Mountain biking revitalises Ballarat’s Black Hill Reserve

Ballarat’s peak tourism body Visit Ballarat is reporting that the refurbishment of mountain bike trails at the city’s Black Hill Reserve is help build the Victorian city as a premier cycling destination.

The $320,000 City of Ballarat funded mountain bike trail upgrade was completed late 2017 and has since attracted a new group of users to the reserve.

Advanced, intermediate and beginner mountain bike riders have taken advantage of the new tracks, as well as families with young children practicing on the pump tracks and skills area.

Andrew Harris, President of Ballarat mountain biking group Club Mud, telling the Ballarat Courier that  many visitors to the region were also enjoying riding the new trails.

Harris advised “the feedback on the new trails has been very positive."

Black Hill Reserve was used extensively for mining in the 1800s and early 1900s. The lookout carpark has also been upgraded in recent years.

Black Hill resident and mountain bike rider Graheme Coutts uses the park at least a few times a week and sometimes daily.

He said high quality trails meant there was great potential for increased usage by attracting visitors to the reserve.

Coutts advised “the train station is so close for people from Melbourne to come here. Years ago people would hop on the train to Melbourne to do the bike paths, now they’re coming here.

“One of the most repeated quotes I hear from people from out of town is ‘you don’t know how lucky you guys are to have this in the centre of your city’.”

Visit Ballarat are not yet promoting the mountain bike tracks but are working with City of Ballarat to develop promotional material which will be launched at an official event in coming months.

Visit Ballarat Chief Executive Noel Dempsey said Ballarat could now offer a myriad of cycling options, from road cycling at the Road Nationals, trail riding on the Skipton Rail Trail and Goldfields Track and mountain biking at Black Hill Reserve.

Dempsey advised “the challenge of course is it is not just us - everyone is doing it. So we have to make points of difference.”

The Black Hill Masterplan includes other upgrades including new public toilets, bbq shelters, picnic facilities, fencing and signage. 

For more information go to www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/lae/gardens/black-hill-reserve.aspx

Black Hill Reserve image courtesy of the Bike Exchange.

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