Kooralbyn mountain biking trails closed in 2008 when the Ramada Resort closed at the same location. Despite being a fixture in the Queensland mountain biking scene and once a training ground for the Australian Cross-country team, the trails were lost. In recent years the Kooralbyn Valley Mountain biking club resurrected the trails and Brakes Wide Open decided to put some rubber on the dirt and check out the trails ahead of Scenic Rim Enduro Series.
How to Get There
Located approximately an hour and a half drive South West of Brisbane or 96km, Kooralbyn Valley mountain bike trails can be found at the end of Routley Drive in Kooralbyn. The trail head can be located at the end of Routley Drive, simply turn right at the Ramada Resort and park at the end on the right in the car park. For more information click here.
The Trails
Whilst the network appears quite small on trailforks there is quite a bit more trail than is detailed on trailforks. With probably just over 12km of trails and some good technical singletrack with some steep sections amongst it, Kooralbyn Valley mountain bike park makes good use of the limited terrain elevation. There are 2 designated black diamond trails that are rocky, a touch on the technical side and a load of fun despite their short distance. The pick of the trails is definitely ‘Thrill me’, ‘Nemesis’ and ‘Maverick’, with some good little side trails and features to link them together.
Whilst there are only a few trails of a challenging nature, the rest of the network is fun and flowy. The optimal bike to truly enjoy the terrain at Kooralbyn is a short to mid travel trail bike with around 130-150mm of travel, with no requirement for the heavy duty enduro beasts that we all have become accustom to. Make sure you bring some water and toilet facilities are of the bush variety, like all trails in the South West it can get nice and warm out there so early mornings or late afternoons are your best bet.
Kooralbyn Valley Mountain Bike trails are steeped in a cross-country history and there are still the remnants of those trails keeping the lycra crowd alive. The local club has taken the reigns of the trail network and are set to build more handcrafted single track that will keep the all-mountain and gravity crowd interested. Worth a ride and a bit of fun with a good crew of riders, Kooralbyn Mountain Biking Park looks set to keep improving over the next few years….
This is a great ppost thanks