State makes big investment in Forrest bike trails

MOUNTAIN bike enthusiasts will soon have new paths to ride in Forrest, through funding from the state government to rejuvenate existing tracks and establish new world-class trails.
Minister for Regional Development Jaclyn Symes visited the town in the Otways last month to announce $500,000 for the first stage of Forrest’s Mountain Bike (MTB) Revitalisation Project under the state government’s Regional Infrastructure Fund.
Stage one of the project will deliver new mountain bike trails and rejuvenate existing signature trails to create a network of world-class experiences and build on the recreational tourism assets in the township and
surrounding areas.
According to a report prepared for the Colac Otway Shire council, the mountain bike destination industry in Australia has grown exponentially since trails opened in Forrest in 2005, with large-scale destination trail projects being established across the country.
The benchmark for trail destinations in Australia is high, with several sites with more than 100km of purpose-built trails in operation, using a wide range of wilderness and mountainous areas.
While Forrest was a landmark development as a trail destination in Australia when it opened, the town and its trail network have since been relegated to minor status.
The 38km of new tracks to be built under the full $4.5 million MTB Revitalisation Project will take the overall trail volume to about 100km, which will re-establish Forrest as a nationally significant mountain bike destination.
This year’s Regional Infrastructure Fund was advertised through a competitive round-based process, to ensure that projects received the support they need to deliver much-needed infrastructure to regional towns with grants of up to $500,000 available to councils and council-sponsored projects.
The Regional Infrastructure Fund is part of Labor’s flagship Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund, which helps businesses create more jobs in regional Victoria, supports community projects and assists councils to build the infrastructure locals need.
“Delivering more world-class tracks and trails for mountain bike enthusiasts just adds even more reason to visit and spend time in the Otway Ranges,” Ms Symes said.
“We’re proud to back these upgrades in Forrest that we know will mean so much to the local community.”