Nerang Trail Project – Stage 1
Donation protected
SHOW NERANG SOME LOVE!
Nerang Trail Care Alliance (NTCA), in consultation with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services (QPWS) and the Gold Coast Mountain Bike Club have put together the following plan for a round of contracted mountain bike trail maintenance in Nerang National Park.
While we will continue to do the work we do on the last Sunday of each month (everyone's encouraged to join in), we are undertaking this fundraising campaign so we can utilise the service of professional trail builders to tackle a couple of bigger tasks that would realistically take us 18-24 months to complete. If this is successful it means there are real possibilities for bigger and better things next round!
The project outline is down the bottom, but first, a little about NTCA...
ABOUT NERANG TRAIL CARE ALLIANCE
Who are ‘we’?
The Nerang Trail Care Alliance (NTCA) is a volunteer group spearheaded by Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS), the land managers of Nerang National Park. Basically, a group of mountain bikers and trail lovers who dedicate a bit of our spare time once a month to maintain and improve the trails in Nerang National Park.
What’s our purpose?
The main objectives of NTCA is to maintain the authorised trails in Nerang and to assure ‘unauthorised’ trails fit within the IMBA guidelines so that they can be approved, sign posted and added to the official network.
Did you know? Casuarina, Three Hills, Pete’s and Mongrels are the only authorised single trails in Nerang National Park.
What’s our vision?
NTCA love the Nerang trails and their rocky, raw and natural personality and we want to uphold this. However, we want more…
We want more variety of trails for different styles of riders.
We want more technical trail features to test experienced riders.
We want more accessible Green trail for beginners.
What have we achieved so far?
In the one year since we started we have made major changes and improvements to Casuarina and Pete’s Trails.
Casuarina | Green Trail
The entry to the park and Nerang’s only Green rated trail was in a very poor state. Erosion and poor trail construction had made it a nightmare for beginners and children. NTCA, in conjunction with QPWS completed reroutes, trail closures and major drainage improvements to make it a great little sampler trail for those new to the sport.
Pete’s | Blue Trail
A Nerang favourite, Pete’s was suffering from some serious wear and tear and a bad case of the dreaded straight lines. NTCA spent a considerable amount of time closing straight lines and restoring original lines, adding berms, drains and features as well as beefing up a couple of jumps along the way. The trail is running better than ever and holding up very well.
What’s next for NTCA?
We will be shifting our attention, shovels and mattocks to Exit Trail and the eastern side of Happy Valley. These trails are rated Blue but lack Blue trail features. Our idea is to not only sort out serious drainage and erosion issues but to also identify areas where we can add technical trail features along the way.
Frequently Asked Questions, Rumours and Hear Say
1. Everything is getting dumbed down!
This is a common one and it holds little water. When trail maintenance or construction takes place, the finished trail is fresh and this generally means the surface is smooth. This trail surface natural wears over time and rock will come through making it rugged. Basically, you can’t build an aged trail, it just takes time, some use and a little bit of weather.
2. We don’t want it to be another Daisy Hill!
Neither does NTCA and that is no ones intention. NTCA volunteers are mostly experienced, local Nerang mountain bike riders and we want challenging terrain and features. But, we are also open minded and understanding of all levels of skill and fitness. We are also aware that different riders want different types of trails. Currently Nerang has over 50kms of trail and the majority is all the same flavour. We believe in trail diversity.
3. Why isn’t the Council/Government paying for trails, like in Rotorua or Blue Derby?
Good question! Unfortunately the Gold Coast City Council and Queensland Government are yet to fully embrace the social and economic benefits that mountain biking presents. However, times are changing! The Commonwealth Games has shone a spotlight on the sport and advocacy work by committee members of the Gold Coast Mountain Bike Club has created a genuine acknowledgement from within Council. Our supportive QPWS Rangers have been putting counters around the trails for the past 12 months collecting usage data. This information, as well as other industry surveys is being fed to some important people within council and we feel positive that the potential of Nerang as a destination for mountain biking tourism is being taken seriously. However, as with all things Government, nothing happens quickly.
4. Can we build new trails?
Nerang is a National Park so this means getting approval for any new trail construction is very difficult, time consuming and expensive. As a volunteer group we have permission to work on what already exists and make reroutes and improvements. So this is what we are focussed on for the time being.
5. What about the ‘trail fairies’?
95% of Nerang single trail has been built by what the community refers to as ‘trail fairies’ over the past 20 years. While these builders have provided much of what everyone rides and enjoys, unauthorised trail work now presents a problem for relationships between the Land Managers (QPWS) and the mountain bike community. QPWS have recognised the importance of the trail network in Nerang National Park, are supportive of it and created our volunteer group to work on it. Unauthorised trail work is now frowned upon and counter productive to what we are working towards long term. We encourage anyone who is keen to get their hands dirty to join the group and have a real influence on the future of Nerang.
