Erica MTB Park

F

Fattrax

Likes Bikes
Information on the Erica MTB Park. There have been quite a few trails around Erica for a while but formalising them and getting support from the DSE to develop it is reasonably recent.

The Erica MTB Park is a cross county/enduro focused park just under 2hrs east of Melboune CBD. We are working on expanding the trail network all the time, and currently have about 30km of mapped trail loops plus some easier rail trails.

Trails are mostly blue and black grading and mainly singletrail. A few of the trails can be seen on our youtube channel to get an idea of what is out there.
www.youtube.com/ericamtb

Being a fairly new park, we need riders to show support to help us push for more and more trails. So if you can make it down to check out some new terrain, it will all help.

I will attach a trail map and hopefully keep the latest version available as we add trails.

Signage for the loops will happen soon with DSE helping out with the cost. A website isn't too far away either, for an easy spot to get all to information, so stay posted.

The park has been used for a couple of Gippsland MTB races but if you have an event you want to hold there, get in contact with us.

Fattrax
 
Last edited:
indica

indica

Serial flasher
Looks like fun... where is it exactly? Near Baw Baw - long drive from here....
 
Last edited:
F

Fattrax

Likes Bikes
indica said:
Looks like fun... where is it exactly? Near Baw Baw - long drive from here....
Click to expand...
You get to Erica by going east down the Princes Fwy to Moe and then about 20 min north towards Walhalla. If you go anywhere near Mt Baw Baw, it would be a long drive and I would say you would be lost. Mt Baw Baw is fastest to get to from Melbourne by going through Erica then another 45 min on the South Face Rd.

Erica is closer to Melbourne than Forrest.
 
Last edited:
C

ch0ps

Cannon Fodder
nice!

Paid the Erica MTB Park a visit last weekend with the +1 and had a blast... :D

Can highly recommend Crazy Snake and Axemen. The rail trails are good for a cruise too.

Well done to all involved!
 
F

Fattrax

Likes Bikes
The guys from Chilli Cycles in Warragul have been riding at Erica a bit. This is what they had to say on their Facebook page.

Chilli Cycles yesterday rode the best kept secret in mountain bike trails: the Erica MTB Park. If you haven't ridden here yet then go now. Drop everything and get there before everyone else finds it. Awesome trails, plenty of trail options and great scenery. Huge shout out to the local lads who built it. Seriously, stop what you're doing and head out there now...
Click to expand...
 
F

fec

Squid
im wanting to head out there and have a ride
just wondering is there direction to the tracks
any suggestions for which tracks to do and connect together
is there any shuttling possible
 
F

Fattrax

Likes Bikes
fec said:
im wanting to head out there and have a ride
just wondering is there direction to the tracks
any suggestions for which tracks to do and connect together
is there any shuttling possible
Click to expand...
By direction, if you are talking which direction to ride them, Roots and All and Scream should be riden anticlockwise and Axemen is probably easiest anticlockwise as well. The rest are fine either way and the use is not so high that we have had to look at one way trails yet.

Signs are currently in production, so they are currently not signed. Take the map.

I would suggest a loop each side of town. Axemen and Roots and All should definently be on the list, and if you want to avoid some of the climbing, you can link between the bottom of the decent on Axemen with most of Roots and All, with a cruise up the rail trail. Berries is good for a longer way out to Axemen, or you can just head straight out there from town (or park at the gravel dump) and start from the highest bit of Axemen.

Out east, Crazy Snake should be riden and add on Bones and the top bit of SSS above the rail trail. Plenty of options to mix these up and ride both ways etc. Bones has been relocated/extended and what was the northern part of Bones is now the southern part. Follow your nose on that one until a new map is produced. Worth checking out though.

Hadn't really thought about shuttles, but the eastern side - Crazy Snake and Bones etc could be shuttled with a 2wd car from McLelland Rd at the top of Crazy Snake to the bottom at the Mill Park dam on the creek. An AWD/4wd would open up a shuttle up Bones straight up the fire road in the middle of it.

