MTB Trailcare

It was a very big day for Three Hills today with the old second hill line closed and the new one signed for public access.  With the help of the Gold Coast MTB Club and SEQTA, 23 volunteers completed the job.  

Our land manager, QPWS, requests a high standard for trail closure as well as trail construction.  Therefore, closing the old trail line was a multi-stage process requiring planning, care and team effort.  Our team today was amazingly enthusiastic, attentive and energetic.  We cannot thank the volunteers enough for a huge, coordinated effort.

First was softening the old tread with mattocks and picks.  Next a small amount of soil and some grasses and their roots were shaved off the upslope trail edge and spread over the softened tread.  Then dead grasses and other small, organic debris was raked over the soil.  Then larger items like fallen limbs were used to secure our rehabilitation against the potential risk of intense rains.

In places where the tread and periphery was too rocky and steep, the emphasis was on slowing water movement by adding loose stones, rocks, large logs and digging drains to limit water flow along the trail.  That is what killed the trail in the first place.  That plus riders and time.

So here are the pics, including some of the temporary trail signs we added when we removed trail closure signs

and the first example of the final result

The aim was to make the old trail disappear.  At the top we had already added a lot of mixed organic and dirt fill over a softened tread, so today only hard debris was added to slow water flow and encourage revegetation

Farther down there was more to do, but for some distance the process was the same, starting with trail softening etc.  The outcome was a little different in each section, but basically like this

After reaching the beekeeper's area (in the last couple of pics), the level of trailwork required to correctly close the old trail increased.   Ashley and his gang had already manufactured many drains, added huge logs, water bars and prepared for the assistance of the crew coming from above

 

If they stop lolling around......!

As things got steeper, the closure techniques became larger

with drains, blocking logs and also the use of re-distributed trailside stones as a way to slow running water

The lowest section of the old trail was difficult.  New drainages were built and reinforced with diggings from the new trail line; some last weekend and some today

After the trail work was completed, Ash, Doug, Lynn, Andrew from SEQTA and I walked the closure looking for forgotton tools.  We found a fire rake, but not the pry bar we were searching for

However, bikes were found and ridden.  27.5 was swapped for 29 and vice versa, but 26 riders remained steadfast.  Everyone had fun and the consensus seemed to be the new trail was a hoot and with some sadness, the old trail is now lost in time.  We will remember it!

Looks like it's time for MTBtrailcare to find a new project.

Thank you so much again to all of the volunteers today.  It was a great surprise and thrill to have people come from northern NSW, Logan, Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.  The youngest volunteer was probably still in junior school and the oldest probably still had the energy for junior school too!  All of the volunteers worked tirelessly and it makes us feel very positive about the potential for MTB in SE Qld with a growing community of riders prepared to donate their time to trailcare, whether on their home trails or distant.  What a great day's work.