Riding the Mountain: Proposed Mountain Bike Network

Consultation has concluded

The Riding the Mountain - A Plan for Improved Mountain Bike Riding in The Foothills of kunanyi/ Mount Wellington was endorsed by the Parks and Recreation Committee on 15 October 2020, and was presented in the Council meeting on 26 October 2020. The following recommendation was endorsed:

  1. The ‘Riding the Mountain - A Plan for Improved Mountain Bike Riding in the Foothills of kunanyi/ Mount Wellington’ marked as Attachment A to item 6.2 of the Open Parks and Recreation Committee agenda of 15 October 2020, be approved.
  2. The General Manager be authorised to secure any statutory approvals required for the implementation of the Plan, noting that this will include a detailed environmental assessment (as per the City of Hobart Biodiversity Action Plan) of each of the locations identified for the tracks, as or when they are to be developed.
  3. The City seek to secure external grant funding for the projects to proceed.
  4. The Plan be made publicly available through the City’s website and other platforms.
  5. Petitioners be advised of the Council resolution.

This is a comprehensive plan that responds to a range of issues that were raised by the community during the public consultation on the draft plan earlier this year, and builds on previous engagement with the community over the past 2 years. The plan identifies the potential development of 37 kilometres of new mountain bike tracks to transform existing trails and deliver a network serving local and tourism needs. Majority of the proposed tracks are specifically tailored to cater to beginner and intermediate users, five of the new proposed tracks are also categorised as shared-used, improving trail connectedness for walkers/trail runners.

The City will now focus on building Rocky Wheel’n (1a) and Free Wheel’n (1b), the two top priority tracks identified in the plan (see image below). These tracks are jointly funded by the City and the State Government's Tasmanian Cycle Tourism Grant and will be built in the first half of 2021.

You can stay up to date with this project as funding is secured and new tracks are built by visiting the new Riding the Mountain webpage at https://www.hobartcity.com.au/riding-the-mountain.



The City of Hobart would like to thank all those who provided feedback on Riding the Mountain: Proposed Mountain Bike Network Plan. We received a total of 596 responses across the three user groups. The City also received 8 written submissions on behalf of clubs, associations and individuals.

You can read the results of this engagement here. A snapshot is provided below:

  • The majority of all three user groups were either happy or very happy with the proposed Plan (93% of riders, 52% of walkers and 72% of runners).
  • 26% of riders surveyed were glad to have more tracks proposed
  • 26% of runners surveyed wanted to see more shared use tracks
  • A quarter of walkers surveyed were concerned about the potential environmental impact the proposed Plan would have on kunanyi / Mount Wellington

    Council officers are now in the process of amending the draft Plan in order to incorporate the feedback from the community and a revised final plan will be presented to Council seeking its endorsement in spring 2020.

The City of Hobart has developed a plan for 47 km of new mountain bike tracks on kunanyi / Mount Wellington that identifies the potential for an expanded network of greater riding experiences for local and visiting riders.

The plan is based on work by leading mountain bike trail consultants Dirt Art and follows consultation with key stakeholders, including mountain bike riding, walking and trail runner groups.

The plan consists of:

  • 3 beginner tracks 
  • 10 intermediate tracks 
  • 2 advanced tracks 
  • 3 shared use tracks

Hobart's kunanyi/Mount Wellington is home to almost 80 km of walking tracks, but just 4km of purpose-built, mountain bike only tracks. A survey of kunanyi/Mount Wellington track users revealed that 83 per cent support new mountain bike tracks on the mountain.

The City has committed almost $400,000 to rolling out stage one of the plan.

Note: We acknowledge physical distancing measures means our community cannot access Wellington Park and its many tracks and trails. By continuing the engagement process on this project, we can plan for the future and create great new facilities on kunanyi / Mount Wellington that can be enjoyed by our community once physical distancing measures are lifted.

Get involved and have your say: 

  • Download and read our summary report Riding the Mountain.
  • Complete the short survey below.

You can also download Dirt Art's full report.

When completing the survey we ask that you self nominate as either a walker, runner or rider to answer the questions. You can nominate as more than one but you will have to take the survey additional times.

