Worldwide since the late 1970s, mountain biking has experienced a rapid growth in popularity, but in Tasmania the majority of growth has been in the last decade.
As the number of mountain bikers has increased, the number of riders seeking opportunities to ride off trail has also increased. However, this can be dangerous and result in serious injury.
To reduce the risk, Launceston City Council recently opened its new and improved Dirt Jump Park at Heritage Forest, a recreation and living area in close proximity to the city.
There are many different types of mountain biking, however they can loosely be categorised into cross country, downhill and free riding.
Dirt jumping is a form of free riding that can be undertaken by riders on either mountain bikes or BMX bikes.
The Dirt Jump Park has been developed in stages over the past two years in conjunction with earthmoving and civil construction company Gradco Pty Ltd.
Gradco has provided excavators and other machines largely free of charge to create the jumps.
A group of enthusiastic mountain bike riders also pitched in, helping to shape the jumps during a special workshop.
The completed park now comprises one metre tabletop and gap jumps, 1.5 metre gap jumps and two metre table jumps.
Launceston Mayor, Albert van Zetten, said it is great that Council can provide facilities like the Dirt Jump Park to keep people active.
“Council has worked extensively with various land managers, including Parks and Wildlife and Forestry Tasmania, to provide more opportunities for mountain bike riders in the municipality,” he said. “The Heritage Forest project is helping to stop illegal jumps being built, which are not only unsafe, but can damage vegetation in ecologically sensitive areas.
“It’s fantastic to see how popular the Dirt Jump Park has been, and I hope that by creating new and bigger jumps, it will encourage more people to get involved in such a fun activity.”
