MTB Forestville

Overview

MTB Forestville is the unofficial rider-shorthand for the Gahnia and Serrata mountain bike trails — two purpose-built, mountain-bike-only singletracks in the upper reaches of Bantry Bay, in the north of Garigal National Park. They are notable for being NSW's first sanctioned MTB-only trails built within a National Park. Built April–November 2014 by Garry Patterson's TrailScapes crew on commission from NSW NPWS, the trails were hand-cut through sandstone terrain with helicopter logistics, no mature-tree removal, and locally sourced sandstone for armoured rock sections.

The two trails total ~5.1 km of singletrack (Gahnia 2.25 km, Serrata 2.85 km loop) but can be linked via the Bluff Track / Engravings Trail / Cook Street Trail / Bantry Bay fireroads for a combined ~6.5 km outing. Both are classified IMBA blue (intermediate), 600 mm-wide singletrack, with sandstone rollovers, drops, multiple line choices, and tight cornering. The setting is almost pristine Sydney bushland with thousand-year-old Aboriginal rock engravings nearby — the trails were intentionally routed and constructed to avoid damaging cultural and ecological values.

For most Sydney riders these trails are a complement to the busy Manly Dam circuit rather than a standalone destination: shorter, more technical, and quieter, with two distinct trailheads (Forestville and Frenchs Forest) reached via a short on-road shuttle or pedal.

Location & Access

• Gahnia trailhead — end of Grattan Crescent, Forestville NSW 2087, drop down The Bluff Track.
• Serrata trailhead — Currie Road, Frenchs Forest NSW 2086 (Currie Road trail).
• Drive times: ~30 min from Sydney CBD, ~15 min from Manly, ~20 min from Chatswood.
• Public transport: Forestville is on the B-Line/express bus corridor (Warringah Rd) from the city; Forestville bus interchange is ~10 min ride from Grattan Cres.
• Parking: Free on-street at Grattan Crescent (Forestville) and Currie Road (Frenchs Forest). The park's main paid entry — $8/vehicle/day — is at Davidson Park (Roseville Bridge) on Middle Harbour, several km south; you don't need to pay to access either MTB trailhead.
• Linking: To ride both as a loop, expect ~3 km of fireroad/bitumen connector between the two trailheads via Bantry Bay Road and Cook Street Trail.

Best Season & Conditions

• Year-round riding — Sydney sandstone bush, no snow, no seasonal closure.
• Avoid riding wet: The sandstone slabs become slippery after rain, and the trail tread (sandy soil over rock) damages easily. NPWS explicitly asks riders not to use the trails in wet conditions or for ~24 h after heavy rain.
• Summer fire bans / Total Fire Ban days: Park may close to all entry. Check the local-alerts page before riding November–March.
• Hours: Sunrise to sunset only; night riding is explicitly prohibited. The wider Garigal NP gates open 6 am–6:30 pm (8 pm during daylight saving).
• Best times: Early morning year-round; autumn (Mar–May) is ideal — cool, dry, grippy rock.

Managing Body & Trail Builders

• Land manager: NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), Sydney North Area — Forestville Office, 82 Ferguson Street, Forestville NSW 2087.
• Office hours: Monday–Friday, 9:30 am–4 pm.
• Phone: 02 9451 3479 (Forestville Office) or 1300 072 757 (NPWS general info, 7 am–7 pm).
• Email: npws.sydneynorth@environment.nsw.gov.au
• Trail builder: TrailScapes Pty Ltd (designer/builder Garry Patterson), commissioned in 2014.
• Local advocacy: Manly Warringah Cycling Club (MWCC) has an MTB section that pushes for more legal trails and supports maintenance. NoBMoB (Northern Beaches Mountain Biking) is the main rider community forum.

History & Background

• April – November 2014: Trails hand-built by TrailScapes under NPWS contract — Australia's first purpose-built MTB-only singletracks in an NSW National Park.
• Constructed with strict environmental protocols — no mature trees (>50 mm diameter) removed, materials helicopter-airlifted in purpose-built bags, all rock sourced locally on site, design routed to avoid Aboriginal heritage sites and threatened-species habitat (tiger quoll, broad-headed snake, red-crowned toadlet are all recorded in the park).
• The Bantry Bay area has deep cultural significance — Aboriginal cave art, rock engravings, shelters, middens and grinding grooves number in the hundreds across Garigal NP. The former Bantry Bay Explosives Magazine complex (operating 1915–1974) also sits in the wider precinct.
• The MTB build was a deliberate policy shift by NPWS to provide a sanctioned alternative to illegal trail-building in the area — a model now followed at other Sydney parks (e.g. Old Mans Valley, Mill Creek).

Recent News & Updates

• 2024 (AMB Magazine, retrospective feature): Australian Mountain Bike Magazine ran a "Places that Rock — Bantry Bay" feature describing the trails as approaching their 10-year mark and still riding well, with the original sandstone armouring holding up.
• 2025–2026: No major capital works, re-builds, or extensions publicly announced. NPWS continues routine maintenance. Local alerts page should be checked before each visit for fire / weather closures.
• No new trails proposed in the Garigal NP Plan of Management at time of writing — Gahnia + Serrata remain the only sanctioned MTB-only routes inside the National Park.

Sources

1. Gahnia and Serrata mountain bike trails — NSW National Parks (overview) — accessed 2026-05-19
2. Gahnia and Serrata mountain bike trails — Visitor info — accessed 2026-05-19
3. Gahnia and Serrata mountain bike trails — Learn more — accessed 2026-05-19
4. Itinerary: Gahnia and Serrata mountain bike trails near Manly — NPWS stories — accessed 2026-05-19
5. Bantry Bay (Garigal NP) Mountain Bike Trails — TrailScapes Pty Ltd project page — accessed 2026-05-19 (confirms April–November 2014 build dates and construction methodology)
6. Places that Rock: Bantry Bay — Australian Mountain Bike Magazine — accessed 2026-05-19
7. Gahnia Mountain Biking Trail — Trailforks — accessed 2026-05-19 (HTTP 403 on fetch; URL captured)
8. Serrata Mountain Biking Trail — Trailforks — accessed 2026-05-19 (HTTP 403 on fetch; URL captured)
9. Mountain Biking — Manly Warringah Cycling Club — accessed 2026-05-19 (local advocacy/rides reference)