A Western Australian Mountain Bike Strategy published in 2015 represented the culmination of some three years’ work by WestCycle, the West Australian Mountain Bike Association, the mountain bike community, the Department of Parks and Wildlife and the former Department of Sport and Recreation.
The Strategy set out a number of findings including:
- 19% of Western Australians own a mountain bike;
- Mountain biking is one of the world’s fastest growing recreational and tourism activities with WA following this global trend;
- Demand for mountain biking experiences significantly exceed supply offering opportunities for forward thinking local governments to target mountain bikers seeking diverse and quality experiences; and
- The South West is emerging as an area of long term international level potential but there will remain a need for quality trails and facilities closer to Perth.
- The nature of recreation is changing with a move away from structured sport towards recreation activities, such as mountain biking which can be undertaken informally and at any time.
Recognising these significant industry trends, the Shire appointed consultants to prepare a Pump Track and Mountain Bike Trail Feasibility Study with the intention of identifying opportunities which may exist for the Shire to provide mountain biking experiences locally for tourists, visitors and residents alike.
In early discussions with Common Ground, it was decided to also explore the feasibility of a pump track as a possible additional recreational infrastructure for the Shire. Common Ground advised a pump track can be used for bicycle, skateboard, in-line skates and scooter riders and is a scaled down BMX track which does not require pedalling. Common Ground advised that the Shire’s current BMX track site (adjacent to the Shire’s former golf course) should not be subject to the feasibility study as BMX freestyle racing is also trending and has become a popular international sport. (BMX freestyle made its debut into the Olympics in 2008 and will be included in the Olympic Games in 2020). Therefore it was agreed that the Shire should keep its BMX facility for its community of BMX enthusiasts, rather than consider turning it over to a pump track site.
You can read the entire feasibility plan here.