Collie has affirmed its place as the mountain biking hub of the South West after the Shire of Collie passed a 4.5 kilometre trail concept plan to cater for the region’s growing mountain bike market.
Shire of Collie chief executive officer David Blurton said the trail construction comes after Collie was nominated as a mountain bike hub under the state governments mountain bike strategy.
“The concept plan endorsed by council at its last meeting was the design of the track which will be constructed on reserve 15783, which is in the bush at the end of Venn Street,” he said.
“Developing Collie as a recognised mountain bike destination will position us to be able to capitalise on the growing popularity of Mountain Biking as a sport and provide an economic benefit for our town.”
Collie was identified as one of three priority development areas for mountain biking in the South West Master Plan, released in 2016.
This trail is one of the first projects delivered in the area under the South West Master Plan.
The shire has commissioned Common Ground Trails to design and build the trail.
Common Ground Trails has a long-standing history of working on trail strategy and development in the state.
The company is also the author of the South West Master Plan and responsible for the construction of a number of iconic mountain bike trails and pump tracks.
Director of Common Ground Trails David Willcox said they were excited to work on such a significant project within the region, and what it offers to the tourism experience.
“The trail system provides a new recreation experience for the visitors to Collie, and connects users to Soldiers Park via a fun and easy flow trail,” he said.
“The Collie town trail system is designed to be easy to navigate on the ground and therefore accessible to a range of users.”
The trail will start at Soldiers Park, beside the skate park, with the main trail contained within the bush reserve beside the river near Collie Senior High School.
Construction is anticipated to take 10 – 12 weeks and will be ready in time for use during the summer months.