Meetings were held between Cairns Mountain Bike club, MTBA and both
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and representatives of James
Cook University over the last 2 days. The meetings, arranged by
Lesley Clarke the retiring Queensland State Parliament member for
Baron, resulted in positive progress in developing long term
management strategies of the Smithfield MTB Park in Cairns. These
strategies will see an area within the Smithfield Conservation estate
being leased to the club for both recreational and competition
activities well into the future. Agreement was also reached on a
dedicated access road being constructed to provide access to the site
outside the JCU boundaries.
A draft lease agreement, developed by QPWS, was presented to the club
and will be refined over the next few weeks. This agreement, the
first of its kind for MTB activities in Queensland, will form the
basis for the management of the Smithfield MTB area within the wider
Smithfield Protected area.
A further meeting with JCU, which borders the Smithfield MTB area,
went a long way to resolving some issues of concern from the
University principally about access to the MTBA park. An agreement
was reached that will see access being provided through JCU land in
the short-term.
For the longer term, the club and both JCU and QPWS agreed that the
gazetted road which is yet to be constructed but that bypasses JCU
land and was designed to provide the access to the site into the
future will be fast-tracked once the lease agreement is ratified by
the club and QPWS. All parties agreed to work together to secure
important funding for the road construction.
MTBA applauds the pro-active positions taken by both QPWS and JCU in
working with the Cairns MTB club in ensuring that the fore-runner of
other MTB parks in Australia can reach its full potential. We also
thank Lesley Clark, who has been an avid supporter of MTB in the
Cairns area for her efforts on behalf of the Cairns MTB club.
As a result of the positive shifts we can now see a great future for
Smithfield and look forward to seeing it back on the national season
calendar in the near future.
For more information contact MTBA.
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and representatives of James
Cook University over the last 2 days. The meetings, arranged by
Lesley Clarke the retiring Queensland State Parliament member for
Baron, resulted in positive progress in developing long term
management strategies of the Smithfield MTB Park in Cairns. These
strategies will see an area within the Smithfield Conservation estate
being leased to the club for both recreational and competition
activities well into the future. Agreement was also reached on a
dedicated access road being constructed to provide access to the site
outside the JCU boundaries.
A draft lease agreement, developed by QPWS, was presented to the club
and will be refined over the next few weeks. This agreement, the
first of its kind for MTB activities in Queensland, will form the
basis for the management of the Smithfield MTB area within the wider
Smithfield Protected area.
A further meeting with JCU, which borders the Smithfield MTB area,
went a long way to resolving some issues of concern from the
University principally about access to the MTBA park. An agreement
was reached that will see access being provided through JCU land in
the short-term.
For the longer term, the club and both JCU and QPWS agreed that the
gazetted road which is yet to be constructed but that bypasses JCU
land and was designed to provide the access to the site into the
future will be fast-tracked once the lease agreement is ratified by
the club and QPWS. All parties agreed to work together to secure
important funding for the road construction.
MTBA applauds the pro-active positions taken by both QPWS and JCU in
working with the Cairns MTB club in ensuring that the fore-runner of
other MTB parks in Australia can reach its full potential. We also
thank Lesley Clark, who has been an avid supporter of MTB in the
Cairns area for her efforts on behalf of the Cairns MTB club.
As a result of the positive shifts we can now see a great future for
Smithfield and look forward to seeing it back on the national season
calendar in the near future.
For more information contact MTBA.
