15 October 2020

$3 million boost for mountain biking trails at Mogo

| Kim Treasure
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Woman and man mountain biking in bush.

Mountain bike trails will connect Mogo to Batemans Bay on the NSW South Coast. Photo: Supplied.

The wheels are in motion to attract a new cohort of adventure-loving tourists to the Eurobodalla with the announcement of $3 million in NSW Government funding for a new nature trail network at Mogo.

The Mogo Adventure Trail upgrade will connect Mogo to Batemans Bay with more than 80km of stacked loop mountain bike trails starting in the centre of the village.

The funding is expected to deliver upgrades and marking to existing tracks and trails, as well as building crucial missing links.

Member for Bega Andrew Constance said upgrades would include showcasing viewing points along trails, new bike parking, visitor seating and water facilities, as well as installing trail signage and direction markers, including interpretive signage at focus points such as Trail Heads.

“Mogo and the wider Eurobodalla region suffered a significant tourism decline due to the devastating New Year bushfires, with the road to economic recovery now blocked by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Mr Constance.

READ MORE Mountain bike trails network near Mogo a game-changer following bushfires

“This funding will deliver an adventure trail network that will be a significant tourism asset and encourage visitors to return to Mogo and the broader region, providing a much needed long-term economic boost for the community.”

Mr Constance said increased tourism would help operators maintain current staff and create new job opportunities and potentially attract further investment to the area.

“Delivering this project will help establish Mogo as a premier mountain bike trail destination, attracting new and younger visitors year round, not just during the summer high season,” he said.

“The trail network, located to the north of Mogo in the Deep Creek Dam area of the Mogo State Forest, and south of Mogo along Maulbrooks Road, will connect Mogo to Batemans Bay.”

READ ALSO A note from the coast as you prepare for the summer

Eurobodalla Shire Council Mayor Liz Innes welcomed the funding.

“We will deliver a project that will have far reaching benefits and will be such a huge economic driver in the natural destination tourism sector,” she said.

“I am so proud of the work our team has done to see this project now funded and become an asset to our region.

“Our investment through the $1.7 billion Regional Growth Fund is creating jobs and boosting the confidence of investors right across regional NSW.”

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Mike Vandeman2:05 pm 19 Oct 20

What were you thinking??? Mountain biking and trail-building destroy wildlife habitat! Mountain biking is environmentally, socially, and medically destructive! There is no good reason to allow bicycles on any unpaved trail!

Bicycles should not be allowed in any natural area. They are inanimate objects and have no rights. There is also no right to mountain bike. That was settled in federal court in 1996: https://mjvande.info/mtb10.htm . It’s dishonest of mountain bikers to say that they don’t have access to trails closed to bikes. They have EXACTLY the same access as everyone else — ON FOOT! Why isn’t that good enough for mountain bikers? They are all capable of walking….

A favorite myth of mountain bikers is that mountain biking is no more harmful to wildlife, people, and the environment than hiking, and that science supports that view. Of course, it’s not true. To settle the matter once and for all, I read all of the research they cited, and wrote a review of the research on mountain biking impacts (see https://mjvande.info/scb7.htm ). I found that of the seven studies they cited, (1) all were written by mountain bikers, and (2) in every case, the authors misinterpreted their own data, in order to come to the conclusion that they favored. They also studiously avoided mentioning another scientific study (Wisdom et al) which did not favor mountain biking, and came to the opposite conclusions.

Mountain bikers also love to build new trails – legally or illegally. Of course, trail-building destroys wildlife habitat – not just in the trail bed, but in a wide swath to both sides of the trail! E.g. grizzlies can hear a human from one mile away, and smell us from 5 miles away. Thus, a 10-mile trail represents 100 square miles of destroyed or degraded habitat, that animals are inhibited from using. Mountain biking, trail building, and trail maintenance all increase the number of people in the park, thereby preventing the animals’ full use of their habitat. See https://mjvande.info/scb9.htm for details.

Mountain biking accelerates erosion, creates V-shaped ruts, kills small animals and plants on and next to the trail, drives wildlife and other trail users out of the area, and, worst of all, teaches kids that the rough treatment of nature is okay (it’s NOT!). What’s good about THAT?

To see exactly what harm mountain biking does to the land, watch this 5-minute video: http://vimeo.com/48784297.

In addition to all of this, it is extremely dangerous: https://mjvande.info/mtb_dangerous.htm .

For more information: https://mjvande.info/mtbfaq.htm .

The common thread among those who want more recreation in our parks is total ignorance about and disinterest in the wildlife whose homes these parks are. Yes, if humans are the only beings that matter, it is simply a conflict among humans (but even then, allowing bikes on trails harms the MAJORITY of park users — hikers and equestrians — who can no longer safely and peacefully enjoy their parks).

The parks aren’t gymnasiums or racetracks or even human playgrounds. They are WILDLIFE HABITAT, which is precisely why they are attractive to humans. Activities such as mountain biking, that destroy habitat, violate the charter of the parks.

Even kayaking and rafting, which give humans access to the entirety of a water body, prevent the wildlife that live there from making full use of their habitat, and should not be allowed. Of course those who think that only humans matter won’t understand what I am talking about — an indication of the sad state of our culture and educational system.

Guess we should all go back to living in caves. Kill off 75% of the worlds population and we might find some balance.

Amanda Brooks3:02 am 04 Feb 21

I’m sorry but none of the above rambling is true in the slightest, i work for the EPA and have been a part of studies that have shown little to no effect on wildlife and habitats.

The above comment by Mike Vandeman should be removed, it is blatant misinformation with no basis in reality.

Oh come on mate ! People need recreation and tourism is the coast ! Like it or leave it. Maybe you may want to live somewhere else. This region needs new blood and new ideas, not resistive, barrier producing people.
We have been through hell and high water, if your attitude cannot change I’d suggest you move to a different region, because Eurobodalla wants to move forward.

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