MTB Trailcare

The trail immediately out of the velodrome is a critical section, exposed to severe run-off from Centre Fire Road drains above.  It will also be the busiest bit of trail in the park and we really want it to handle what will come.  

Getting drains just right here is essential and has to be based on existing, natural drainage lines.  As the sideslope is gentle, the balance of digging and outslope is tricky.  This section of trail also has to accommodate a temporary intersection with Three Hills trail, pending completion of the new Three Hills in the near future.  

It was an absolutely beautiful Winter afternoon and there were stacks of riders going in and out of the velodrome until dark.  Here's a sighter just after we started today

Where the new trail crosses old Casuarina, we have to be careful how we build the new drains.  Too much digging now will cause issues for riders and that means they will not ride where we want them too.  The plan for now is to shave a gentle outslope off the current trail next to the intersection to keep the new line dry.  We also started a slightly deeper drain just past the intersection, which will drain across the new trail as well as the old line

Up higher on Three Hills there was too much excavated soil to use it all on the trail, so we had to broadcast a lot, as recommended by IMBA.  That's pretty inevitable on steep terrain.  Down here, we have saved and used almost every grain.  At the bottom, we are stockpiling excavated soil and organic matter for when we close the old trails.  Looking at the subtle trail drainages (not yet complete) in the following pics, it is hard to believe the volume of soil in piles waiting to be folded over old lines and erosion ruts when we close.  Much more was added after these pics

On the Queen's Birthday weekend, it was really a treat to have Elizabeth visit our building site!   She was pretty handy on the barra 'n all 

We know some will say the trail is too wide in places, but when you cannot dig because of roots and limited side-slope, plus you know there will be serious run-off and high user numbers, there has to be unimpeded drainage out of wide and shallow drains.  That means superficially clearing all accumulated organic matter first and then contouring the outslope into the drains in a way that will sheet water, whether in small or massive quantities.  it can look excessive at first

It was a really efficient afternoon with 2 wheelbarrows on the go continuously thanks to the help of  Doug's daughter, Elisabeth (s nee z), and Michael, President of the Gold Coast MTB Club.  Lots of dirt was moved and the trail is looking fun