canberra jumps

[J-ack]

hey,
i was just wonderin where the best jumps in canberra were? i ride around campbell and the base of mount ainslie.
thanks

[roasted]

dig your own.

that is all.

[donthucktoflat]

there are no jumps in canberra. never has been . i dont even know what jumps are. are they the big concrete things in civic?

[hardtailer]

there are a few sets around but most are hidden/secret. you should just dig your own, these only took me and 2 other mates 3 months and we have our own jumps that we can do what we like to them :)

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f126/hardtailer/mesteveandaaronsjumps1.jpg
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f126/hardtailer/mesteveandaaronsjumps2.jpg

[roasted]

That ^^^ is exactly the point.

[RedPill]

Yea mate all i can say is get out their and start building!
It is raining heck yes!!!

[J-ack]

hmmm, there's a couple around where i live, i thought there were a few more tho, noice jumps btw

[saundo]

Ill tell you where some are there in you garage with you shovel and you pick and wheel barrow wating to be done

[johnny]

Ill tell you where some are there in you garage with you shovel and you pick and wheel barrow wating to be doneWhile you're there mate, can please look for Saundo's spelling and grammar ability, along with some useful posts for him? He's in desperate need of them!

[J-ack]

While you're there mate, can please look for Saundo's spelling and grammar ability, along with some useful posts for him? He's in desperate need of them!

Found em, they were behind the old mattresses

[hardtailer]

done and done:p

also, tell me, or i'll lay Jay's seed in your mum as well

i might be able to tell a few in a bit but atm there secret... come up and ask me at the stromli race for those are there... ohh and i will most likely pushin a mongoose ritual;)

[fasterthanyou]

Hey, I used to live in canberra.

There's a bunch of BMX ones around the back of Kaleen (well there used to be). In between the outskirts of kaleen and that big road that goes from belconnen to Lyneham hockey center (the one AIS is off). Just don't mess up any lips.

There's also a whole bunch of smaller stuff in the depths of Majura, but you probably already know about those.

Out the back of Issacs there is a whole bunch of stuff somewhere.. I can't remeber exactly.

Some obvious ones, Melba and kambah BMX tracks.

There are HEAPS of small ones around the burbs you just have to go exploring. Deserted little pine plantations are always popular.

Hope this helps

[donthucktoflat]

Hey, I used to live in canberra.

There's a bunch of BMX ones around the back of Kaleen (well there used to be). In between the outskirts of kaleen and that big road that goes from belconnen to Lyneham hockey center (the one AIS is off). Just don't mess up any lips.

There's also a whole bunch of smaller stuff in the depths of Majura, but you probably already know about those.

Out the back of Issacs there is a whole bunch of stuff somewhere.. I can't remeber exactly.

Some obvious ones, Melba and kambah BMX tracks.

There are HEAPS of small ones around the burbs you just have to go exploring. Deserted little pine plantations are always popular.

Hope this helps

the dippers are gone champ. :( shame, they were kinda fun.. (actually, both kaleen jumps are gone)

florey are still there but shit now.

tuckers at majura are alright. transfer line is the best there..

plus i have some secret trails on the way... pics soon...

[shady]

hey will u be at the stromlo race coming up?
cheers buddy.

[hardtailer]

will have to see. i will be the one with a flat proberly if ya want to look out

[FR Drew]

Okay folks, CORC (canberra offroad cycles) have been informed by Environment ACT that they've discovered dirt jumps in the Mulligans Flat Reserve out near Gungahlin.

This isn't good people. The relationship between MTBers and the Environment ACT folks is delicate at the best of times. They're usually more than willing to trust the bushwalkers who tell them that we'll be the downfall of small flowering plants and fluffy animals everywhere. CORC is working hard to dispel the myth that MTBers are all enviromental vandals and to get any trails access at all in the Canberra Nature Parks. To have sets of dirt jumps being built isn't going to help matters.

If it's you doing this: Please stop.
If you know who's doing it: Please ask them to stop.

Myself and Anthony Burton, the President of CORC are about to go to a meeting of the Gungahlin Community Council to lobby for their support in the construction of MTB trails in the area. One of the things we'll be wanting to get up is a set of approved dirt jumps in Gungahlin. Ones that you guys can have input into the design of and that won't get bulldozed because they're approved by the landowners.

Things you can do to help us are:

Join CORC and make yourselves known to the trails advocacy team. We can't lobby on your behalf or work to provide resources for you if we don't know what you need.