PROPOSED CONTRACTED WORK FOR STAGE 1
Mongrels Gully Reroute
Problem: The very bottom of Mongrels trail is in a state of disrepair, with serious erosion problems causing riders to make alternative ‘ride-around’ lines creating a real mess. This area is a natural water course and being the bottom of a gully, a very wet spot.
Solution: The proposed reroute is a short one that simply avoids the very bottom of the track. The reroute will be designed to uphold the physically challenging nature of Mongrels that everyone loves (or hates!).
New Exit / Roys / Rainforest / Happy Valley to Musketeers Green Trail Conversion
Problem: Nerang lacks Green trail meaning that beginners and parents wanting to ride with their kids have to pack up the car and head to Daisy Hill for a pleasant introduction to the sport of mountain biking.
Solution: The most suitable landscape in Nerang for Green trail is on the western side of Happy Valley. It is gently undulating land, not very rocky and already has a lot of basic Green trail. The idea is to create a nice flowing trail that starts at New Way In, through Roys, Rainforest and then on to the Western Side of Happy Valley all the way to Musketeers trail. This will be an out and back trail using the Musketeers loop as the turn around. While a lot of trail will remain untouched, some considerable rerouting is required to avoid steep inclines/declines to make it a truly fun experience for beginners and children. We will also be formalising the creek crossings along Rainforest trail with sandstone block bridges that will not wash away. This trail will also provide experienced riders with a nice warm up option and easier access to ‘out the back’.
Stage 1 Cost & Fundraising
We are hoping to raise the funds for Stage 1 works through the community by way of crowd funding. The Gold Coast Mountain Bike club will also be contributing a percentage of entry fees from their Nerang Enduro race/s to the project. This is the quickest and easiest way to get things moving right now. Any additional funds raised will be held on to for future stages.
Concurrently, we are going to apply for different types of Government grants that will hopefully come through and be used to fund future stages.
Stage 1 project cost is $15,000 including all labour, machine hire, materials and finishing work. We hope to fundraise $10,000 of this through the community by January 2017.
Timeline
Fundraising: November 2016 – January 2017
Construction: February – March 2017
Future Stages
If Stage 1 goes smoothly, we will start to work on a plan for Stage 2. At this time, no decisions have been made about what tracks will be worked on in future stages.
Nerang Trail Care Alliance (NTCA), in consultation with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services (QPWS) and the Gold Coast Mountain Bike Club have put together the following plan for a round of contracted mountain bike trail maintenance in Nerang National Park.
While we will continue to do the work we do on the last Sunday of each month (everyone's encouraged to join in), we are undertaking this fundraising campaign so we can utilise the service of professional trail builders to tackle a couple of bigger tasks that would realistically take us 18-24 months to complete. If this is successful it means there are real possibilities for bigger and better things next round!
The project outline is down the bottom, but first, a little about NTCA...
ABOUT NERANG TRAIL CARE ALLIANCE
Who are ‘we’?
The Nerang Trail Care Alliance (NTCA) is a volunteer group spearheaded by Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS), the land managers of Nerang National Park. Basically, a group of mountain bikers and trail lovers who dedicate a bit of our spare time once a month to maintain and improve the trails in Nerang National Park.
What’s our purpose?
The main objectives of NTCA is to maintain the authorised trails in Nerang and to assure ‘unauthorised’ trails fit within the IMBA guidelines so that they can be approved, sign posted and added to the official network.
Did you know? Casuarina, Three Hills, Pete’s and Mongrels are the only authorised single trails in Nerang National Park.
What’s our vision?
NTCA love the Nerang trails and their rocky, raw and natural personality and we want to uphold this. However, we want more…
We want more variety of trails for different styles of riders.
We want more technical trail features to test experienced riders.
We want more accessible Green trail for beginners.
What have we achieved so far?
In the one year since we started we have made major changes and improvements to Casuarina and Pete’s Trails.
Casuarina | Green Trail
The entry to the park and Nerang’s only Green rated trail was in a very poor state. Erosion and poor trail construction had made it a nightmare for beginners and children. NTCA, in conjunction with QPWS completed reroutes, trail closures and major drainage improvements to make it a great little sampler trail for those new to the sport.
Pete’s | Blue Trail
A Nerang favourite, Pete’s was suffering from some serious wear and tear and a bad case of the dreaded straight lines. NTCA spent a considerable amount of time closing straight lines and restoring original lines, adding berms, drains and features as well as beefing up a couple of jumps along the way. The trail is running better than ever and holding up very well.
What’s next for NTCA?
