This rabbit warren of singletrack in iconic Canberran pine forest has been a part of Australian mountain biking for decades; its twisty, rooty trails have given rise to champions of the sport, and seen countless legions of mountain bikers thread through the pines. There is a whole generation of Australian mountain bikers who grew up racing at Majura, or reading about the exploits of our champion riders at ‘Maj’ in the pages of magazines.
It was taken for granted that Majura would always be there for a blast before work, a club race, or as a destination for a weekend road trip. These trails were famous Australia over, and while they didn’t have any ‘official’ status, their future seemed safe.
And then, a couple of years ago, came the bombshell: Majura Pines was going to be shut down, a four-lane road thrust through the middle of it all.
Mountain bikers found their voice, and while the road still went in, the trails were saved. And not only saved, they’ve been given an overhaul that takes Majura Pines to a whole new level.
The Majura Pines Trails Alliance, together with professional trail builders Jindabyne Landscaping, the ACT government and Anthony Burton and Associates, have worked together to ensure Majura Pines has a healthy future as a mountain bike park.
There’s now 15km of world class singletrack, a mix of new trails and older ones that have been brought up to speed with modern trail building techniques: beginner trails, to black diamond descents, rooty, tight lines, to massive machine-built berms, a pump track, a huge dirt jump park and all of it signposted and mapped.
It would have been a disaster to lose this seminal mountain bike destination, so to have such a brilliant outcome is a real dream come true. Majura Pines is back, it’s better than ever, and now it’s here to stay.
For more information about Majura Pines, or to view a trail map of the entire network, visit the Majura Pines Trail Alliance.