Mystic MTB - Bright

geekman

Squid
Ok am booking trip to Bright in late April looks like I might have 3 days to ride but maybe 2. 3 too much for just Mystic? Beechworth and/or Yack worth doing if I am out that way (and rarely get to ride in Vic) Could potentially get 2 in Bright and then go to Lake Mountain is Cascade trail (shuttle) still open then, looks like it is?
The Vic Enduro Tour is meant to be in late April (no date announced yet) which would mean most of the park will be closed off for a weekend, something to keep in mind. Mt Beauty would be a good back up, good for a couple days and better than Beechy imo. Falls might be open by then too.
 

smitho

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Ok am booking trip to Bright in late April looks like I might have 3 days to ride but maybe 2. 3 too much for just Mystic? Beechworth and/or Yack worth doing if I am out that way (and rarely get to ride in Vic) Could potentially get 2 in Bright and then go to Lake Mountain is Cascade trail (shuttle) still open then, looks like it is?
I rode Bright late last year, and I'd say no - one day was enough. I spent most of the day on Altitude/Hero/Shred Kelly. I tried a bunch of other trails but they were all pretty sorely in need of maintenance.

That said, it looks like there's been a bunch of maintenance done recently according to Mystic Instagram - although most of it lloks to be on Hero and Shred Kelly. The situation might be a bit better now.

Apparently, there's an announcement from VicRoads coming shortly about the Falls Creek access road (closed due to landslide). Maybe keep an ear out because if it's opened up by April, Falls Creek would make a good 2nd day ride.

Cascades Trail is excellent, but it's a fair drive from Bright down to Marysville.

Also, there's trails up at Mt Beauty which isn't far from Bright. I haven't ridden them, but sure there's someone on here who can let you know what they're like.
 

downunderdallas

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Thanks all for the feedback, did a day at Bright and a day from Yack on the Epic. Enjoyed Bright but can see why maybe it's past it's peak. Riding on a hire bike is problematic for me as I just don't feel that comfortable on it so I stayed off the more tech stuff did blues for the most part, standard Hero/Shred Kelly, did Tombstone, Up/Down DJ. Homeward Bound on the Indigo Epic was truly awesome but I was pretty spent by the time we got there after the long ride up out of Yack. Riding up through the middle to link into Fern Gully section would seem the go for next time. Anyway if you are in the vicinity and like a good flow trail it's a great one with heaps of little side hits.
 

Mattyp

Cows go boing
I did a bit of a last minute no plans trip up to Bright for the last couple of days and it was good. Was doing pedal ups and avoiding the hero-brigade so the rest of the park was relatively quiet...
A few interesting B-lines have been put in on Elevation top section, which if left in for the race coming up I can see probably being as quick as the A lines with no risk, as well as some Strava lines cut in bypassing some tech in the mid and lower sections.
World cup will still keep everyone honest, and Boogaloo has definitely blown out a bit since last I rode it, not that that's a bad thing. Hopefully with the increase in funding for the club we see some new enduro/dh stuff cut in to the hill, I signed up and I think I was member 8500-ish, at $100 a head that's a bit of a cash injection.
There is a newish trail called lockdown, which I believe was cut in free of charge by some kids, that is a good fast, rooty blast down the hill too.
 
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smitho

Likes Bikes and Dirt

Seems that there's some movement to shifting operation of the park to a commercial operator.

On one hand, having ridden up there a couple of weeks ago it is sorely in need of some significant maintenance beyond the more high profile trails. It's also a pretty steep entry price when you consider it costs more than Maydena, with nowhere near the volume and quality of trail.

On the other hand, despite being on HVP land it's primarily a community resource - built and developed by many many volunteer hours, and fundraising by a community organisation. There's something a bit uncomfortable about allowing someone to capitalise on all that free, community-minded labour so they can make a buck out of it.

In any event, it'll be interesting to see what happens with it. It's a big park with a lot of trails use by a lot of riders. I get the sense it's just got too big to be run by a small core of volunteers. Still seems like council are keen to shirk any responsibility for what is a big tourist drawcard to their town.
 

LPG

likes thicc birds
I don't know what is going on there. How do they keep running into issues where other areas are dreaming of the setup and rider numbers making the trip to Bright? I'd love to see the books and understand where the money is going. Is it simply that the council won't chip in despite it bringing in so many MTB tourists?
 

Mattyp

Cows go boing
I don't know what is going on there. How do they keep running into issues where other areas are dreaming of the setup and rider numbers making the trip to Bright? I'd love to see the books and understand where the money is going. Is it simply that the council won't chip in despite it bringing in so many MTB tourists?
Flow trail maintenance is expensive.
 