We will be shifting our attention, shovels and mattocks to Exit Trail and the eastern side of Happy Valley. These trails are rated Blue but lack Blue trail features. Our idea is to not only sort out serious drainage and erosion issues but to also identify areas where we can add technical trail features along the way.
Frequently Asked Questions, Rumours and Hear Say
1. Everything is getting dumbed down!
This is a common one and it holds little water. When trail maintenance or construction takes place, the finished trail is fresh and this generally means the surface is smooth. This trail surface natural wears over time and rock will come through making it rugged. Basically, you can’t build an aged trail, it just takes time, some use and a little bit of weather.
2. We don’t want it to be another Daisy Hill!
Neither does NTCA and that is no ones intention. NTCA volunteers are mostly experienced, local Nerang mountain bike riders and we want challenging terrain and features. But, we are also open minded and understanding of all levels of skill and fitness. We are also aware that different riders want different types of trails. Currently Nerang has over 50kms of trail and the majority is all the same flavour. We believe in trail diversity.
3. Why isn’t the Council/Government paying for trails, like in Rotorua or Blue Derby?
Good question! Unfortunately the Gold Coast City Council and Queensland Government are yet to fully embrace the social and economic benefits that mountain biking presents. However, times are changing! The Commonwealth Games has shone a spotlight on the sport and advocacy work by committee members of the Gold Coast Mountain Bike Club has created a genuine acknowledgement from within Council. Our supportive QPWS Rangers have been putting counters around the trails for the past 12 months collecting usage data. This information, as well as other industry surveys is being fed to some important people within council and we feel positive that the potential of Nerang as a destination for mountain biking tourism is being taken seriously. However, as with all things Government, nothing happens quickly.
4. Can we build new trails?
Nerang is a National Park so this means getting approval for any new trail construction is very difficult, time consuming and expensive. As a volunteer group we have permission to work on what already exists and make reroutes and improvements. So this is what we are focussed on for the time being.
5. What about the ‘trail fairies’?
95% of Nerang single trail has been built by what the community refers to as ‘trail fairies’ over the past 20 years. While these builders have provided much of what everyone rides and enjoys, unauthorised trail work now presents a problem for relationships between the Land Managers (QPWS) and the mountain bike community. QPWS have recognised the importance of the trail network in Nerang National Park, are supportive of it and created our volunteer group to work on it. Unauthorised trail work is now frowned upon and counter productive to what we are working towards long term. We encourage anyone who is keen to get their hands dirty to join the group and have a real influence on the future of Nerang.
PROPOSED CONTRACTED WORK FOR STAGE 1
Mongrels Gully Reroute
Problem: The very bottom of Mongrels trail is in a state of disrepair, with serious erosion problems causing riders to make alternative ‘ride-around’ lines creating a real mess. This area is a natural water course and being the bottom of a gully, a very wet spot.
Solution: The proposed reroute is a short one that simply avoids the very bottom of the track. The reroute will be designed to uphold the physically challenging nature of Mongrels that everyone loves (or hates!).
New Exit / Roys / Rainforest / Happy Valley to Musketeers Green Trail Conversion
Problem: Nerang lacks Green trail meaning that beginners and parents wanting to ride with their kids have to pack up the car and head to Daisy Hill for a pleasant introduction to the sport of mountain biking.
Solution: The most suitable landscape in Nerang for Green trail is on the western side of Happy Valley. It is gently undulating land, not very rocky and already has a lot of basic Green trail. The idea is to create a nice flowing trail that starts at New Way In, through Roys, Rainforest and then on to the Western Side of Happy Valley all the way to Musketeers trail. This will be an out and back trail using the Musketeers loop as the turn around. While a lot of trail will remain untouched, some considerable rerouting is required to avoid steep inclines/declines to make it a truly fun experience for beginners and children. We will also be formalising the creek crossings along Rainforest trail with sandstone block bridges that will not wash away. This trail will also provide experienced riders with a nice warm up option and easier access to ‘out the back’.
Stage 1 Cost & Fundraising
We are hoping to raise the funds for Stage 1 works through the community by way of crowd funding. The Gold Coast Mountain Bike club will also be contributing a percentage of entry fees from their Nerang Enduro race/s to the project. This is the quickest and easiest way to get things moving right now. Any additional funds raised will be held on to for future stages.
Concurrently, we are going to apply for different types of Government grants that will hopefully come through and be used to fund future stages.
Stage 1 project cost is $15,000 including all labour, machine hire, materials and finishing work. We hope to fundraise $10,000 of this through the community by January 2017.
Timeline
Fundraising: November 2016 – January 2017
Construction: February – March 2017
Future Stages
If Stage 1 goes smoothly, we will start to work on a plan for Stage 2. At this time, no decisions have been made about what tracks will be worked on in future stages.
Organizer
Shane Cresser
Organizer
Currumbin Valley QLD
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