On the trail: Bike track a highlight of Warralily’s new park

ARMSTRONG Creek’s newest playground includes a downhill mountain bike trail, which is designed with varying challenges to cater for novices through to advanced riders.

Only the second of its kind in the City of Greater Geelong, the trail in the $1.6 million Shoalhaven Park in the Warralily Grange estate will cater to the growing popularity of mountain biking as a sport and recreational activity in the region.

Oberon High School teacher and cross-country mountain biker Thomas Ovens and some of his students helped to christen the trail at Shoalhaven Park when it officially opened on Wednesday last week.

Having started his elite sports career as a kid riding a pushbike with friends in Moriac, Mr Ovens said it was incredibly important for children to have outdoor spaces to get outside
and enjoy being physically active.

“Time spent with friends is also important for their mental health.

“Mountain biking is a great activity to bring kids together and is becoming a bigger community sport.

“Towns are starting to see the benefits of dedicated trails and this one will be great for local kids, who also have the benefit of a network of cycling paths to get here safely from their homes.”

Geelong Mountain Bike Club president Alan Flaherty said it was great to have tracks in the community that children can access themselves from home, without parents needing to
drive them.

“It’s all about getting more people out on their bikes, having a go and having fun.”

The 7500sqm Shoalhaven Park at Warralily Grange is the latest community offering in the suburb.

Designed in collaboration with the City of Greater Geelong’s open space and recreation team, the play spaces and equipment at the park cover a wide range of age groups and abilities, particularly teens to reflect the demographic of the area.

The grassland-themed playground, based on Warralily’s popular Mirambeena Park on the eastern side of Armstrong Creek, also includes a basketball/netball quarter court, skating features and kickabout space, plus slides, swings, nets and climbing structures.

It is part of Warralily’s urban design philosophy to recognise the importance of green spaces to make neighbourhoods better places to live, work and play.

City of Greater Geelong councillor Ron Nelson joined Warralily director Gideon Kline and Warralily project manager for urban design Jeremy Minter at the official opening to plant a river redgum, a tree species indigenous to the Mount Duneed area.