A history of Derby (Part 3 - final) - Mountain biking begins

Mountain biking history of Derby

The Derby trails were initially built using a $2.5 million Federal Government grant designed to develop new opportunities to help the area to recover from the collapse of the mining and forestry industries. February 2015 saw the launch of the first 20km of the Blue Derby Trail Network, a joint initiative between Dorset Council and Break O Day Council. Once these initial trails were built and mountain bikers discovered the town, many fell in love with the idea and snapped up local properties, turning them into accommodation options.

Riders have who came down and saw there was nowhere to eat dinner purchased the old butchers shop. It's now a woodfired pizza place called the Hub. The Dorset Hotel has also been bought by a rider who has moved his family to town. Several cafes have opened and about a quarter of the houses in town have been bought by investors and turned into accommodation.

If validation for the foresight of the local council was required, then it came with Derby hosting the World Enduro Series in 2017 and playing host again October 2018 and in March 2019. Derby has well and truly been put on the map.

There is now 125km of purpose-built mountain bike trails with options to suit all skill levels in both the Derby and Weldborough area.

The latest development is the St Helens/Bay of Fires trail network, incorporating an iconic 42km ride from Blue Tier to the beach at St Helens, linking Derby with the coast and providing an additional 66km of beginner and intermediate trails near St Helens.