World-class trails and infrastructure will soon be available to locals after the Narooma Mountain Bike Club confirmed the appointment of Dirt Art to design and construct stages two and three of the Narooma Mountain Bike Hub.
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The near $4 million project, funded by the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund, will aim to start construction in March 2022 once designs are finalised.
Founded in 2008 by Simon French, Dirt Art is an Australian company which, according to its website, is "one of the largest and most respected trail development companies [sic] in the world".
Touting the design of over 4,000km of trails and the construction of more than 1,000km of trails spanning hundreds of projects around the world, NMBC president, Georgie Staley, is thrilled to have Dirt Art's expertise involved in the project.
"We are over the moon with being able to have such an experienced and nationally recognised trail building company as Dirt Art to design and construct our rail network," Staley said.
"Having seen their preliminary ideas, I know that the mountain bike community is going to be excited to come and ride here. Dirt Art brings the experience of constructing such projects as the Maydena Bike Park, the Hero Trail at Bright, and Thredbo TVT.
"Our town and community will benefit not only having an amazing place to ride but the tourism dollars mountain biking brings to an area."
French is optimistic about the project and said the Dirt Art team is eager to get started.
"Our entire team are extremely excited to partner with the Narooma MTB Club to deliver the design and construction of Australia's latest coastal riding destination," he said.
"Amazing terrain and perfect soils already have the design and construction team's creativity flowing. We look forward to getting on the ground in coming weeks as we begin the next design stages of the project."
Stage one of the project was completed by the NMBC in 2019, and features the initial 30km of trail which is currently open to the public.
The club expects stages two and three to be complete by June of next year, and thanked the NSW Forestry Corporation for their "amazing" partnership.
"We could not have had such success in building these trails without their belief and help," the club said in a statement.
The trail's construction, the NMBC said, will benefit the community in a number of ways, the most prominent of which is economical.
The club is confident that a new and state-of-the-art hub will drive up tourism year-round, a belief which is shared by Narooma District Chamber of Commerce and Tourism president, Dr Jenny Munroe.
"Mountain biking is one of the fastest-growing recreational activities globally, and Narooma has the environment and facilities to host the bikers who will visit for the experience," Dr Munroe said.
"This will provide opportunities for local hospitality businesses to have year-round customers rather than relying on seasonal trade.
"The Far South Coast will be the perfect mountain biking destination for enthusiasts and will provide facilities for families to foray into our beautiful bush with all the benefits of exercise, adventure, and the environment."