Get in touch with me. I'm the person on the trails team heading up the push for MTB resources in Gungahlin. Drop me a PM or an email. Remember, it's way easier for us to lobby if we can say that there's able and willing folks who will help build and maintain what gets constructed.

Stop building illegal trail in Mulligans and on Percival Hill. Trails in these two places give those who want ammunition to point the finger at mountain bikers exactly what they need.

We are working on it.

Thanks,

Drew

[Slave]

Firstly, I haven't been digging at locations noted. I also don't know who has been digging them but as a fellow dirt jumper I wouldn't be asking them to stop.

Although I have been riding them and I will continue to ride them until CORC supports dirt jumping in ACT. I haven't yet seen a CORC sanctioned dirt jump park in Canberra and jumping off of gutters isn't much fun. If you are about to talk to the local council then hey a jump park is the best part of a really long time away. Most inclines that even remotely look like a ramp get demolished at places where you are legally allowed to ride a mountain bike in Canberra. I've hooked up with the ACT BMX clubs just to get some exposure to jumps before I turn 40 (I'm close!!) as you can only ride bikes for so long before you start getting too old. Mountain bikes have been around in the ACT for a long time unlike CORC sanctioned jump parks. When there is no alternative you must understand why these places keep being developed.

[FR Drew]

Firstly, I haven't been digging at locations noted. I also don't know who has been digging them but as a fellow dirt jumper I wouldn't be asking them to stop.

That's highly dependant on if you're only looking for your personal short term gratification and you're quite happy to sit back and have all mountain bikers permanently locked out of the Canberra Nature Parks as a result of your actions. Please consider the effect your decision may have.

I'm fully aware of the reasons why jumps get built in places like this. They have to be hidden, because as soon as they're found they get dozed.

If we had Gungahlin Community Council support with our lobbying and the approval of the landowner, why should a result be a long way off? I'm not personally aware of raft of people going to CORC over years and years asking for sets to be built but I can certainly get the rest of the trails team to check their records. Certainly it's not likely that Gungahlin will end up with a park the size of the one at Adelaide, but I see no reason why we couldn't get a smaller facility constructed. Who knows, maybe something bigger might get built out at Stromlo.

We can do alot with your support.

When we go into negotiations to get trails built, if a group is trying to paint us as environmental vandals then our position is seriously undermined if they can point to various sites and constructions as proof.

The question comes down to if you wish to spend you lives hiding in the trees and watching the fruits of your labours get regularly destroyed, or if you'd like to be seen as a legitimate part of the riding community who are visible, have facilities, car run comps...

I'll be working to do what I can for you. The question is what can the dirt jumpers do to help me succeed? Building sets at Mulligans isn't it.

[RedPill]

Well at the moment we have to build our jumps in secret and keep them that way, but im sure we would all get behind and help if their was a petition for a dirtjump park in Canberra. Something closer then Gungahlin (sp?) tho. Also is Stromlo meant to be getting a dirtjump park in?

[FR Drew]

Unfortunately, Canberra being spread out the way it is, no matter where the first jumps are built they'll be a long way from someone. Once we have a framework in place to get some built and approved there's no reason why a few others couldn't follow.

We're at a very early stage in talking about all this stuff. No-one from the dirt jumping fraternity has really come forward in the past. When CORC held its planning day earlier in the year that Demo Man posted about here, no dirtjumpers showed up, so it's never really been put on the agenda.

The jumps at Florey, Kaleen, Hall, Nicholls and now at Mulligans have demonstrated that there's a community need for jumps out northside.

I'm happy for anyone to contact me telling me where they're based and let me know that they'd like jumps.
We can't even start to work towards providing jumps anywhere until we know that there's both a need, and folks willing to help build and maintain what gets produced.

CORC has recognised the needs of XC folk, DH folk and is now beginning to fill the needs of 4X and Trials riders. There's no reason why dirtjumpers should be any different, have less rights, be less supported than the rest of the MTB community. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realise when they pick up a couple of issues of Dirt, Decline or even Revolution and Clict that the DJ side of the sport is growing fast and has a need for resources.

For the moment the plans for Stromlo are limited to XC, DH and 4X with hopes for some freeride stuff on the western side of the mountain but there's a whole wad of land out there. If folks make themselves heard to the trails team then we can look at it.

The way I personally see it is that for people without their own car transport, Kowen, Sparrow Hill, Stromlo and even Majura might just as well be in Sydney. Canberra does need local MTB facilities. This is part of the reason that we're working (slowly and politely) to try and show the folks in Environment ACT that we can responsibly build and maintain trails so that more of the land in local areas might become available. This is also a prime reason why things like having dirt jumps built in Mulligans sets things back.

