Ferny Forest MTB Trails

Overview

The Ferny Forest MTB Trails are a purpose-built beginner/novice mountain-bike network on the eastern shore of Ewen Maddock Dam at Landsborough on the Sunshine Coast — not in Brisbane's Ferny Grove despite the suggestive name. The land is owned by Seqwater (south-east Queensland's bulk water authority) and sits within Beerburrum and Beerwah State Forests, managed in partnership with Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service (QPWS). The trails themselves were carved by contractor Trailworx with QPWS staff and Bushrangers MTB Club volunteers in 2015, and are still maintained by QPWS and Bushrangers.

The flagship is the Ferny Forest Loop, a ~12.8 km one-way clockwise circuit through blackbutt forest, fern gullies and melaleuca wetlands, with several short rock gardens, log rollovers and a flow section near the end. The riding is genuinely easy — almost no climbing — making this one of the best beginner / family networks on the coast, with a smattering of named coloured short loops (Black, Brown, Pink, White) layered for skills practice. It's MTB-only; walkers and runners are directed to the multi-use track that loops the rest of the dam. From the trail you get glimpses of Ewen Maddock Dam and the Glasshouse Mountains.

The car-park trailhead off Steve Irwin Way has toilets, picnic tables and (usually Wednesday–Sunday) a coffee van — historically Brewhaha or The Leaky Teapot. No on-site drinking water, so bring your own.

Location & Access

• Address: 2316 Steve Irwin Way, Landsborough QLD 4550
• Region: Sunshine Coast
• Drive times: ~1 hr from Brisbane, ~20 min south of Caloundra, ~5 min from Landsborough
• Public transport: No PT to trailhead. Landsborough rail station (~5 min by car) is on the Caboolture–Nambour line; taxi/rideshare from there
• Parking: Free, ample, sealed/gravel at Steve Irwin Way rest area (primary). Secondary eastern carpark via access road near traffic lights on Steve Irwin Way exists but with limited trail info
• Coords: -26.7952, 152.9960 (verified)

Best Season & Conditions

• Peak riding season: Year-round; best in the dry season (May–Oct) when trails are firm
• Wet-weather impact: A number of dips collect water after rain; trail rideable but boggy; ride only when dry to protect surface
• Fire-danger / total-fire-ban impact: State forest closures can occur on Severe/Extreme/Catastrophic fire-danger days — check QPWS alerts
• Snow / alpine season: N/A — subtropical coastal
• School-holiday surge: Moderate increase, especially Queensland school holidays; carpark can fill on weekend mornings
• Seqwater closures: Occasional short maintenance closures of multi-use sections (e.g. 12–13 March 2025)

Managing Body & Trail Builders

• Land manager: Seqwater (land); Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) assists with trail management — trails sit inside Beerburrum / Beerwah State Forests
• Trail builder / maintainer: Trailworx (original construction 2015); Bushrangers MTB Club volunteers (ongoing trail care)
• Volunteer / dig days: Coordinated by Bushrangers — contact info@bushrangers.org or 0421 498 401
• Donations / membership: https://bushrangers.org/join-us/

History & Background

The Ferny Forest network was conceived and constructed in 2015 as a beginner-friendly MTB destination on the Sunshine Coast — there was no proper purpose-built easy network in the area before. Construction was a partnership between QPWS (the QPWS Trail Crew did final design and chainsaw work), professional contractor Trailworx (the bulk of the build), and volunteers from Bushrangers MTB Club. The build took several months. Since 2015 the trails have been continuously maintained by QPWS and Bushrangers via volunteer days. The site is also occasionally used for an XC race per Visit Sunshine Coast — though no specific 2025/2026 event was confirmed during this research pass.

The land itself is the eastern shore of Ewen Maddock Dam, a Seqwater drinking-water reservoir. The reservoir was built in 1976 to supplement Caloundra's water supply. The state forests around it host blackbutt, melaleuca and tree-fern gullies, plus wildlife including koalas, goannas and glossy black-cockatoos.

Recent News & Updates (last 12 months)

• 2025-03-12 — Temporary partial closure of multi-use section for trail maintenance (12–13 March 2025) (Seqwater alert)
• (No major rebuild or new-trail announcements identified in 2025–2026 search pass — primarily routine maintenance.)

Sources

1. Seqwater — Mountain Biking at Ewen Maddock Dam — https://www.seqwater.com.au/things-to-do/mountain-biking/mountain-biking-ewen-maddock-dam — accessed 2026-05-20 (tier 1: official land manager)
2. Bushrangers MTB Club — Glenview (Ferny Forest) — https://bushrangers.org/trails/glenview-ferny-forest/ — accessed 2026-05-20 (tier 2: trail builder / maintainer)
3. Sunshine Coast Council Adventure Trails — Ewen Maddock Dam: Ferny Forest MTB Loop — https://adventure.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/Home/TrailDetailsView?trailId=39231 — accessed 2026-05-20 (tier 3: council/tourism)
4. Visit Sunshine Coast — Ride the Five: Ferny Forest — https://www.visitsunshinecoast.com/guide/ride-the-five-ferny-forest — accessed 2026-05-20 (tier 3: tourism board)
5. Bicycle Queensland — Ewen Maddock Dam — https://bq.org.au/where-to-rides/ewen-maddock-dam/ — accessed 2026-05-20 (tier 6: state advocacy)
6. Trailforks — Ewen Maddock Dam region — https://www.trailforks.com/region/ewen-maddock-dam/ — accessed 2026-05-20 (tier 4: aggregator — 403 to bots, verified in DB)
7. QPWS / DETSI — Ewen Maddock mountain bike trail (Beerburrum & Beerwah State Forests) — https://parks.qld.gov.au/parks/beerburrum-beerwah/journeys/ewen-maddock-mountain-bike-trail — accessed 2026-05-20 (tier 1: state parks — 403 to bots, used previously in DB)
8. Seqwater — Ewen Maddock trail maintenance and partial closure alert (March 2025) — https://www.seqwater.com.au/alert/ewen-maddock-trail-maintenance-and-partial-closure — accessed 2026-05-20 (tier 1: operational alert)