NO competitive mountain biking is likely to occur at Wodonga’s Hunchback Hill for most of the next year.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A ban on formal activities by Albury Wodonga Mountain Bikers will not be lifted until an assessment of the impact of Hunchback uses is completed.
The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning has ordered the hill’s overseer Parklands Albury Wodonga to produce an independent analysis.
Parklands chairman Daryl Betteridge said expressions of interest would be sought in the next month with an assessor expected in place by Christmas.
“I think they’ll be looking at the trail network, what trails are appropriate, do some of the trails have to be improved in quality, do they need to be shortened or extended,” Mr Betteridge said.
He anticipates it will be six months before the process is complete.
The department’s Hume regional director Clare Kiely confirmed Parklands had backed the move at a meeting last month.
“Parklands Albury Wodonga agreed to undertake an independent assessment of the environmental values and potential impacts,” Ms Kiely said.
“The outcomes of the review will inform future recreational uses at Hunchback Hill.
“No new works will be undertaken while the assessments are being completed."
The situation has frustrated Albury Wodonga Mountain Bikers’ members who have faced criticism off the back of a Wodonga Council review of hilltop uses in the city.
The club’s president Michael Ross said a petition of 1200 names had been submitted to the council to highlight support for mountain bike competition.
“The only thing we can do is recreational riding, any form of an organised event, and that includes club-sanctioned social rides, we’re not allowed to do,” Mr Ross said.
“It’s extremely frustrating when we’re trying to drive the participation and enjoyment of the sport.”
Mr Ross expects it will be next spring before the fate of mountain bike competition on Hunchback will be clear.
Opponents of riding have raised concerns about environmental degradation.
Mr Betteridge defended his body, suggesting politics tied to the Wodonga Council election had fuelled disquiet.
“This situation has evolved from a political standpoint,” he said.
“Parklands stands on its reputation and what it has achieved.
“Parklands Albury Wodonga is not a mountain bike organisation, Parklands Albury Wodonga is an organisation that looks after the environment and improves the environment – that’s its main goal, that’s its priority.”
