24 Sep 2018

Great news announced today of a huge government funding grant to expand the facilities and build new trails in the Awaba Mountain Bike Park in the Lake Macquarie region on NSW Coast.

A fantastic $450,000 grant will go to the Hunter Mountain Bike Association (HMBA) from the State Government’s Stronger Country Communities Fund.

Awaba Mountain Bike Park is part of N.S.W. Forestry Corporation owned land and HMBA holds an occupation permit to conduct club events & make Trails available to both members & the general public.

Lake Macquarie Mayor Kay Fraser, State Member Greg Piper and HMBA Vice President Dallas Barham hold a press conference today.

Upcoming projects as a result of the grant

  • Improvements to the access road, car park and event hub.
  • Four completely new trails.
  • Gravity trails expansion.
  • Adaptive Cycling trails for riders with disabilities.
  • Junior DH trails.
  • Flow DH trails.
  • New sections of new trails to be used in enduro races.
  • Providing more trails for all levels of ability.
  • The building of seats and rest points at trail junctions.
  • Improved bollard signage replacing arrows for trail grades and routes.
  • Collaborating with the council to involve local businesses in Cooranbong, and potentially open up a connection to ride from the town to the trails on the green corridor.
Exciting news for a great community of mountain bikers and those visiting the area.
The incredibly varied terrain of the MTB Park can be taken in via the sweet singletrack.

The Port to Port MTB stage race takes in a loop of the good stuff as it makes its way from the Hunter Valley to Newcastle.
The downhill track has been raced by many of Australia’s best. It’s a wild ride, to say the least!

Who’s going to be doing the works?

All local club members, contractors and volunteers. World Trail came to Awaba MTB Park with NSW Forests and HMBA in the very beginning – 2007 – to set the corridors for the trails to be built by hand with club members, and it’s all been locally sourced work since then.

A local brush clearing contractor will come in to help clear the corridors ahead of volunteer and club members to build the trail.

Adaptive cycling will be a focus, opening up the trails for all abilities.

See the NBN News story from today here: Awaba on the television!

Congratulations all, we look forward to riding the new trails soon!