The very first meetings regarding Gungahlin trails are about to happen this week. I've been pretty much pushing the need for trails out this side of town by myself. If people want approved trails or facilities in their local area then it'd be well worth them geting in touch with CORC about it.

We're not going to get everything we want in the first month or two, but every journey starts with a single stroke of the pedals. If we know your needs, we can at least meake a start towards trying to get things happening.

The legal framework in SA is very similar to that here. The dirt jumps in the centre of Adelaide show that any liability hurdles can be overcome. It's not some impossible dream, it can be made to happen if people work together. Personally I see no reason why a concrete skate park is less of a risk than a set of dirt jumps. We have skate parks already in the ACT and so therefore dirt jumps should be equally possible given some negotiating and sensible lobbying.

Step one is for us to get community support for MTB facilities in an area, then to get a supportive landowner/ACT authority which will allow the type of facilities we desire. Then we can get to planning and building. As I said earlier, if things have gone through the proper channels then there's no need for what gets made to be bulldozed. In fact, it's more likely to have organised working bees to help maintain it.

I can't DJ to save myself and I don't know what any of you folks need/want.
I'm more than happy to sit down with any of you and discuss a wishlist. We need to remember that this is a starting point so we'll try and keep things sensible and modest for starters. Don't hesitate to get in touch.

At present the CORC trails team have no idea how many of you folks there are, where you're based, what level your skills are at, what facilities you need.

Help us to help you.

Thanks,

Drew

[Robb]

A long while ago wasn't there dirt jumps in a block of land next to downer shops (when the bike shop used to be there before they moved to O’Conner) which were supported for by the government?

[Slave]

Two pics attached of Tahmoor jump park. Not because they are in any way great pics, but more to show you the terrain there. One is a video still so hence the low quality.

Tahmoor is two hours up the highway towards Sydney. This is a council developed and maintained jump park. It's next to the footy oval so it gets grass maintenance when the outside of the footy ground get some attention.

So yes these sorts of places can be developed, but Canberra has none now. And to be honest it's going to take a while until this sort of stuff gets developed.

So immediate problem facing dirt jumpers is where to hit up some jumps toaday? Or this weekend? I can't wait for CORC sanctioned jumps to be built because it won't be done by this weekend. So I can't really help but session the ones that are around. If I waited some CORC sanctioned jumps then I'd be doing a lot of rolling around on the flat.

I'd say that CORC have been fairly focused on XC as a rule. I've been to CORC meetings and I've found problems discussing downhill topics, I previously wouldn't have considered CORC approachable on this topic. If there is a shift in attitude from CORC in regards to dirt jumping in Canberra then I reckon you would get a strong reaction from riders. If it's something formal then that would be great news. FR Drew, is this what you are saying? Just wondering is this is actually on the CORC agenda (because it's just rained and the dirt is nice and soft)

[FR Drew]

Is it a priority at the moment? From an official CORC perspective I'd have to say the answer is no. The main focus (as you've probably guessed) is getting Stromlo up and running and if we're even contemplating that we can put in a bid for the worlds and we've got Glen Jacobs doing course design then you know that the finished product is going to be worth the wait.

Things that take resources away from Stromlo are not on the agenda at present.

BUT

Dirt Jumps have never been put on the agenda. When people are running planning days (like the one earlier on in the year that I mentioned before) to determine where the focus of the club should be, that's really the time when you folks ought to definitely be standing up and saying "Hey, what about us? We represent a big sector of the MTB community."

It's easy to look at the numbers showing up to XC of DH races and say that resources should be devoted to those sectors of the sport. Why? Because they're visible and easy to quantify. If the only people who show up on the radar are downhillers and xc riders then it's no suprise that that's where the resources go.

My work related to the Gungahlin area is because I live there, a few other mid 30's guys I know and occasionally ride with live there, as do their kids. I know that unless you drive to another location or you're riding somewhere local that you're not supposed to be, there's nothing doing out this way.

I've been given approval to approach the community council out here and work to get support for MTB facilities in the area on the previso that I don't drain resources from Stromlo.

If I can show up with a dozen guys with shovels and barrows who are willing to work to get something that has been pre approved through the right channels built, then you'd be amazed how fast something legitimate can happen (especially if by building an approved alternative we can stop or reduce the building of illegal jumps).