An AWD/4wd would be able to shuttle the western side decent of Axemen down to the rail trail - one of the best decents in the park - cause you can drive the rail trail to get picked up.
 
E

Exie

Likes Dirt
Hey Folks,

Me and some mates headed out that way about 2 weeks ago and had a blast! Here's just a few of my observations:

1. From the CBD, It's no closer than Forrest really it's still 2+hrs. It's not a bad drive though, pretty easy to find.
2. The trails REALLY needed the signs, we spent half the day exploring walking trails not on the map! Having the PDF map though was great.
3. When we did get on the right trails, it was a blast! They were great fun. We rode most of them the wrong way initially, but got the hang of it.
4. It will be interesting to see how they go over time, maintenance will be important as some sections were pretty overgrown (presuming we were on the right track).
5. We had some nasty mozzie/dragon fly action. Take strong repellent and lots of it!

All in all, we had a good day. The concluding thoughts in the car on the way home were, needs signs, and a few hundred riders to go through and really bed the trails in, clear up the over growth.

Before long, this area will certainly compete with places like Buxton etc which are great little day-trip places to ride something different. Full credit to the locals who have put a huge amount of work in.
 
Last edited:
F

Fattrax

Likes Bikes
New version of the trail map posted on pg1. New location of Bones trail, and extended Crazy Snake.

We have run a brushcutter through most of the trails last week so there is less scrub and more elbow room. Damn wet spring/summer, makes them plants grow.
 
pistonbroke

pistonbroke

Eats Squid
Two thumbs up!!!

I went out there with my brother on Australia Day. We saw no one else. We rode the eastern side, starting in the town at the rail trail. I had a map but still found it a bit confusing. All the tracks we did find were great. All seemed really well designed. They seemed to flow quite nicely. The tracks were generally smooth with a loamy soil cover. There was a fair amount of debris on the trail, but this will improve in time. Hardly any rocks at all. There was a few sections that seemed to be clay based that would get real slick in the wet. I think we rode some of it backwards too. I know the place is still in development, so keep it up guys. Great work. I will be back again. And next time we will try the western side before the town. None of the tracks we rode on the eastern side were too scary for beginners. There were a couple of short steep sections where we walked up, but I think we were going in the wrong direction.
So get out there and use it peeps.

P.S. Which side will the GMTB 3 hour race use?
 
AshR

AshR

Likes Dirt
watched a couple of the vids and pretty keen to come out there one weekend with a few people and try out the tracks :)

need more places to ride that might actually be dry and open atm.
 
J

jmxcrider

Squid
The dude at Lysterfield told me about this place (after I turned up there to find it was all shut... yeah I know, should have checked the forums...) so will def be checking Erica out next free weekend. Ash, when we going??!
Good work guys for developing more places to ride!
 
zstreetco

zstreetco

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Anyone know if sign-age is on the agenda for this place? Sounds and almost looks like (judging from the maps) a 2nd 'Forrest' type area....and this would be WICKED cause Forrest is insane!

What was that mention of Buxton about???
 
F

Fattrax

Likes Bikes
zstreetco said:
Anyone know if sign-age is on the agenda for this place? Sounds and almost looks like (judging from the maps) a 2nd 'Forrest' type area....and this would be WICKED cause Forrest is insane!
Click to expand...
Trail signage is our No.1 priority at the moment. DSE are kindly providing funding for posts and some signs. They won't be as flash as some parks, but should make following each trail much more straight forward with less need to carry the trail map.

Trail head signs are also in the pipeline, but with trail being added frequently, updating one is the issue. At least the trail maps are easy to make a new version when things are added.

The sign 'order' is with DSE at the moment, and they will be installed as soon as we get them.

Forrest has more km's of singletrail at the moment, but we have a huge autumn of building planned, so hopefully we will get up there soon.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top