to develop and maintain mountain bike trails in the forestry area, creating a valuable adjunct to the nearby South Burnett Rail Trail.<\/p>\n

The club first announced it wanted to undertake the project in January.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It has been in negotiations with QPWS for most of this year.<\/p>\n

SBMTB secretary Jason Wyeth said the initial agreement will cover a three year period, but will be extended if the Department is happy with the arrangement.<\/p>\n

Riders looking for some off-road action will be able to cycle the bitumen-sealed rail trail to Wondai, then take a short detour to the end of Mackenzie Street to access the forestry trails.<\/p>\n

“We were within days of signing an agreement with the State Government to develop the trails when the election was called and everything went into caretaker mode,” Jason said.<\/p>\n

“But after the current Government was returned, we were able to conclude the agreement pretty quickly.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019re confident we’ll be able to open up our first new bike trails early in the New Year.”<\/p>\n

Jason said the club plans to start with two trails, which are existing forestry trails with some additions, and then gradually develop a network of other trails in the area.<\/p>\n

“This is a long-term project for the club, and we’d like to secure funding over time to extend this a lot.”<\/p>\n

Add-ons the club is considering include a car park and other amenities for visiting cyclists.<\/p>\n

Similar off-road cycling trails in other parts of Australia have been shown to significantly increase tourism.<\/p>\n

Derby in northern Tasmania lifted annual visitation numbers from 15,000 to 65,000 over a three-year period after an 80km off-road cycling trail opened nearby.<\/p>\n