The South East Queensland Gravity mountain bike scene is heating up with progress on two of the best privately owned bike parks in the region and no shortage of air time at either location. Numinbah Valley Gravity Bike Park and Boomerang Farm are set to be providing some of the best locations for riding in Queensland, with both parks building more, planning more and supplying more trails and epic ride days…..
South East Queensland is not known for its massive elevation and as a result epic downhill and free ride locations. Whilst there are some good places to ride throughout the region such as Old Tambo, Toowoomba, Mt Joyce and Clear Mountain to name a few, the best spots to get your wheels off the ground are privately owned bike parks. The relatively young bike parks are located just West of the sandy beaches of Surfer’s Paradise, amongst the lush green hills of the Gold Coast hinterland.
Boomerang Farm Bike Park
Boomerang Farm Bike Park is a relatively young park, funded, built and maintained by Outlook Rider’s Alliance; a not-for-profit group of riders. Since its inception in 2015, Boomerang Farm has been kicking goal after goal and the facilities at the park are now world-class, with some of the best riding you’ll find anywhere in Australia, hands down. Local trail builder Shane Flower heads the team of builders out there, all of which work for the love of the sport. The last few years has seen a constantly evolving trail network with some epic free ride lines, downhill lines and plenty of room for progression.
This year saw Boomerang Farm host Australia’s first air DH race, supplying riders and spectators with a blockbuster event. Rumours of the event becoming a permanent fixture of the SEQ DH series are rife and Brakes Wide Open certainly hopes this is the case. Blockbuster events will continue to hit the gravity roster in 2019 with Boomerang Farm hosting round 5 of the Queensland Gravity Enduro, leaving many a rider gagging for the start of the 2019 season. There is no doubt that this place will continue to deliver flow, gravity, technical trail features and a flat-out friendly crew on each and every shuttle day.
More trails are being built, alternate lines are there for progression and ride days are only $20, with shuttles available most weekends for a $15 donation. The recent addition of a pump track and the finishing of the dirt jump section add more and more appeal to this killer ride location. Whilst there are loads of big jumps and huge features at Boomerang Farm, there’s just as many chances to ride the smaller stuff with flow and for progression. This place is truly a gravity bike park for riders of every calibre and Brakes Wide Open looks forward to seeing what the future has in store for us all.
NV Gravity Bike Park
Located in the Numinbah Valley on private property, NV Gravity Bike Park is a work in progress and is open for ride days on some weekends, is available for private midweek shuttle hire and has been recently given a big boost from local government. At present there are three DH runs rolling with loads of wooden features, natural features, table tops and drops to keep the adrenaline rolling. By and far one of the best places to ride in South East Queensland, the future at NV looks bright.
The recent announcement of a $35 000 grant awarded to NV Gravity Park is great news, with the funds planned to boost the park’s growing facilities. NV have announced the funding will be used to upgrade existing trails, construct and complete a new beginner trail, purchase a new shuttle vehicle and trailer and upgrade existing shuttles roads. The next year will mark some exciting times out at NV and the more this place grows the greater benefits local riders will reap.
Whilst the future of mountain biking will always be secure in this region, Queensland’s gravity scene has taken a few giant leaps forward in recent years with the birth of both of these bike parks. The commitment to growth that both of these venues have, ensure that each and every gravity rider throughout the region will have more and more awesome trails long into the future. It’s a small step forward by local government with the allocation of funds to NV Gravity Park for development and growth; but we have a long way to go before we can truly call ourselves a mountain biking destination…..