Hepburn Shire Council has awarded a contract to construct the 60-kilometre Creswick Trails Network.
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Australian company Dirt Art, a world leader in mountain bike trail construction, will build the major network of mountain bike and shared trails.
Dirt Art has constructed mountain bike trails overseas and across Australia, including at Harcourt, the Grampians, Gold Coast, Thredbo and Tasmania.
Hepburn Shire Council mayor Brian Hood said the trails would be an enormous drawcard for Creswick and the shire, bringing with it a host of economic, tourism and employment opportunities.
"As the venue for mountain biking at the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games, the trails will put Creswick and Hepburn Shire in the global spotlight," Cr Hood said.
"The trails will contain a variety of ride experiences and difficulty levels. We know there are plenty of people looking forward to trying out the trails once they are completed."
The network's planning and design occurred throughout 2019-2021 in consultation with the community, multiple land managers, stakeholders and traditional owners, and received a planning permit in early 2022.
Works are expected to begin on the trail network in early 2023 and construction will take about 18 months.
VOGA Cycling Club president David Tannard said the trail network would have far-reaching benefits for the community.
"Mountain bikers will be over the moon the trails are progressing. Well-built and safe new trails will help people to ride in safety and comfort. Riders will be able to appreciate the area with minimal impact on the environment," Mr Tannard said.
"The great thing about Creswick as a destination is there's already so much infrastructure. There's terrific cafes and restaurants, a supermarket, all kinds of accommodation, and public transport all very close to the trailhead. It gives people the flexibility to just jump on the train from Melbourne or Ballarat with their bikes and stay for a night or two.
"VOGA holds the Brackenbury Mountain Bike Classic competition and we will be able to grow these opportunities once the trails are complete. I think there will be a race to be the first person to ride the new trail."
The network's trails are mostly green/beginner (20 per cent), blue/intermediate (42 per cent), black/very challenging (13 per cent) and forest road (five per cent).
About 30 per cent of the trails are designed and constructed to be adaptive and are suitable for use by hand cycles.
Hammon Park on Water Street, Creswick, is the trailhead for the Creswick Trails Network.
An economic analysis over a period of 25 years, was prepared for the project and the report highlights a number of economic impacts.
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