Bom Bom State Forest

Overview

Bom Bom State Forest Mountain Bike Trails is a community-built network on Forestry Corporation of NSW land about 5km south of Grafton in the Clarence Valley. The trails were designed by the Grafton Cycle Club (GCC, established 1892) with the original ethos that any rider — child, beginner, or veteran — should be able to roll out of the carpark and ride a fun loop in any direction. Over twenty years that has grown into 20+ km of purpose-built singletrack winding through ironbark and spotted gum forest, with hardpack soil topped by a thin layer of locally famous "pea gravel" that gives the corners a distinctive loose-over-hard feel.

The terrain at Bom Bom is gentle — there's almost no rock and very little elevation — so technical ratings stay low to moderate across the network. That makes it one of the most accessible MTB destinations on the NSW North Coast: ideal for families, beginners, and skills development. More advanced riders find their challenge on the tight, twisty newer trails — Uncle Teddy's Wonderland, Harlowe's Howler and Rick's New Track — which are flowier and more directional than the original loops.

The club hosts weekly "Chook" races (a Grafton tradition open to all comers) on Thursday evenings during daylight-saving and Sunday afternoons in winter. Bom Bom has also hosted the National Cup Marathon (2019–2020), the GBomb (2017–2018) and rounds of the Coastal MTB series, giving it solid race pedigree despite its low-key facilities.

Location & Access

Address: Boundary Road (off Old Lilypool Road), Bom Bom NSW 2460
Region: Clarence Valley / North Coast NSW
Directions: From the Pacific Highway south of Grafton, turn onto Big River Way → Old Lilypool Road. Follow Old Lilypool Road 2.2 km, then turn left onto Boundary Road. The Bottom Carpark is about 50 m from the gate; the Top Carpark is another 200 m up Boundary Road where McPhillips Road and No. 10 Fire Road meet.
Drive times:
5 km / ~10 min from Grafton
~1 hr from Coffs Harbour
~3 hr 15 min from Byron Bay
~6 hr 30 min from Sydney
Public transport: None — car only.
Parking: Free, two gravel carparks (Bottom and Top). Caravan-friendly access via Boundary Road.
Coords: -29.68784, 152.93559 (verified against Google Maps; matches DB)

Best Season & Conditions

Peak riding season: Year-round riding is possible; autumn through spring (Mar–Oct) is most comfortable. Summer is hot, humid and prone to thunderstorms.
Wet-weather impact: Trails drain reasonably well thanks to hardpack soil, but the pea-gravel surface gets greasy after rain. The Grafton Cycle Club and Bom Bom Mountain Biking Facebook pages post wet-weather closures and condition updates.
Fire-danger / total-fire-ban impact: Forestry Corporation of NSW may close the forest on declared high fire-danger days. Check Forestry Corp's notifications before driving in summer.
Snow / alpine season: N/A — this is sub-tropical coastal NSW.
School-holiday surge: Local rider population only — even on race nights it's rarely crowded.
Race calendar: Weekly "Chook" races — Thursday 5:30 pm meet / 6 pm start during daylight-saving; Sunday afternoons in winter. $5 entry, MTBA membership required for racing.

Managing Body & Trail Builders

Land manager: Forestry Corporation of NSW (state forest, multi-use working forest).
Trail builder / maintainer: Grafton Cycle Club (Bom Bom Racing sub-group) — community volunteer effort.
Volunteer / dig days: Coordinated via club Facebook / email.
Donations / membership: Grafton Cycle Club via TidyHQ (grafton.tidyhq.com); MTBA membership required for racing.
Contact: secretary.graftoncc@gmail.com / Bom Bom Mountain Biking Facebook page.

History & Background

Club origin: Grafton Cycle Club founded 1892 — one of the oldest cycling clubs in Australia. Originally a road-cycling club; the mountain-bike sub-group (Bom Bom Racing) was added later.
Trail-building era: Community trail-building began on Forestry Corp leasehold ground in the early 2010s. By July 2015 Australian Mountain Bike magazine ran a photo feature ("Fun at Bom Bom") describing trails "constructed by the dedicated team from Grafton cycle club" suitable for the entire family.
Network growth: Started as a small loop; expanded over a decade to 20+ km. Recent additions include Uncle Teddy's Wonderland, Harlowe's Howler and Rick's New Track — more flow-oriented and directional than the original "any-direction" loops.
Racing pedigree: Hosted rounds of the National Cup Marathon (2019–2020), GBomb (2017–2018) and the Coastal MTB series. The weekly Chook race is a long-running community fixture.
Cultural / Indigenous context: The Clarence Valley is Bundjalung and Gumbaynggirr Country. No public Indigenous heritage site is signposted at the trailhead, but the forest is part of a broader living cultural landscape.