LPG

likes thicc birds
Flow trail maintenance is expensive.
It's not the only place with a flow trail. Besides, the wear on Hero and shred is mostly from the shuttles. Surely a bit of a fee from those already paying could help with maintenance costs.

Reading it again it talks about a sublease from HVP. I wonder if the plantation is pushing for some sort of fees for the trails.
 

Stredda

Runs naked through virgin scrub
It's not the only place with a flow trail. Besides, the wear on Hero and shred is mostly from the shuttles. Surely a bit of a fee from those already paying could help with maintenance costs.

Reading it again it talks about a sublease from HVP. I wonder if the plantation is pushing for some sort of fees for the trails.
Yes, if you put hundreds of riders down any trail, it's going to need a lot of maintenance. Shuttles take their toll on a trail. It's also what brings a lot of people in to ride it, but you need to factor the maintenance that come from the larger number of wheels going down the trail.
 

Mattyp

Cows go boing
So it seems Council has decided that Mystic is too big an operation to be run by its own appointed community representatives...
Sounds like it's soon the be commercially operated. It'll come as no surprise if it's soon called Blue Mystic and the sole shuttle operator takes over the whole hill. They've already planned a complete private shuttle road and turn around between the river and caravan park which will mean they don't use any public roads to access the top.

 
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Asininedrivel

caviar connoisseur
So it seems Council has decided that Mystic is too big an operation to be run by its own appointed community representatives...
Sounds like it's soon the be commercially operated. It'll come as no surprise if it's soon called Blue Mystic and the sole shuttle operator takes over the whole hill. They've already planned a complete private shuttle road and turn around between the river and caravan park which will mean they don't use any public roads to access the top.
Look at this post on Facebook
Would make sense considering the potential of the area I guess. If you compare it to Maydena Bright has nearly as much total elevation (820m v 778m), plus Maydena contributed nearly $14m in direct economic impact last FY, and they're anticipating a direct contribution of over $21m next year. Maybe the council is eyeing off those figures.
 

Stredda

Runs naked through virgin scrub
778m above sea level maybe... But the trails only use 400ish top to bottom
Yes, Maydena is about 1190m above sea level and you drop down to a bit below 300m, so about 890m of vert.
Mystic tops out at 797m and then drops to around 350m so is 447m of vert.

They would have to seriously need to up their game to compete with Maydena when it comes to not only the trails but all the supporting infrastructure.
 

pink poodle

気が狂っている男
This doesn't need to be privatised to remain a feasible option. The community has built this up from scratch and turned Bright into a top destination for mountain biking...well until the authorities started to make it difficult for anyone other than the private shuttle operator to take advantage of the area. How many people have already reduced their frequency of visiting the area because self operated shuttles aren't viable? @ozzybmx when did you last go there?
 

ozzybmx

taking a shit with my boobs out
How many people have already reduced their frequency of visiting the area because self operated shuttles aren't viable? @ozzybmx when did you last go there?
We went there as a family and stayed in Bright/Porepunkah 3 times, anything from 5 days to 3 weeks, we also rode for 1 day on another occasion as we passed through. Haven't been there since 2017 and probably wont be back.
 

caad9

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I wonder if the Alpine Cycling Club could lease the land in the same way Mt Beauty is operated?

I'd think the income has dropped dramatically with the membership/shuttle fees and now no one wants to foot the bill to keep it afloat.
 

beeb

Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
I'd think the income has dropped dramatically with the membership/shuttle fees and now no one wants to foot the bill to keep it afloat.
Judging from that Flow article linked, it sounds like the financials are a lot better now the membership system is in place (ie: they claim to be breaking even now, instead of perpetually falling into the red like prior). I wonder if HVP just wants to deal with one entity/stakeholder, rather than council and club and shuttle operators, etc... so has just given an ultimatum of "If you want to play in our space, we're only going to deal with one of you".
 

caad9

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Judging from that Flow article linked, it sounds like the financials are a lot better now the membership system is in place (ie: they claim to be breaking even now, instead of perpetually falling into the red like prior). I wonder if HVP just wants to deal with one entity/stakeholder, rather than council and club and shuttle operators, etc... so has just given an ultimatum of "If you want to play in our space, we're only going to deal with one of you".
Egg on face, didn't read the article.
 

Calvin27

Eats Squid
Flow trail maintenance is expensive.
It's more the shuttles. Pretty much a 10x multiplier of traffic. Nearby the indigo epic probably gets just as many visitors as mystic, but it's spaced out over 30km one way and folks not repeating downhill shreds.

it's almost counter-intuitive, but the solution for high volume trails is to build more trails.
 
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