New Track to Open, But Old Wounds Remain: Call to repair Illawarra Escarpment
The NSW Government has today announced the construction is complete on Stage 1 of the Mount Kembla Mountain Bike Trails, creating the first formal mountain bike trails through the Illawarra Escarpment without sufficient investment in the closure and rehabilitation of the illegal track network.
Greens MP and spokesperson for the environment Sue Higginson said “With 20km of formal mountain bike trails to be open in Spring at Mount Kembla, it’s time to repair the bush that’s been impacted by rogue illegal track construction through sensitive ecological and cultural areas. Conservation should be the primary role of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, but we’re seeing public funding spent on infrastructure while ecological restoration and erosion control is neglected.”
“The new formal mountain bike trails include green, blue and black trails - from beginners to highly experienced technical riders. The Illawarra escarpment attracts a lot of rain, making it particularly vulnerable to erosion when tracks funnel rainfall and soils are exposed. The trails can be badly damaged by wet weather use, and that in turn can lead to further erosion, trail widening and waterway pollution.”
“Mountain biking is a high energy sport and its impact should be managed to protect to the Endangered Ecological Community of Illawarra subtropical rainforest and animals like koalas, quolls and lyre birds that live there in this crucial refuge and wildlife corridor connecting the Royal National Park and the South Coast.”
“While hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent on formal mountain bike trails, we need to see enforcement action taken to remove the illegal ones from the Illawarra Escarpment. The public investment on formal trails was always justified on the removal of the illegal trails - so let’s see it. No waiting. No delays. The Illawarra escarpment bush is under pressure, and we want to see investment in conservation and ecological restoration.”
Local Greens/Greens Councillor for Wollongong Kit Docker said “Council has invested in supporting infrastructure of car parking at trail heads and ends, and now it’s time for the state government to invest in illegal trail remediation and conservation. We know opening up of new trails risks the spread of weeds, myrtle rust and other pathogens, so where is that investment in conservation? The Illawarra Escarpment should be managed and conserved for all to enjoy, not just mountain bikers.
“There are also questions about how on-going track maintenance is undertaken. From the local bike tracks we know that track maintenance is critical. How will NPWS prevent continuous expansion of illegal workarounds off the formal escarpment tracks? There is a risk that people work-arounds for convenience or if a feature is too tricky, and that risks widening the impact and degradation.”
“We’ve had helicopters dropping in construction materials for the mountain bike trails, but where is the same level of investment in environmental repair? The Illawarra First Nations community have told us that the cultural heritage of the escarpment is significant. We want to see Merrigong protected and restored.”