2 minute read
Must ride: South Coast’s best mountain bike trails
The NSW South Coast’s array of national parks, reserves and stunning rural settings means mountain bike riders need not travel far to reach some impressive outdoor trails. It’s no secret that the region boasts some of the best and well-maintained riding terrain in Australia, so grab your bike and enjoy all that the South Coast has to offer.
MOGO
Nestled in the middle of the Mogo State Forest is a diverse network of well over 100km of mountain bike tracks for all ages and experience levels. Some of the best and most well-known trails are located just southwest of the town at the Maulbrooks Road trailhead and near Deep Creek Dam, offering a fun and interesting variety of topography and terrain for riders. The most popular trails here include the short sharp 300m Thru Track, the scenic 1km AST, the fun and fast 2km Snake Track, and the 1.5km Bump and Grind, a windy, mostly downhill trail through granite boulders and rock sheets – the most technical trail in the Maulbrooks area.
TATHRA
Coined the mecca of the Sapphire Coast mountain bike scene, Tathra is home to the Tathra Mountain Bike Festival (formerly known as the MTB Enduro Event) and over 50km of action-packed trails for the beginner to the most advanced rider. Tathra is well-known for its highquality community-built trails full of swerves, curves, switchbacks, gully drops and epic creek crossings. Some of the best trails in the area include the 23km cross-country Bundadung network, which includes the challenging 1.7km Evil Tom climb, a 1km meandering rainforest track called Paula’s Path – also known as Evil Tom’s other half, and numerous other trails that snake through this stunning coastal bush setting only moments from the beach. The trail head starts at the Tathra Country Club, where riders can park and access the toilets and changing facilities.
Photography by Eerik Sandstrom
NOWRA
Just 15 minutes south of Nowra, mountain bike riders will find the popular Coondoo loop, a clockwise single track offering good variation with short climbs and technical sections between 3km and 10km. For those looking for a challenge, the nearby 6km Superbowl trail features a mix of technical sections, modest climbs and fast downhill sections. Just 5 minutes from the Superbowl track is the Butterfly, a 5.5km course with a mix of technical sections and downhill runs to break up a range of short sharp climbs as well as some longer climbs. Further north, riders will find Cabbage Tree Lane, a fairly flat, well-signposted trail with loop options of 2.5km, 6km and 9.5km that are perfect for beginners. Closer to the town of Bomaderry, there’s a well-known 10km network of single trails at Bomo Creek with rugged terrain and varying difficulty for riders of all ages and experience levels.
NAROOMA
From coastal rides to dense national parks,the Narooma region is home to some ofthe most picturesque mountain bike trails inNSW. One of the most popular rides in thearea is the Narooma to Dalmeny Cycleway,a stunning 6km shared path that runs alongthe coastline between the two towns. Justnorth of Narooma via Kianga Forest Roadare the Narooma Trails, which consist ofover 20 tracks that weave through theluscious bushland wilderness of the BodallaState Forest. Some of the well-known trailshere include the Snordle, a highly rated2km single track trail, the 2km uphill TastyPossum trail and the 2km downhill WillyWossell. The extensive network of trails inthis area offers plenty of variety for all skilllevels offering a range of easy through tomore challenging rides.
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