Greenvalleys Mountain Bike Park

Overview

Greenvalleys is a privately owned, member-driven gravity / freeride / slopestyle mountain bike park in the foothills of the Illawarra escarpment at Tongarra, NSW — roughly 20 minutes inland from Albion Park and ~90 minutes south of Sydney. It markets itself as "Australia's boutique mountain bike playground" and is heavily skewed toward intermediate-to-expert downhill, freeride and jump riding, with a progressive Skills Park, more than 50 wooden drops/ramps across the trail network, a 4 m airbag and the headline Pro Line big-mountain trail. ()

The park is run by Greenvalleys Mountain Bike Club (private, AusCycling-affiliated) and reportedly has around 1,500 members, making it one of the largest gravity-focused MTB clubs in the country. Access is gated: members get unlimited push-up riding during daylight hours on non-race days, while non-members can only ride on pre-booked Social Gravity Days, Leg Saver shuttle days or event days. There is no chairlift or cable car — uplift is by a shuttle bus on scheduled days; otherwise you climb the internal fire road (~20 min push/ride). ()

Greenvalleys is the spiritual home of slopestyle MTB in Australia. Operator Nick Haertsch funded the national slopestyle tour out-of-pocket for three years, and in April 2024 Greenvalleys hosted the inaugural AusCycling National Slopestyle Championships — making Australia the first country with a national sporting body recognising the discipline. The park has also hosted the 2021 Gravity Enduro National Championships, multiple NSW State Gravity Series rounds and the 2025 AusCycling NSW/ACT Downhill State Championships. ()

Location & Access

Address: 2926 Illawarra Highway, Tongarra NSW 2527
Region: Illawarra
Drive times: ~90 min from Sydney CBD; ~20 min from Wollongong; ~20 min from Albion Park
Public transport: No practical PT — car only. The Illawarra Highway is a major regional road but there's no scheduled bus stop at the park.
Parking: On-site car parking and coach parking, free (entry/booking-controlled).
Coords: -34.569821, 150.785975 (verified)

Best Season & Conditions

Peak riding season: Year-round, but the park's operating model means access is gated to scheduled days — check "What's On" before driving. Autumn (Mar–May) and spring (Sep–Nov) are typically the most-scheduled event windows; summer (Dec–Feb) has fewer events because of heat and rain on the escarpment.
Wet-weather impact: Park closed during hazardous weather — closure notices published via Facebook/Instagram. Illawarra escarpment trails are sensitive to heavy rain. ()
Fire-danger / total-fire-ban impact: Park may close on extreme fire-danger days (Macquarie Pass NP adjoining); check social media before travel.
2026 status: Operating on a reduced schedule in H1 2026 while the Shellharbour Council Planning Proposal (rezone to permanent recreational facility) is finalised. ()

Managing Body & Trail Builders

Land manager: Privately owned freehold land; development consent currently being converted to permanent recreational-facility zoning via Shellharbour City Council planning proposal (unanimously supported 4 May 2025; pending NSW DPHI approval). ()
Operator / trail builder / maintainer: Greenvalleys Mountain Bike Club (private; AusCycling affiliated). Operator: Nick Haertsch.
Volunteer / dig days: Member-organised; details via the club's What's On page.
Membership / donations: $55–$66/year (or $20/month) club fee + AusCycling membership required. ()

History & Background

Greenvalleys grew out of Nick Haertsch's long campaign to establish gravity / slopestyle MTB facilities and recognition in Australia. Notable milestones:

2021: Park hosted the AusCycling Gravity Enduro National Championships (18–19 December 2021). ()
2023: Hosted NSW State Gravity Enduro Championships.
2024: Hosted inaugural AusCycling National Slopestyle Championships (April 2024) — first national-body-recognised slopestyle championship anywhere in the world. Supported by a Destination NSW Regional Event Fund grant (2024–25 round, up to $50,000). ()
2025 (4 May): Shellharbour City Council unanimously voted to prepare a planning proposal to amend the LEP and allow Greenvalleys to operate as a permanent recreational facility. Prior development consent was set to expire late 2025. ()
2025 (Apr 19–20): AusCycling National Slopestyle Championships returned for a second running.
2025: Hosted AusCycling NSW/ACT Downhill State Championships + Round 4 of the NSW/ACT Gravity Series.
2026 (H1): Reduced operating schedule while Planning Proposal is finalised with Shellharbour Council. ()

The park sits adjacent to Macquarie Pass National Park; the land is dry sclerophyll forest on the western edge of the Illawarra escarpment.