Coondoo

Overview

Coondoo is the flagship cross-country trail network of South Coast United Mountainbikers (SCUM), the volunteer-run not-for-profit club based in Nowra that has built and maintained trails on the NSW South Coast since 2004. It sits in Currambene State Forest on Forestry Corporation NSW land about 15 minutes south of Nowra (≈4 km south of South Nowra shops), and is one of three SCUM-managed networks alongside Superbowl and Butterfly.

Originally a 6 km XC race course, Coondoo was destroyed in the 2019–20 Black Summer bushfires. SCUM secured a Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grant of over A$500,000 and engaged professional trail builders Keystone Trails to rebuild the network. The rebuilt loop is now ≈10 km with configurable shorter loops from 3 km, with jumps, berms, bridges, drops, step-ups, rock sections and singletrack featuring A and B lines. A 1 km skills park / short circuit course with drops, skinnies, rock gardens, bridges, berms and wall rides sits next to the trailhead, alongside a dirt pump track.

The rebuilt trails are race-tested at national level — SCUM hosted the AusCycling NSW XCO State Championships at Coondoo in November 2022 and the NSW/ACT XCO State Series in 2023 and 2024, with SCUM scheduled to open the 2026 NSW/ACT State XCO Series at Coondoo on 31 May 2026. Beginner-to-intermediate in overall difficulty, with family-friendly skills loops at the trailhead.

Location & Access

Address / trailhead: Cnr Western Road and Coondoo Road, Currambene State Forest, South Nowra NSW 2541 (un-signposted Coondoo Road junction; trailhead 30 m along Coondoo Road on the left)
Coordinates: -34.961042, 150.615362
Directions: Turn east onto Forest Road from the Princes Highway (A1); continue 200 m, turn right into Western Road, continue ≈1 km to the Coondoo Road junction
Drive times: ≈10–15 min from Nowra; ≈2.5 hours from Sydney; ≈2 hours from Canberra
Parking: Well-developed trailhead with ample car parking, picnic tables, bike racks and a trailhead sign with map (source: SCUM site / Forestry Corporation)
Public transport: None practical; private vehicle needed

Best Season & Conditions

Year-round riding in the South Coast climate. Best in autumn–spring (Mar–Nov); summer can be hot
Wet-weather closures: Trails are sandy/clay-loam in places and should not be ridden in wet or muddy conditions to protect the surface. Check SCUM Facebook / Instagram for trail status before driving out
Fire-danger days: State Forest may close in extreme fire-danger conditions
Bushfire history: The network was destroyed in the 2019–20 Black Summer bushfires and fully rebuilt by 2022

Managing Body & Trail Builders

Land manager: Forestry Corporation NSW (Currambene / Nowra State Forests)
Trail manager: South Coast United Mountainbikers Inc. (SCUM) under occupation permit
Trail rebuild contractor: Keystone Trails (post-bushfire reconstruction)
Club site: https://www.scum.asn.au/
Trails page: https://www.scum.asn.au/trails.html (canonical trails listing — already in source_urls_json)
Phone: 0408 439 059 (SCUM, per Destination NSW / NSW Govt tourism listings)
Email: info@scum.asn.au, president@scum.asn.au, secretary@scum.asn.au, trail@scum.asn.au
Get involved: SCUM hosts monthly track-work days; donations via PayPal on their site
Social: facebook.com/scummtb, Instagram @scum_mtb

History & Background

2004 — SCUM founded; Coondoo developed as the club's original XC race venue
Pre-2019 — Original 6 km XC race loop in operation
2019–20 — Black Summer bushfires destroy the Coondoo network
2020–22 — Government Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grant (>A$500,000) awarded; Stantec delivers REF + Ecological Impact Assessment; Keystone Trails rebuilds and extends the network with new alignments, trailhead infrastructure and access-road upgrades
Nov 2022 — Reopened in time to host the 2022 AusCycling NSW XCO State Championships (originally scheduled Oct 15–16, rescheduled to Nov 12–13 due to weather)
2023 — Hosted AusCycling NSW State Titles (45 SCUM volunteers; described as "national level standard" condition)
2024 — Hosted Round 3 of the 2024 AusCycling NSW/ACT XCO State Series
May 2026 — Scheduled to host Round 1 of the 2026 NSW/ACT State XCO Series (31 May 2026)