A consultant paid to examine the fallout of mountain bike riding on Wodonga’s Hunchback Hill cited the sport’s impact on Nail Can Hill as noteworthy in his report.

Red-Gum Environmental Consulting managing director Damian Wall wrote “it is useful to consider the site in context with the mountain bike trail areas on Nail Can Hill”.

“The track network on Nail Can Hill is arguably located in an area of much higher conservation significance with higher quality understorey….yet Nail Can Hill provides great examples of how passive recreation pursuits (bushwalking etc) and bike riding can co-exist in a patch of extremely high quality,” Mr Wall noted.

In assessing how erosion problems with Hunchback Hill cycle tracks can be tackled, Mr Wall urged the area’s manager Parklands Albury Wodonga to engage the mountain bike community in conservation work as an “essential” step for the future of the reserve.

“As per the Nail Can example, appropriate management zoning can buffer areas of ecological sensitivity and implement landscape appropriate treatments that minimise detrimental effects on the best patches of habitat,” he wrote.

Nail Can Hill has become more central to the group activities of Albury Wodonga Mountain Bikers since Hunchback Hill was deemed off-limits to organised events in 2016 as part of the investigative reporting into the area’s use.

Parklands board chairman Daryl Betteridge said it was likely to be more than 18 months before any formal mountain biking would be permitted on Hunchback.

There is nothing to stop individuals riding across the terrain.