The Riding the Mountain - A Plan for Improved Mountain Bike Riding in The Foothills of kunanyi/ Mount Wellington was endorsed by the Parks and Recreation Committee on 15 October 2020, and was presented in the Council meeting on 26 October 2020. The following recommendation was endorsed:

  1. The ‘Riding the Mountain - A Plan for Improved Mountain Bike Riding in the Foothills of kunanyi/ Mount Wellington’ marked as Attachment A to item 6.2 of the Open Parks and Recreation Committee agenda of 15 October 2020, be approved.
  2. The General Manager be authorised to secure any statutory approvals required for the implementation of the Plan, noting that this will include a detailed environmental assessment (as per the City of Hobart Biodiversity Action Plan) of each of the locations identified for the tracks, as or when they are to be developed.
  3. The City seek to secure external grant funding for the projects to proceed.
  4. The Plan be made publicly available through the City’s website and other platforms.
  5. Petitioners be advised of the Council resolution.

This is a comprehensive plan that responds to a range of issues that were raised by the community during the public consultation on the draft plan earlier this year, and builds on previous engagement with the community over the past 2 years. The plan identifies the potential development of 37 kilometres of new mountain bike tracks to transform existing trails and deliver a network serving local and tourism needs. Majority of the proposed tracks are specifically tailored to cater to beginner and intermediate users, five of the new proposed tracks are also categorised as shared-used, improving trail connectedness for walkers/trail runners.

The City will now focus on building Rocky Wheel’n (1a) and Free Wheel’n (1b), the two top priority tracks identified in the plan (see image below). These tracks are jointly funded by the City and the State Government's Tasmanian Cycle Tourism Grant and will be built in the first half of 2021.

You can stay up to date with this project as funding is secured and new tracks are built by visiting the new Riding the Mountain webpage at https://www.hobartcity.com.au/riding-the-mountain.



The City of Hobart would like to thank all those who provided feedback on Riding the Mountain: Proposed Mountain Bike Network Plan. We received a total of 596 responses across the three user groups. The City also received 8 written submissions on behalf of clubs, associations and individuals.

You can read the results of this engagement here. A snapshot is provided below:

  • The majority of all three user groups were either happy or very happy with the proposed Plan (93% of riders, 52% of walkers and 72% of runners).
  • 26% of riders surveyed were glad to have more tracks proposed
  • 26% of runners surveyed wanted to see more shared use tracks
  • A quarter of walkers surveyed were concerned about the potential environmental impact the proposed Plan would have on kunanyi / Mount Wellington

    Council officers are now in the process of amending the draft Plan in order to incorporate the feedback from the community and a revised final plan will be presented to Council seeking its endorsement in spring 2020.

The City of Hobart has developed a plan for 47 km of new mountain bike tracks on kunanyi / Mount Wellington that identifies the potential for an expanded network of greater riding experiences for local and visiting riders.

The plan is based on work by leading mountain bike trail consultants Dirt Art and follows consultation with key stakeholders, including mountain bike riding, walking and trail runner groups.

The plan consists of:

  • 3 beginner tracks 
  • 10 intermediate tracks 
  • 2 advanced tracks 
  • 3 shared use tracks

Hobart's kunanyi/Mount Wellington is home to almost 80 km of walking tracks, but just 4km of purpose-built, mountain bike only tracks. A survey of kunanyi/Mount Wellington track users revealed that 83 per cent support new mountain bike tracks on the mountain.

The City has committed almost $400,000 to rolling out stage one of the plan.

Note: We acknowledge physical distancing measures means our community cannot access Wellington Park and its many tracks and trails. By continuing the engagement process on this project, we can plan for the future and create great new facilities on kunanyi / Mount Wellington that can be enjoyed by our community once physical distancing measures are lifted.

Get involved and have your say: 

  • Download and read our summary report Riding the Mountain.
  • Complete the short survey below.

You can also download Dirt Art's full report.

When completing the survey we ask that you self nominate as either a walker, runner or rider to answer the questions. You can nominate as more than one but you will have to take the survey additional times.