Blue Derby

INTO THE BLUE

[ 95 KILOMETRES FROM LAUNCESTON ]

Taking on Derby’s network of mountain biking trails taught Mark Daffey why north-east Tasmania has become a hotspot for adventure-seekers.

WHEELS AND THRILLS > Forests scented with hints of myrtle. Peaty mountain steppes affording views of the ocean. Farmhouses scattered among rolling dairy pastures. These are scenes you’d expect to find in Tasmania’s north-east. What you might not expect is to explore them on two wheels. I’m in Derby, a former tin mining town 95 kilometres north-east of Launceston, on one of the area’s exhilarating biking tracks. The 85-kilometre network of trails around the town and in the neighbouring Blue Tier Range is called Blue Derby; it opened in 2015 and has become a go-to mountain biking destination. You can come here to ride for any length of time but my adventure is with Blue Derby Pods Ride (bluederbypodsride.com.au) – a guided experience over three days. Accommodation is in luxe trailside “pods” surrounded by forest and there’s a communal “hub” where guests can relax and be served a decadent three-course meal each night, pre-prepared by Alps & Amici (alpsandamici.com.au) in Launceston.

It’s winter and I was initially wary about riding Blue Derby (ridebluederby.com.au) in the cold season. Past experience has taught me that persistent rainfalls are rarely helpful and claggy mud sticks to tyres. Peak season is the daylight savings months but the conditions now, in June, are surprisingly spectacular. Cloudless nights morph into bluebird days that enable us to squeeze in kilometre upon kilometre, without the discomfort of summer’s sweaty heat. “It’s my favourite time of the year to be riding,” says Gareth Sutcliffe, one of our guides. “There’s some moisture in the trails, so it’s really grippy. And the daytime temperatures are perfect.” His assessments prove accurate.

On our first morning, we labour up trails that weave between stringybarks to the Black Stump – a shuttle station allowing riders to bypass energy-sapping climbs in favour of extra gravity-fuelled hijinks on fresh legs. Then we tear down trails with names like Flickity Sticks and Sawtooth – intermediate and beginner-level trails that leverage a slope’s natural contours in order to minimise braking or pedalling. I couldn’t have wished for a better start. On our second morning, I find myself needing to work off some of last night’s duck confit and Tassie pinots. To that end, our head guide Lauren “Loz” Stranger nominates Dam Busters – a high-elevation trail skirting the

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KILOMETRES OF BIKING TRAILS AT BLUE DERBY

Cascade Dam. For 10 kilometres, the track rolls and twists through fern-filled gullies, challenging us with uphill traverses before wooing us back with a lengthy downhill finish. There are four of us on this trip, with varying levels of experience and energy. One couple is content to exert themselves each morning and then retire to the pods to relax in the afternoon. My mate and I, on the other hand, eagerly trail behind our guides for as long as daylight lasts. That’s the plus of having more than one guide; it enables groups to easily split in two.

The final day is reserved for riding down the Blue Tier. Experienced bikers cite the stunning scenery as one reason for Blue Derby’s status as a premier off-roading destination. Then there’s the ease of connection between the trails and town. But Derby’s greatest asset is arguably what ‘s referred to as “hero dirt”, a loamy soil that drains after rain yet retains moisture over dry summer months, allowing bikers the perfect grip on turns. Where skiers seek virgin powder, mountain bikers crave hero dirt.

Blue Tier descends over 18 kilometres, ending outside the Weldborough Hotel (weldborough. com.au). In between is some of the finest trail riding you’ll find, with slippery tree roots and boulder fields giving way to enchanting rainforest scenery. At this point, the trail begins its descent with increased urgency, dipping and sweeping around perfectly angled bermed turns. It’s as much fun as you can have on two wheels. And it leaves me hankering for more.