sport, local-sport, news, katherine, sport, tourism, bike, nitmiluk
Katherine riders say the new mountain bike trails in Nitmiluk National Park "don't compare to anything else in the world" and should be fully utilised to attract tourists to the region. Katherine Multisport Club president Cameron Judson was full of praise for the new trails. He said his group of mountain bikers use the new tracks every week in the wet season because they're on high ground and stay dry. "We use them regularly... they're not the only option for mountain biking but they're quite resilient in the wet season," he said. "Trails around town... really are quite inundated, pretty wet and muddy." He said local crowds of walkers and riders on the trails show they have been a popular development. Work on the trails is ongoing but stage one of the network was opened last year, with a goal to capture the growing adventure tourism market. Evan Rohde is the contractor developing the trails with his company Ground Creations. He initially thought the task was "unachievable" because of the Nitmiluk landscape. However, he said the finished product is "rewarding" and the views and landscape accessible via the trails are already sparking tourism interest interstate. "It was initially a scary concept given the terrain... but I'm from Queensland and I often get people saying they're planning a holiday to Katherine," Mr Rohde said. Mr Judson said a survey of riders who took part in the Multisport Club's 2020 Katherine 4Hour race shows there is interest from people outside the town who want to travel with their mountain bikes to Katherine. He said of the 112 people involved, on average two people came with them and the average length of their stay was 1.8 nights. Mr Judson said this means there were hundreds of keen mountain bikers in the town staying for multiple days. While most of the participants in 2020 were from Darwin, he said this data shows the trails are an opportunity to strengthen the tourism industry in Katherine. An NT Government spokeswoman said they have not counted how many people from outside the NT use the trails, but confirmed they were popular with locals. The NT's national parks have been the centrepoint of recent controversy, following a government decision to charge interstate and international visitors an entry fee for Litchfield and Nitmiluk National Parks. The government said at the time the funds raised will go to park maintenance, while Chamber of Commerce's Katherine regional manager Colin Abbott called for a "considered" approach to ensure tourists weren't put off visiting the region due to the fees. The Katherine Times asked the Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security if bikers will be charged to use the trails as well as an entry fee. A department spokeswoman said the park fees are still under review and in a "consultation phase". While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox each Friday at 6am from the Katherine Times. To make sure you're up to date with all the news, sign up here.
Katherine Multisport Club have been using the trails throughout the wet season. Picture: Tom Robinson.
Katherine riders say the new mountain bike trails in Nitmiluk National Park "don't compare to anything else in the world" and should be fully utilised to attract tourists to the region.
Katherine Multisport Club president Cameron Judson was full of praise for the new trails.
He said his group of mountain bikers use the new tracks every week in the wet season because they're on high ground and stay dry.
"We use them regularly... they're not the only option for mountain biking but they're quite resilient in the wet season," he said.
"Trails around town... really are quite inundated, pretty wet and muddy."
He said local crowds of walkers and riders on the trails show they have been a popular development.
Work on the trails is ongoing but stage one of the network was opened last year, with a goal to capture the growing adventure tourism market.
Evan Rohde is the contractor developing the trails with his company Ground Creations. He initially thought the task was "unachievable" because of the Nitmiluk landscape.
However, he said the finished product is "rewarding" and the views and landscape accessible via the trails are already sparking tourism interest interstate.
"It was initially a scary concept given the terrain... but I'm from Queensland and I often get people saying they're planning a holiday to Katherine," Mr Rohde said.
Mr Judson said a survey of riders who took part in the Multisport Club's 2020 Katherine 4Hour race shows there is interest from people outside the town who want to travel with their mountain bikes to Katherine.
He said of the 112 people involved, on average two people came with them and the average length of their stay was 1.8 nights.
Mr Judson said this means there were hundreds of keen mountain bikers in the town staying for multiple days.
While most of the participants in 2020 were from Darwin, he said this data shows the trails are an opportunity to strengthen the tourism industry in Katherine.
An NT Government spokeswoman said they have not counted how many people from outside the NT use the trails, but confirmed they were popular with locals.
When finished, there will be more than 10 kilometres of bike trails within Nitmiluk National Park.
The NT's national parks have been the centrepoint of recent controversy, following a government decision to charge interstate and international visitors an entry fee for Litchfield and Nitmiluk National Parks.
The government said at the time the funds raised will go to park maintenance, while Chamber of Commerce's Katherine regional manager Colin Abbott called for a "considered" approach to ensure tourists weren't put off visiting the region due to the fees.
The Katherine Times asked the Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security if bikers will be charged to use the trails as well as an entry fee.
A department spokeswoman said the park fees are still under review and in a "consultation phase".
While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox each Friday at 6am from the Katherine Times. To make sure you're up to date with all the news, sign up here.
