SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2022 AT 11 AM
The Archival Memorial Fountain, Hyde Park
MCC of NSW #Saveourtrails Rally
Why we love single track
This is what single track is all about for registered trail bikes and licensed riders. Follow the natural terrain, see amazing places that only a motorcycle can get you to, hang with your mates and get mentally and physically healthier all at the same time. Enjoy!
Combined NPWS Working Group
There is now a combined Working Group for the transitioning of Jellore, Belanglo and Meryla State Forests to Flora Reserves managed by the NPWS.
At a recent meeting, one of the NPWS Rangers said that there was currently discussions going on within the NPWS about single track, this was the result of the petition. Whether this indicates that the Minister is taking his response to the petition seriously and/or his response will be favourable is yet to be seen.
Parliamentary debate
We have some preliminary information that the Parliamentary debate for our petition is likely to be at 4pm on Thursday 10th November. More information as it comes to hand.
You can view the webcast here: https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Pages/webcasts.aspx
Discussion Paper and White Paper
The Outdoor NSW & ACT Trail Bike Sub-Committee was formed in 2020 with the objective to;
- Recognise the contribution that Trail Bike activities provide individuals and regional economies
- Recognise the challenges of participation and work with stakeholders to lessen barriers and create harmony with other outdoor pursuits
- Investigate opportunities to help support a sustainable approach to participation
We have developed a Discussion Paper and White Paper in conjunction with Outdoors NSW & ACT. You can download copies of these here >> https://www.outdoorsnswact.org/trailbikes
GoS SCA Admission
On July 5th the MCC of NSW made a submission to NPWS for the changes involving the Gardens of Stone State Conservation Area and it’s effect on trail riding. You can read our submission HERE.
This submission and assessment process will take about 12 months (July 2023).
NPWS’s response to our submission is below:
“Thank you for your recent submission on the Gardens of Stone State Conservation Area Draft Plan of Management. When the exhibition period finishes on 5 July 2022, we consider all submissions and prepare a submissions report.
We provide the Blue Mountains Regional Advisory Committee with the draft plan, all the submissions and the submissions report. They consider the documents, make comments on the plan or suggest changes, and provide advice to the Minister for the Environment.
The Minister considers the plan, submissions and advice, makes any necessary changes and decides whether to adopt the plan under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. Once the plan is adopted, we will publish it on our website at www.environment.nsw.gov.au/parkmanagement/ParkManagementPlan.htm. We will advise you when this happens.
It usually takes more than 12 months after exhibition to complete this process, depending on the complexity of the plan and the number of submissions.
Thank you for your interest in this park and participating in the plan of management process. “
Where we stand – the good news and the bad news.
It’s been a big week for us here at MCC of NSW. It started with a meeting of the Elders of Mingaan Wiradjuri Aboriginal Corporation to establish some background information relating to our trails. In a nutshell it doesn’t appear that there are any issues relating to where our trails go and any cultural heritage sites but it does need investigation and it’s something we will be pursuing as part of our process to ensure access for riders in the new State Conservation Area. Bear in mind that it may be that if any of our trails impinge on these areas we will have to move or close those trails. It is a sign of the respect that we want to show if we want to earn the same in response.
Next was the NPWS management team who have overriding authority over the Newnes plateau and Ben Bullen SF among other areas. The good news is that as long as you are licenced and riding a registered bike the status quo remains for the next 5 or 6 months. If your bike is unregistered and you are unlicenced our advice is to stay very far away. There will be compliance checks in operation and anyone caught will, hopefully, just be warned initially to get the word out but it is possible they could be fined.
As it stands there is no facility within the current NPWS stucture that permits motorised bikes (that means us) to access single track trails as we know them. The 4×4’s will have dedicated trails and we are welcome to ride those (watch out for the bullbars!) but single track is off limits. We have stated that will not work for us.
There is a draft proposal for MTB single track trails but they are mapped and monitored and have a management plan. The facts are unless we can provide a similar plan that meets all the criteria required by NPWS there will be no further access to single track in NPWS controlled forests. If, and it is a BIG “IF” we can develop a plan (yes we are working flat out on it now) and be able to present it to NPWS as a part of their overall management plan, AND they approve it then yes, we might be able to continue to ride. BUT, once this next 5 or 6 months pass we will no longer have free reign over our trails. Access to the forests will be controlled and we will be limited to approved trails.
Part of this process is for us to provide a map of our trails to NPWS who will then assess them for manageability (this will be done with our input so it is not totally one-sided) and that covers environmental impacts, maintenance, location, sustainability, etc. As part of our contribution we will need to provide a methodology of how we can be a part of that ongoing trail management – this is where you put your hands up! We have been quite forceful about the need for them to compromise but they are limited to the current conditions of operation within the beauracracy – it is our job to change that.
The future…. Whatever we achieve, or fail to achieve here, will effect all future areas that NPWS has under its authority.
Stay tuned!
MCC of NSW Trailriders Committee.
Gardens of Stone/Newnes plateau – update!
Hello friends and supporters. We have an update on the status of access to Newnes – it is certainly not resolved as yet so riding can continue until we know better, but that may not be the case in the future so if you see anything happening up there with regard to closure signage, fencing, new gates, etc please let us know asap!
