Maryvale Pines MTB

CRITICAL STATUS (May 2026): The Maryvale Pines trail network is still closed to the public as of the most recent operator update (HVP, 17 Feb 2026). The original Nov 2025 – Apr 2026 closure has been extended indefinitely — HVP's bulletin states "the entire plantation area remains closed to the public until further notice" and that the closure also applies to Human Power Pass holders. Surveillance is active and access points are gated. The local club (Gippsland MTB) has marked the network "RIP MVP Trail Network 2014–2025" on its public trail page. Treat the destination as effectively shut for the foreseeable future.

Overview

Maryvale Pines (sometimes "Traralgon Pines") was a volunteer-built MTB network inside an active HVP pine plantation off Scrubby Lane, ~10 km west of Traralgon in central Gippsland. From 2014 until late 2025 it operated as a low-elevation, high-repeatability ride destination focused on flow, freeride jumps, approachable tabletops, North-Shore-style wood features, and winding XC singletrack. Per Gippsland MTB's own stats: 18 km of trail, 62 m vertical, ~301 m total descent, highest trail at ~98 m. Riders accessed the network under HVP's free Human Power Pass (HPP) scheme.

The park's distinguishing feature was its bang-for-buck character: short laps, easy fireroad climbs back to the top of features, and a mix of difficulties suitable for families and progression riders alongside more committed jump and tech lines. It was also a node in Gippsland MTB's "G7" cluster — seven central-Gippsland venues marketed together (Haunted Hills, Maryvale Pines, Somewhere Good, Blores Hill, Avon/Mt Hedrick, Erica, Mt Baw Baw).

In late 2025 HVP announced an urgent harvest driven by Diplodia fungal infection and Sirex woodwasp damage. Roughly half the plantation (The Down Hill through Woodstock) was scheduled for clearfall, with the remainder thinned. LV Sands also commenced excavation works for a planned quarry on adjacent land. HVP has stated it has no interest in continuing to host the volunteer MTB network post-harvest. As of May 2026 the closure has been extended past the originally announced April 2026 reopen date with no new timeline.

Location & Access

Address: Scrubby Lane, Maryvale VIC 3840 (carpark — "Dam carpark" — ~500 m north of Old Melbourne Road; access via Heywood or Symons Track)
Region: Latrobe Valley (central Gippsland)
Drive times: ~2 hr 10 min from Melbourne CBD (M1 / Princes Hwy via Pakenham, Drouin, Moe); ~10 min from Traralgon; ~15 min from Morwell; ~30 min from Sale
Public transport: No PT to the park itself; V/Line Gippsland line to Traralgon then car/bike. Park is rural — car required.
Parking: Main "Dam carpark" off Scrubby Lane. Accessed via Heywood or Symons Track. Free, gravel, with on-site trail map / info board (per Gippsland MTB site). Currently closed and gated under HVP surveillance.
Coords: -38.1911, 146.4692 (verified vs Google Maps — matches plantation off Scrubby Lane)

Best Season & Conditions

Status (May 2026): CLOSED until further notice. HVP 17 Feb 2026 bulletin extends the originally Nov 2025 – Apr 2026 closure indefinitely. Active surveillance at gated access points.
Pre-closure peak season: Year-round, drains quickly because the plantation floor is well-drained pine duff; best in autumn and spring when temperatures are cool but tracks are dry.
Wet-weather impact: No widely-publicised wet-weather closures; pine plantation drains relatively well, but recent rain made tabletops greasy.
Fire-danger / TFB: As an active commercial plantation, HVP enforces total-fire-ban-day closures.
Snow / alpine season: N/A — sub-100 m elevation.
HPP requirement: Even when open, riders must hold an HVP Human Power Pass (free, valid 2 years, covers up to 3 nominated plantations).

Managing Body & Trail Builders

Land manager: HVP Plantations (Hancock Victorian Plantations) — commercial pine plantation operator
Trail builder / maintainer (historical): Gippsland MTB Inc. — the local volunteer club, formed May 2008 at the request of the Department of Sustainability and Environment
Volunteer / dig days (Maryvale): discontinued — Gippsland MTB has confirmed "there will be no further trail building or maintenance by local volunteers"
HPP registration: https://www.hvp.com.au/community-recreation/community-events/human-power-pass/ (free; covers pedal/run/walk/horse access; HPP is currently revoked for Maryvale Pines per HVP 17 Feb 2026 update)
Donations / membership (Gippsland MTB): AusCycling membership via gippslandmtb.com.au; Trailforks "Adopt a Trail" links

History & Background

2008 — Gippsland MTB Inc. formed at the request of DSE (now DEECA), a not-for-profit volunteer club covering central Gippsland.
2014 — Earliest substantive trail building at Maryvale Pines per the operator's own framing ("RIP MVP Trail Network 2014–2025").
2014–2025 — ~11 years of progressive volunteer build-outs producing the ~18 km network with flow, freeride, jumps, and wood features.
2022 — Maryvale Pines hosts a 3-Hour XC and Junior Event (volunteer signup record, March 2022) — example of community use during the trail's operating life.
April 2024 — First publicly-announced HVP harvest in the area (3-week clearfall west of Scrubby Lane) — earlier, smaller-scale harvest that was managed without full network closure but signalled what was coming.
14 Oct 2025 — HVP publishes "Harvest Operations within Maryvale Pines" notice citing Diplodia and Sirex woodwasp damage, scheduling clearfall + thinning Nov 2025 → end Apr 2026.
30 Oct 2025 — Gippsland MTB publishes club-side update: confirms "at least half" of the network (Down Hill → Woodstock) will be clearfelled; LV Sands begins quarry excavation; HVP states no interest in continuing the MTB partnership; Trailforks reports flood in for many trails ("Trail features removed").
1 Nov 2025 — Network officially closed to all public access including HPP holders.
12 Nov 2025 — HVP publishes a community Q&A update.
17 Feb 2026 — HVP issues fresh bulletin: site remains closed, harvest and haulage ongoing, closure extended past the originally-announced April 2026 reopen, surveillance active, gates locked.
May 2026 (today) — No further reopening announcement. Gippsland MTB's public trail page still leads with the closure notice. Club focus has shifted to the rest of the G7 (notably Haunted Hills' Stage 2 expansion ~12 km).