So, it looks like ill be moving to Sydney later this year. Did a bit of riding near Canberra a few years ago at Mt Stromlo and a loop manly dam which were both ok but cant tell from the websites what the general quality of riding is like in the Sydney area.
Anyone got any tips on locations?

Cheers

It’s so so. Royal National Park down south (sutherland). Blue mountains out west, bit of a trip out on the train. It’s nice riding but not a lot of variety. It’s a few years since I lived there so there may be more.

Oxford falls, Red Hill, There’s loads out there…For stuff on the Northern beach area, pop into Brookvale Bike Factory in Brookvale (just outside Manly…they helped me out loads when I was out there.

Nothing to see in Tassie.

Yep John is right pants down here, in fact wouldn’t bother leaving the north island.

As far as I can tell from WA it’s a much smaller, more spread out scene across Australia. There’s definitely some decent riding about, but whether it’ll be close enough to you is one question, and the other is whether people can/will share their knowledge about unsanctioned trails with you.

Australia doesn’t have a massive rights of way land access system closely cries-crossing the country like the UK. Therefore cheeky trails aren’t so much a few bits running along and between footpaths, but often an unsanctioned trail someone has built in the middle of nowhere. The problem then is how do you find out about them? You often need to pick up local knowledge from actual real people. I’ve never found a bike shop willing to tell me about unsanctioned trails and our local club website will remove such trail listings since it’s contrary to trail advocacy.

I was so underwhelmed with the riding in WA I stopped riding for several years. Then I started exploring, and just as I had put together a decent loop, a mtb guidebook was published which revealed a ton of riding I had no idea about. If only I’d known years ago since apparently some of this stuff has been around a very long time. You do have to be willing to travel half way across the state for some of it though, so definitely not for the I won’t drive more than 30 minutes for a ride crowd!

Melbourne, as with everything, is better than Sydney.

Cheers

Melbourne, as with everything, is better than Sydney.

🙂
Check out
http://markie.com.au/mtb/track.asp?trackid=10&track=Old-Man’s-Valley
http://www.thedirtydozen.com.au/
Heard some good things about up sydney way recently.

Working through my collection of MTB Oz vids

Sydney is pretty average. Good riding on the outskirts, nothing that great near by that I was able to find out about.

Canberra is amazing, absolutely superb riding base. Much more than just Stromlo too. A few good riding spots between Canberra and Sydney too, mostly towards the coast.

As said above,

If you don’t know the locals you’ll struggle to find the best bits. I’ve been in Adelaide for over a year and I’m now getting a good base knowledge of all the trails. I work in an area that has great access to the hills and employs a trail development officer, who is a very tidy bike rider (DH) so the trails are of a good standard.

He’s shown me plenty of the non-legit stuff too eg, walking tracks but as the population is so low the trails are hardly used. I’ve yet to be pulled up for riding on foot paths etc and that’s in conservative Adelaide!

Land access is an issue but the trails are already in place and have been used for year by the locals. You’ll need to find a riding club to join and you’ll be told about the other trails that they can’t put on their website. For me Adelaide is spoilt for choice on trails and I learn about a new trail pretty much once a month.

Granted it’s not the lakes but dusty trails are just as much fun.

three hour direct flights to Queenstown on a budget carrier.

I hear the budget ones to NZ are a little hit and miss with cancellations… Auckland(then Rotorura) with Air NZ/Virgin though 🙂 Just need another work jolly difficult set of meetings

jetstar codeshare with airnz. you dont get sandwiches but you pay a lot less.

didn’t see those ones, just virgin when I went over last month. Prices were good though for 1 weeks notice.

drop me a line when you get here…. I’m looking for a riding buddy 🙁

Hey Batfink (or anyone else in Sydney) If you want to hook up for a ride send me a PM or email wombat4246(AT)yahoo.com – i’m up in North Ryde and don’t have any riding mates either 🙁

I haven’t made it to Old Man’s Valley or Manley Dam (only moved down from Newcastle in Feb) so fancy a bit of a blast…

email sent Hugo!

It’s like the USA no rights of way system, so nothing like the amount of freedom you get in the UK.

I thought the blue mountains had some nice riding, and manley dam was nice. It felt like a travel to ride a trail place though, none of the long journey type riding that you get in the UK. I think it’s also quite seasonal / weather affected – they don’t ride when trails are wet, or when there’s high fire risk, when I went it was a bit hit and miss as to whether we’d be able to ride.

I preferred Melbourne, both as a city and as a place to ride, did some brilliant riding down there, including some multi day riding.

Didn’t have a massive problem finding trails, but I did hook up with local riders both times, and did have to travel to ride. Bikes on trains was easy for the few point to point rides they do have.

Be aware that everything is very expensive in Sydney – you have to be paid an awful lot more for it to feel the same as living in the UK. Little things got me, like paying nearly 2$ for a mars bar. Might be different now, I was over 5 years back.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dirt-Art/108504692523383?fref=ts
Also look here for new building going on

Thanks guys there’s some good info there
Bat fink &hugo, good to see theres some people keen to hook up, i should be arriving late August so ill contact you guys then to organise some riding