You guys aren't criminals. You shouldn't have to be hiding in the shrubbery hoping that no one will ever find out what you're doing. In a large way, from where things are going at the moment it appears that dirt jumping is a big part of the future of our sport. Heck, there ought to be a dirt jump co-ordinator on the club committee and dirt jump events on the club calendar but it's never going to happen if no one steps forward and says that their sector of the sport has a need.
The choice is really in the hands of the DJ community:

Step forward and ask for a legitimate share of the pie and get some real facilities built;
OR
Stay in the backlots and watch your work get ploughed under every few months;
(and be seen as a thorn in the side and a drain on resources and goodwill).

So who's interested in taking the Red Pill and who's taking the Blue Pill?

I don't see any PM's or emails in the inbox...

[Slave]

FR Drew, you have the right attitude and legal jumps are the way to go. Problem is that CORC have been the organisation who have been responsible for the demolition of jumps in the past. So there is a history there and as the saying goes 'once burnt twice shy.' I've got photo's of the signs that CORC posted at Majura and Tuggas Pines indicating that the ramps were to be demolished. I hear what you are saying but the history here is strong, there's a lot of bad vibe that needs to be in some way addressed.

Also, CORC generates income from the DH and especially the XC activities. Unfortunately Dirt Jumping could only cost money in the short term. I know that CORC watches the bank balance closely.

Maybe 2, 3 or 10 dirt jump parks in ACT is just a pipe dream. But hey it's a nice idea and an interesting discussion.

[FR Drew]

I hear what you're saying. If my sources are correct then in many if not all cases, CORC were told by the landowners that the jumps were going to be demolished. We had no say in it. In every case that I'm aware of, the jumps had been built without the permission of the landowner, or any approvals and were leaving CORC, Forestry or whoever the landowner or builder was wide open to litigation should anything bad have happened. The people who built the jumps left CORC in a pretty lose/lose position once they were discovered. It's very difficult to get retrospective approval for any trail work, let alone something that's seen by some as a public risk.

Remember just because you may be able to competently ride what you've built doesn't stop someone else wiping out and doing themselves serious injury. That person may well be riding stuff well outside their depth but that doesn't stop the lawyers being called in if things turn sour.


At present, due to the waiving of race fees at some races, CORC is actually losing money at some events and losing more money the more popular the event is. Something doesn't need to be a cash cow to get up. Are you telling me that if there were decent jumps around and a comp was being thrown people wouldn't pay to enter it?

Sure, there may be a past history and a bad vibe but if there are people out there willing to try and make a fresh start, I say take the oppourtunity by the hand and shake it for all it's worth. Every year the committee changes, new younger faces join up and start playing an active role in where the club is headed. It's not all about crusty XC riders and the 24 hour race.

Is there anyone you'd suggest that I should get in contact with?

D

[RedPill]

Well i know that their are alot of people in the southside area who will get behind an approval of a dirt jump park. Come on guys get behind this. Also is Stromlo goin to have a Jump park?

[saundo]

I know for a a fact that there would be plenty of suport for a set of legal jusmp to be built by the riders. I mean getting people to come out and build a set would be the easiest thing to be done it is only that the dirt jumpers around canberra are quiet when it comes to getting involed becasue they dont want there jumps to be found and as a result demolished. alough i have to say i can see where coming from fr drew when you say about the liabity issues that could arise with some little kikd injuring himself but im sure a conculsion could be reached with some actions being taken i.e signs warning and allerting that corc has no resbonsiblity to any one who should hurt themselfs riding the jumps.
I think a set of legal dirt jumps being built is a great idea so that djers can come out of the bushes and build were they want to without being scared of their efforts being destroyed and i think that somthing can be organised without amazing amounts of effort from the group of people that are given the responsiblity of doing so.

[FR Drew]

As I said before, I'm not in a position where I can promise anything that is going to drain resources that are currently dedicated towards Stromlo.

Anything we build is going to have to go through some form of planning process. The thing that makes skateparks easier to get approved is that once they're designed and built, it's hard to modify them so they stay as they were planned. This is trickier with dirt jumps.

As far as the liability issue is concerned, I expect one of the ways around it is to put in multiple runs and grade them the same as they do with trails. Green, blue, black diamond etc. If the beginners jumps are 1 foot or less and rounded rollers and tabletops so that even if you come up short and case them (like gumbies like me will) you're not going to get injured, the intermediates are bigger and the largest are clearly graded as being for expert dirt jumpers only then problems should be less.

After years of nothing, we're not going to be able to get 3 dj parks approved in the next fortnight, heck, up until the last week or so, this hasn't been on the radar at all. This weekend I'm a bit tied up with Stromlo related stuff. That doesn't mean that I won't be reading my email and checking back here.