Here’s what we have done so far and what is coming up next…
This week we meet with Local Land Services with whom we have an excellent working relationship, the aim to collect some background information on the situation behind the decision to move the plateau into the Gardens of Stone National Park and a new State Conservation Area. We have also gathered supplementary information relating to how the other invested parties operate on the plateau and other NPWS documentation that we feel can support our case to continue riding single track. We will be meeting the NPWS representative in the coming week to gain a better insight into what might or might not be the potential for us. We are also endeavouring to open dialog with the Aboriginal custodians of the land to better understand their position with regard to single track and the effect or otherwise on potential heritage sites.
At this time the Bill to pass the most of the plateau into the Gardens of Stone State Conservation Area has gone through but there is a lot of consultation to be had before any work is to commence – we are aiming to be part of that consultation process. Be aware that this process will take considerable time, possibly years, even so we will keep you up to date.
From here we will be working to clarify the reality of single track existence (which we know is much less damaging than the perception) and reassuring that the MCC of NSW is advocating the continued access for registered, licenced and insured riding. We do not have solutions yet but have certainly taken all your suggestions on board and eventually we will be able to formulate a response once we have a better understanding of the actual situation.
Stay tuned!
MCC of NSW Trailriders Committee.
We’re published!
Must be something to what we are doing because the Daily Telegraph published my letter to the editor (see below).
So let’s take advantage of it and lend some physical support….
Get your pens out or start typing and write a reply to it. If you can add your support via a follow up post in the Daily Tele we might get some recognition from a journo willing to take on our cause. Write/email your local politician and state your case. Make it clear, concise and logical. Add in how riding is a benefit to your health and well-being and that it’s a great way to get kids off the damned PC and out of the house! You know what to write, just don’t be a knob. We need to show that we are legal, smart, eco-aware and NOT eco terrorists!
Do it! (PS, thanks guys! We definitely ARE in this together!)
Published in Letters to the Editor, Daily Telegraph 20/11/21
How much will be taken?
For more than 40 years the Newnes Plateau has been covered in pine plantations which have been harvested and left to rot just as the hardwood forest has also been logged and left barren to recover by itself (‘$50m plan for new ecotourism adventure park near the Blue Mountains’, Saturday Telegraph, 12/11). It is not the “natural” environment the green movement would lead you to believe.
All during this time it has been a haven for 4x4s and trail bikes using the existing and disused fire trails and for campers as every other forest location has been taken over by city-based green influence. Yes there are some spectacular sites on the edges of the plateau but no one would know about them if it wasn’t for the 4WDs and bikes but now the entire plateau is being assimilated into the great green national park conglomerate. How much more is going to be taken? Can’t just a bit of the plateau be left for us recreational vehicle users? We don’t all like touristy garbage and ride mountain bikes. Nup. Nothing for us even though we pay our rego, insurance and licences. If you don’t think there are many voters driving 4x4s and riding dirt bikes, think again.
Glenn (online)
Now Newnes, what next?
The recent announcement by the State Government in conjunction with the Colong Foundation has highlighted that we, as the trail riding fraternity have a major problem. And that is that we have no say in our fate. As it is, if the government continues to be persuaded by enviro groups that all trail riding is dangerous, enviro-terrorism and just plain nasty, there will be no more public localities to ride our bikes. We will only have access to private property, and even that is at risk.
So what is the risk here…. well, if we can’t ride we don’t buy bikes. No bikes mean no sales for the dealers, no spare parts needed, no income. And the government is going to lose out big time too – and I can bet they haven’t thought that through… no rego, no insurance, no CTP. Not much? Well when you multiply the average rego/CTP cost (not including 3rd Party or Comprehensive insurance) then for every 10,000 bikes the annual loss of income is near $4.5M.
So can we do anything? Yes. But it may not work. We are already working towards discussions with the stakeholders about the possibility of keeping part of Newnes Plateau open, after all it’s not as if it is a pristine environment. It’s been logged for hardware for more than 100 years; there a hundreds of hectares of now denuded pine plantations; the mines are longwall mining the entire plateau and now sandmining is huge with big open cuts mines in operation. And they are concerned about a few km of single track???!!! We’ve been working with both Forestry Corp and the Centaltablelands Local Land Service up there to protect the peat swamps and they even constructed a rock bridge behind the Clarence MX track specifically for us to transit the Happy Valley swamp. And when Forestry Crop ran a Clean Up Australia Day event at Bungleboori last year who was there to work? We were! Not one 4WD club in sight, and worse NOT A SINGLE COLONG FOUNDATION NOR LANDCARE GROUP!!! Now there is hypocrisy in action!
Where to from here….
The MCC of NSW will be working to keep access to the plateau but we know we are up against it. But you never know unless you try.
We need to organise for the future. We CAN NOT afford to continue to be a disparate bunch of enthusiasts who “just want to ride”. That’s not enough. We need to get off our collect ar*ses and join together with ONE voice and ONE plan! If you are ready to get your hands dirty and be a part of the future of trail riding, let me know. I am coordinating the collective so email ME direct.
Let’s do it!