Atherton hiking and biking trails win achievement award for QPWS

Atherton is one of Queensland’s best destinations for bushwalking and pedal-powered fun, and the area is getting statewide recognition after its trail networks won at the Queensland Outdoor Recreation Federation (QORF) Awards in Brisbane on Friday (Oct 30).

The Atherton Forest Mountain Bike Park (AFMBP) and Mt Baldy walking trails won the QORF Government Achievement Award for Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS), which was a joint winner in that category with Ipswich City Council.

National Parks Minister Dr Steven Miles congratulated QPWS rangers and Atherton community on the recognition for Herberton Range’s world-class mountain-biking and hiking trail network that now draws thousands of visitors, including many internationals, each year.

“These networks demonstrate the QPWS commitment to providing a wide range of outdoor recreation opportunities for the community, while protecting the natural and cultural values of the environment,” Dr Miles said.

“The 60km mountain-biking network through tall forest has been professionally built to international standards, it attracts international competitions – which of course introduces thousands of visitors to the beautiful Atherton Tableland, and brings benefits for the economy,” he said

QPWS Principal Ranger Andrew Millerd said the Government Achievement award and a further nomination in the Outdoor Places and Spaces category for these projects were tributes to the group effort involved in building and maintaining the AFMBP network.

“QPWS developed a partnership with the Tablelands Outdoor Recreation Association (TORA) to help establish clear objectives for trail development.

“Subsequent partnerships were established with the local community, local council, industry experts, trail-building consultants and, most significantly, with Tablelands Cycle Sports (TCS) for ongoing trail maintenance.

“Five years and $1.3M later, we have trails that provide opportunities for riders of all backgrounds and abilities, and are attracting riders from all over the world.

“We worked hard to get the information and signs right, and ours are considered the new benchmark for mountain biking signage.

“Riders and the mountain-biking tourism industry asked us to provide trail files which are now available on our website at http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/herberton-range/mountain-bike.html in kml and gpx formats.

“The Mount Baldy walking track complements the AFMBP. Since 2009, we’ve seen bushwalker numbers increase more than five-fold. The increased use and interest from local community led us to upgrade and extend walking tracks in the Baldy Mountain Forest Reserve, with 4km added to the tracks.

“The Atherton area now attracts more than 10,000 bushwalkers a year and the numbers are steadily increasing.

“Atherton is now a top destination for outdoor recreation. Local business operators are already seeing benefits from these projects as mountain biking continues to grow as a sport worldwide. These benefits are expected to increase as visitors stay to experience and enjoy the mountain-biking and walking networks,” Mr Millerd said.

More information:

Atherton trails: http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/herberton-range/

QORF: www.qorf.org.au