• VIC/TAS

Victorian Sustainable Mountain Bike Trails Summit – RECAP

  • October 10, 2025

On Wednesday 8th October, organisers PLA (VicTas), Outdoors Victoria, and Blue Sky Trails hosted the inaugural Victorian Sustainable Mountain Bike Trails Summit.

This landmark event, supported by AusCycling and Box Hill Institute, brought together land managers, trail advocates, industry leaders, and community representatives to shape the future of Victoria’s mountain bike trails.

A big thankyou to the 100+ passionate MTB industry representatives who attended on the day to make the first (of hopefully many) summits a huge success!

Why This Summit Mattered…

With trails woven through forests, parks, and urban landscapes, mountain biking plays a vital role in Victoria’s outdoor culture.

Whether it’s a family getting out on local trails or dedicated MTB riders, for many, it’s more than just a sport, it’s a way of life that fosters connection to nature, community health, social inclusion, and local economic growth.

Victoria’s trail networks are under growing pressure from increased use and changing environmental and legislative conditions. Now is the time to take a collaborative, strategic look at how we plan, manage, and sustain trails as valuable assets.

What Happened?

The summit focused on:

  • Exploring ways to support existing Victorian MTB trails and ensure their long-term sustainability

  • Strategic and policy considerations shaping the future of the sector

  • Sustainable operating models that support environmental resilience and community engagement

  • Governance and management structures that balance risk, data, and public benefit

Check out the day’s agenda and speakers below for more information.

Program / Agenda

Ash Gray shared key insights from AusCycling’s Victorian Trail Governance and Maintenance Workshops. This session grounded us in the realities facing clubs, land managers, and agencies, and set the foundation for the deeper discussions throughout the day.

State agencies shared their insights on where things are working, what challenges they face, what they’re optimistic about, and what outcomes they are looking for from the day. Speakers included:

  • Ben Howells, Snr Manager Planning Strategy and Insights, Parks Victoria,
  • Richard Wadsworth, State Recreation and Tourism Coordinator, DEECA,
  • Callum Brown, General Manager Lake Mountain, ARV,
  • Taylah Steer, Trail Coordinator, GORCAPA

We learnt all about WA Trails – an exemplar State – on the who, how, why, when, and what that made it all happen!

Nick Hannan reflected on the growing pressures on MTB clubs, from rising insurance costs to expanding responsibilities and explored how AusCycling is responding through policy, support, and collaboration.

We heard directly from councils across Victoria with MTB trails in their communities. We learnt what’s driving local trail decisions, what challenges councils are facing, and the creative solutions emerging on their trails. Speakers:

  • Alison Breach, Project Manager, Djuwang Baring (Creswick Trails) Hepburn Shire Council
  • Michael Jowette, Trails Coordinator, Indigo Shire Council

Clubs are at the coalface donating volunteer time keeping trails open and maintained. They operate under different operating structures, and are navigating usage pressures, multiagency environments, and volunteer challenges. This session shared case studies and insights from across Victoria.

This session delved into the questions of How do we get our heads around Dirt Jumps, and where can data help to inform best practice trail management? We explored DJ guidelines and how data can inform decisions that balance sustainability, user demand, and environmental resilience.

Severe weather events, increasing demand, and new types of users are placing more pressure on how MTB trails perform. This session shared insights into practical approaches to trail designs, tools, and techniques that deliver low maintenance robust trails for the future.

Tourism isn’t the only lever. What options are there to fund trail maintenance? What models should we consider, and where have these been successful. We heard about emerging and alternative models for funding sustainable trails.

Together we tackled the big questions that emerged during the day, including:

Who Was Involved?

We’re bringing together land managers, trail advocates, industry leaders, and community representatives to shape the future of Victoria’s mountain bike trails. Check out some of the confirmed event supporters below.

What’s next?

As we wash up from the Summit, review the workshop outcomes, and reconnect with all attendees in coming weeks, we will keep you all informed as to the proposed future actions. In the meantime, checkout the photos from the day in the gallery below!