Maison Dieu MTB Park

Overview

Maison Dieu MTB Park is a roughly 10 km singletrack network on a Travelling Stock Route (TSR — Crown land) on Maison Dieu Road, a few minutes' drive west of Singleton in the Hunter Valley. The main loop is built and maintained by Singleton Mountain Bike Club (SMBC), with riding rights and broader stewardship under the Hunter Mountain Bike Association (HMBA). The trails read as one long flow-XC loop with rollable drops, log overs, optional jumps, and railable bermed corners — relatively flat but with enough small undulation to keep the downs fun, and an exit point about halfway around for less-experienced riders.

The site sits inside an active grazing reserve, so kangaroos, goannas, and cattle are routinely on or near the trail (stock has right of way). Soil is heavy sticky clay, which clogs tyres and frame in the wet, so the network is best ridden dry — typically autumn through early summer in the Hunter. A $156,000 sealed car park funded by the Community Economic Development Fund, Glencore Mining, and Bloomfield Group opened in March 2025, replacing an eroded gravel pad and giving the trailhead a much more durable arrival point.

Maison Dieu is one of the busiest local club venues in the central Hunter: SMBC runs its winter XC race series here (rounds typically April–August), and it has hosted the NSW Schools MTB Relay/Team Championships in 2023 and again in November 2025, drawing 400+ school-aged riders from across the state.

Location & Access

Address: Maison Dieu Road, Maison Dieu NSW 2335 (just off the New England Highway west of Singleton, after the railway bridge)
Region: Hunter Valley
Drive times: ~2 hr from Sydney via M1/Hunter Expressway; ~50 min from Newcastle; ~25 min from Cessnock
Public transport: No practical PT — car only (Singleton has a train station but the trailhead is ~5 km out of town with no bus link)
Parking: Free dedicated sealed car park (opened March 2025), funded $156k by Singleton Council CEDF + Glencore Mining + Bloomfield Group; built by Moore Civil, project-managed by SMBC; replaced a previously eroded gravel pad
Coords: -32.5496, 151.1289 (matches DB)

Best Season & Conditions

Peak riding season: Late autumn through early summer (Apr–Nov). Hunter summers are hot — early mornings only Dec–Feb.
Wet-weather impact: Track closes to riding during/after rain; sticky clay soil clogs equipment quickly and damages the trail surface. SMBC publishes closures on the Maison Dieu MTB Park Facebook page.
Fire-danger / total-fire-ban impact: Open-grass/grazing land — voluntary self-closure on Total Fire Ban days is sensible; no formal published closure policy.
Snow / alpine season: Not applicable — Hunter Valley floor.
School-holiday surge: Limited — Maison Dieu is primarily a club/training venue rather than a tourist destination, so traffic is dominated by SMBC race weekends rather than holiday peaks.

Managing Body & Trail Builders

Land manager: NSW Local Land Services / Crown Lands (Travelling Stock Route)
Trail builder / maintainer: Singleton Mountain Bike Club (SMBC); broader stewardship via Hunter Mountain Bike Association (HMBA)
Volunteer / dig days: Coordinated via SMBC and HMBA Facebook channels
Donations / membership: HMBA "Trail Karma" PayPal button at hmba.asn.au; SMBC race entries effectively fund local trail work

History & Background

Trails developed by SMBC volunteers on the Maison Dieu Travelling Stock Route over the early-to-mid 2010s (the first GPS upload to mytrails.com.au dates to April 2011).
Hunter Schools MTB Championships have used the venue repeatedly through the late 2010s and 2020s.
November 2023: hosted the NSW Schools MTB Relay Championships with 440 student riders.
March 2025: $156,000 sealed car park completed and officially opened (Moore Civil delivered the build; Singleton Council, Glencore Mining, and Bloomfield Group funded via the Community Economic Development Fund).
April–May 2025: SMBC 2025 XC race series begins (Round 1 6 April, Round 2 11 May).
November 2025: NSW Schools Team MTB Championships returned to Maison Dieu (Glencore major sponsor).