Hi all thanks for the support and interest so far!
We have been advised to keep the location of the new trail under wraps for now to discourage people looking for it and attempting to ride whilst it is under construction. We all know that tends to be a problem as not everyone respects trail closure signage. What I can share is that it will make the most use of the natural elevation at the park. Take that as you will
As for MP Shire Council contributing, we have made the most use of government funding programs where available. Most recently the Arthurs Seat Mountain Bike Trails project was awarded $196K out of $3.6M allocated to the South Metro Region. Those funds were utilised for 4 new trails including Saw Tooth, Bowsaw, Crusher, and Wonga. We have made another approach to state government for more funding (which could be used towards Track 28), and have been advised to sit tight to see what, if any further grant programs will be budgeted for the 2022-2023 year.
In the meantime we have received fantastic support from MP Shire Council in terms of advocating for us to have received the earlier grant. They will also help us with further grant opportunities. Also the local Parks Vic ranger is a strong supporter of MTB and contributed towards getting our permits for this new trail.
With the explosion in the number of riders we know everyone is keen to get more trails and so the crowd funding option has been seriously entertained rather than wait for further funds from government. The Committee also engaged a professional community club fundraising consultant to see how we can generate additional revenue from other activities during the year.
This weekend the second Search for Stoke women's gravity event will run which we hope will generate greater interest, club memberships and improve exposure of the sport.
Thanks for sharing