I'm pleased with the support that you guys are showing me so far. Thanks.

The early stage 1 plans of Stromlo don't have a jump park, but stage one is just the beginning. Stromlo is going to be developing for years to come.

Seriously, if you guys want a particular sort of MTB resource, hit up the CORC website. Hit the link marked "trails" and then "papers and proposals" you'll find an email addy at the top of the page for the trails team.

We cannot work with you or for you if you haven't got in touch to say what you need.

Remember, miracles take a little longer...
-------------------------
It would greatly assist our negotiations with ACT Conservation and Land Management if you guys could hold off on construction of unapproved stuff in the Canberra Nature Parks though. I know you want to get out there and ride, we all do, but DJ's in the nature parks stand to delay or scuttle the work that we're trying to do on the behalf of you folks and the downhillers and the xc riders. The one body is now in charge of ACT Forests, Environment ACT and Canberra Urban Parks and Places. If we lose our supporters within this body, it's going to get stacks harder to make any good MTB stuff happen.

Please.
---------------------------

Thanks

[astroboy]

FR Drew, you have the right attitude and legal jumps are the way to go. Problem is that CORC have been the organisation who have been responsible for the demolition of jumps in the past. So there is a history there and as the saying goes 'once burnt twice shy.' I've got photo's of the signs that CORC posted at Majura and Tuggas Pines indicating that the ramps were to be demolished. I hear what you are saying but the history here is strong, there's a lot of bad vibe that needs to be in some way addressed.


CORC has never posted signs up in the forests indicating that ramps were to be demolished. These signs are put up by CALM (formerly ACT Forests). The last signs that were put up in Majura towards the end of last year regarding the planned demolishing of the illegal northshore was posted by a contractor employed by CALM to do the removal. These are the facts, as I work with CALM on behalf of CORC on trails advocacy. CORC is mentioned on the signs as a contact point for trails improvement, but this is for information purposes only in an attempt to formalise the trail planning, design, building and maintenance process.

The delivery of facilities for all genres of mountain biking (of which I include DJ) is one of the key strategies for the CORC trails advocacy team, and has been part of our plan since the strategy was developed AND AGREED UPON by the committee in November 2004. Look at the Trails Advocacy Strategy in the Trails/Papers and Proposals section of the CORC website and check it out yourself. Since then I have done two 'recruitment' rounds to the trails team, and have not had a single DJ representative put their hand up (correction - one young lad contacted me once but then disappeared into the ether). One fellow did raise concerns about CORC and the DJ issue at the Joey Klein presentation last November at the Ainslie Football Club, but I have not heard anything further from him even though the offer of assistance was put on the table.

I am very happy to say that someone offering to be a champion for a legal DJ facility in Canberra has now contacted the club and is keen to get something happening that is legit. FR Drew and I will be working with him to get work underway ASAP.

[FR Drew]

Gungahlin Jumps
I've had an initial meeting with the Gungahlin Community Council about the need for authorised and legal bike trails and dirt jumps in the Gungahlin area. They were universally supportive, they think that it's a great idea and are happy to back CORC in getting this project delivered.
So, there you are. We already have the support of the community body behind us and now we're beginning the task of identifying possible sites. There's a lot of advocacy work that now needs to be done to get approval from the land managers before we can do anything more. There's still a long way to go, but the process has begun.

Stromlo
I can tell you officially that CORC has been working with Glen Jacobs on the concept of a dirt jump park at Stromlo. This will be at either Stage 2 or Stage 3 which means that it's a couple of years off. We would aim to have the facility up and functional for the Worlds in 09.

[RedPill]

Thats awsome. Well done mate. Keep updating us with information about Gungahlin dirt park.

[saint16]

are their any rythm typed jumps around southside area of canberra, like tuggeranong?

[J-ack]

So, has anything happened in conjunction with the DJ situation? I know it's a bit of a grave dig, but i'm getting tired of riding the same two doubles over and over.

[FR Drew]

Proposal very nearly ready to go to government so we can have access to the land for building. A number of dirt jumpers have been out to inspect the site and suggest options/lines etc, much risk assesment info sorted through etc etc.

I am still working on it, in fact copy of the proposal went to the CORC President this week. As you would appreciate with the Nationals fast approaching, Stromlo has been a big priority for the club over the last year or so, which has meant that work on this has had to fit in the spare gaps (which are few and far between with a 1 year old crawling around the house)

Still on the way and despite no obvious visual action we're getting closer...

Drew

[J-ack]

Cheers for all your help mate, me and my BMX mates really appreciate what you're doing for us.