Narooma MTB Main

Overview

Narooma MTB is an 85 km purpose-built mountain bike network in Bodalla State Forest, ~~10 minutes north of Narooma township on the NSW Far South Coast. The current network is the product of a NSW Government Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund grant (~~$4.1 million) following the 2019–20 Black Summer fires, with Dirt Art contracted to add 58 km of new machine- and hand-built trail to the ~30 km of original singletrack already cut by the local club. The expanded network opened in late 2023 / early 2024 and is operated by the Narooma Mountain Bike Club ("Mountain Bike Narooma") under a trail-use agreement with Forestry Corporation NSW on the traditional country of the Walbunja people of the Yuin Nation.

The network is laid out as three named zones from the single Mitchells Ridge Road trailhead. The Playground is the skills/progression entry zone — 15 trails covering green-flow, jump progression and one extreme-tech feature line (Devils Ballzac); self-shuttling on its short loops is the only place self-shuttle is permitted. The Gravity Zone is 20 descending-only trails rated easy → double-black, accessed primarily via paid shuttle with Southbound Escapes (daily 9am pickups from the main trailhead) — signature lines include the A-Line-style Goodbye Gravity, I Love Steve and The Tunnel (a hand-built rock + flow feature). The Wilderness Zone is 21 cross-country natural trails — forested gullies, creeks, ridgelines and rock gardens, including the legacy hand-cut 30 km network from before the rebuild.

In its first year (early 2024 – early 2025) the network drew 63,000+ riders and an estimated $69.5 million of visitor spending into Narooma township — a near-doubling (89% increase) of MTB-attributable visits, with holiday accommodation bookings up ~30% over three years. The trail head has drop toilets, a council-installed drinking-water bubbler, free parking, and a weekend/holiday volunteer-run kiosk (BBQ + snacks + drinks + merch). No camping or overnight vehicle parking. Bike hire (dual-suspension e-MTBs) is available off-site via Narooma Bicycles in town. Narooma is positioned alongside Mogo Trails (1 hr north) and Eden as the "Gravity Coast" circuit, with Rocky Trail Entertainment running Fox Superflow rounds at both Narooma (Feb) and Mogo (Jun), culminating in the Sea Otter Australia Festival (Oct).

Location & Access

Address: Mitchells Ridge Road, Bodalla State Forest, near Dalmeny NSW 2546 (corner of Mitchells Ridge Rd & the Princes Highway, ~10 min north of Narooma township)
Region: South Coast NSW (Far South Coast / Eurobodalla)
Drive times: ~4 hr 30 min from Sydney CBD via the Princes Highway; ~2 hr 30 min from Canberra via the Kings Highway and Princes; ~1 hr from Bermagui; 1 hr north of Eden; 1 hr south of Batemans Bay
Public transport: No direct PT — NSW TrainLink coach services run Sydney–Eden via the South Coast but stop in Narooma township, not at the trailhead. Car / rideshare from town is the only practical access.
Parking: Free sealed-edge main carpark at the Mitchells Ridge Road trailhead. Designed for the network's scale; capacity expanded as part of the 2023–24 rebuild. No camping or overnight vehicle parking.
Coords: -36.1541686, 150.0943356 (trailhead; verified against Google Maps)

Best Season & Conditions

Peak riding season: Year-round. Most popular month is October, with Sea Otter Australia Festival anchoring the spring period. Autumn (Mar–May) and early spring (Sep–Oct) are the locals' picks for cool, dry singletrack.
Wet-weather impact: Trails may be closed after heavy rain to protect the freshly-built (post-2023) surfaces. Check mountainbikenarooma.com.au or the club's social channels before driving down.
Fire-danger / total-fire-ban impact: Bodalla State Forest can be closed by Forestry Corporation NSW on Total Fire Ban days during summer (Nov–Mar). The trails sit within the 2019–20 Black Summer fire footprint — the post-fire rebuild explicitly mitigated some risk, but TFB closures still apply.
Snow / alpine season: N/A — coastal lowland.
Planned-burn closures: Forestry Corporation conducts hazard-reduction burns through the Wilderness Zone in shoulder seasons (recent example: May 2026 burn at Red Knob Road closed ~14 trails for 4–6 weeks including Back to the Future, Willie Wossell, Big Ass Flies). Check the club site for current closures before driving.
School-holiday surge: Significant — the network is now a destination-grade ride and the carpark fills during NSW school holidays. Book Gravity Zone shuttles in advance.

Managing Body & Trail Builders

Land manager: Forestry Corporation of NSW (Bodalla State Forest — a managed timber forest with shared recreational use)
Trail permit holder / operator: Mountain Bike Narooma (Narooma Mountain Bike Club) — incorporated NSW club, holder of the trail-use agreement with Forestry Corp
Trail builder (2023–24 expansion): Dirt Art (the same company behind Blue Derby, Maydena and Mogo) under contract to NSW Government
Trail builder (pre-2023 original ~30 km): Local volunteers led by Georgie Staley and Dave
Traditional owners: Walbunja people of the Yuin Nation
Volunteer / dig days: Regular monthly "Maintenance Day" rides published on the club site (recent example: 24 May 2026). Open to all members.
Donations / membership: AusCycling-affiliated club membership (~
0 AUD club fee on top of AusCycling component). Active 2026 fundraising drive: "The Big Narooma Send" — targeting
0,000 for trail maintenance (per club site).
Contact: info@mountainbikenarooma.com.au, PO Box 127 Narooma NSW 2546 — no published phone

History & Background

Pre-2019 — ~30 km of hand-cut volunteer singletrack established in Bodalla State Forest by a small group of local riders (now the legacy core of the Wilderness Zone). Lead builders Georgie Staley and Dave are credited with the original network.
2019–20 Black Summer fires — Bodalla State Forest burnt extensively; trails damaged.
2020–22 — NSW + Federal Government's Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund (BLERF) commits ~$4.1 million to expand the Narooma network as a year-round tourism anchor for the fire-affected Eurobodalla region.
2022–23 — Dirt Art contracted to build 58 km of new trail; trailhead carpark, drop toilets and bubbler installed.
Late 2023 / early 2024 — Expanded network opens just before the Christmas/New Year period. Three named zones go live: Playground, Gravity, Wilderness. Southbound Escapes launches Gravity Zone shuttle service.
March 2024 — First Fox Superflow Narooma race (~350 competitors).
Feb 2025 — NICA Australia Try-It-Out, Rocky Trail Academy schools competition, second Fox Superflow expanded with new e-bike Electroflow categories.
First-year impact (to ~early 2025): 63,000+ riders, $69.5 million visitor spend in Narooma township, 89% increase in MTB-attributable visitation. Southbound Escapes scales from 2 part-time to 3 full-time + 8 casual staff.
2026 — Narooma confirmed as the season-opening round of the Fox Superflow "Gravity Coast" series (Narooma Feb → Mogo Jun → Sea Otter Oct).