Nowa Nowa MTB Park

Overview

Nowa Nowa MTB Park is a beginner- and family-focused cross-country trail network on the timbered slopes of Mt Nowa Nowa, in East Gippsland's coastal hinterland. The park is built on state forest land and centred on a trailhead on Old Nowa Nowa–Buchan Road, around 1 km north of the small town of Nowa Nowa. Its layout is unusual for Australia: a single gentle ~5 km climbing track (Trail 1, the "Uphill Track") delivers riders to a top trailhead from which all the other named trails descend, giving multiple route choices on smooth, flowing single-track.

The park advertises 35 km of trails total — 20 km of dedicated MTB single-track plus 15 km of dual-purpose walking/cycling tracks (Fairweather, Lambournes Break, Drivers Break) — across seven numbered routes. Five of the seven trails are graded green/easy; two (Jumping Jackaroo and Wallaby Ramble) are blue/intermediate, and Jumping Jackaroo is widely cited as the standout descent — a 15-minute downhill run with sweeping berms, log rollovers and small "booters" (jumps). A vehicle shuttle road reaches the top trailhead so riders or operators can shuttle the climb.

What makes Nowa Nowa distinct: it is one of the most beginner-friendly trail networks in East Gippsland, sits within easy reach of two tourism hubs (40 min from Bairnsdale, 20 min from Lakes Entrance), and has a strong town-side support story — the local caravan parks, general store and Mingling Waters Café actively cater to riders. Mt Nowa Nowa itself carries cultural and historical weight: the historic fire tower at the summit (built 1929/30) was destroyed in the 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires, and the summit is now a viewpoint reached via Trail 5.

Location & Access

Address: Old Nowa Nowa–Buchan Road, Nowa Nowa VIC 3887 (trailhead ~1 km north of the town centre and general store)
Region: East Gippsland (tourism subregion: Gippsland Lakes / East Gippsland)
Drive times: ~4 hr from Melbourne CBD via the Princes Hwy; 40 min east of Bairnsdale; 20 min from Lakes Entrance
Public transport: Limited — V/Line train to Bairnsdale then connecting bus to Nowa Nowa; in practice, car-only for riders bringing bikes
Parking: Free unsealed parking at the main trailhead (signed off Old Buchan Rd, on the left just before the 100 km/h sign)
Coords: -37.7221, 148.0963 (matches DB; verified against ExplorOz coordinates 37°43'19"S, 148°05'46"E )

Best Season & Conditions

Peak riding season: Year-round; spring (Sep–Nov) and autumn (Mar–May) are most comfortable; summer can be hot inland
Wet-weather impact: Trails are "prone to be muddy after medium rain" — surface is smooth dirt that holds water; consider waiting 24–48 hrs after heavy rain to protect the trail surface
Fire-danger / total-fire-ban impact: State forest tracks may close on declared Code Red / extreme fire-danger days; check FFMVic forest-closure map before travelling. The 2019/20 bushfires destroyed the Mt Nowa Nowa fire tower and burnt through the broader area, so closures are taken seriously here.
Snow / alpine season: Not applicable — coastal hinterland, ride year-round
Night riding: Permitted (unusual for state-forest MTB; explicitly noted by bancoora.com)
School-holiday surge: Network attracts families during summer/Easter holidays from Lakes Entrance; weekends busiest

Managing Body & Trail Builders

Land manager: Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) Victoria — the trails sit on state forest. The DEECA local office is at 5 Forest Rd, Nowa Nowa, phone (03) 5162 0100
Trail builder / maintainer: Origin in DSE (now DEECA) state-forest recreation programs. No active local MTB club is currently identified as the day-to-day maintainer; the Gippsland MTB Club's website does not list Nowa Nowa among its maintained trails (it covers Avon Mt Hedrick, Baw Baw, Maryvale Pines, Somewhere Good, Mt Erica, Haunted Hills, Blores Hill). Mountain Biking East Gippsland (MTBEG) lists the park among East Gippsland trails it promotes.
Volunteer / dig days: Not publicly scheduled — informal maintenance only as far as can be confirmed. MTBEG can be contacted at info@mtbeg.com.au
Donations / membership: Riders can support trail maintenance via Trailforks "trail karma" or by joining AusCycling

History & Background

The MTB park was developed on Mt Nowa Nowa state forest under the (then) Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) — predecessor to DELWP and now DEECA — as a recreational use of timbered slopes already crossed by management roads. Sources do not give a precise opening year; the IMBA-rated trail design and the maturity of the network suggests construction in the late 2000s through early 2010s, contemporaneous with neighbouring Mt Taylor MTB Park (formally opened 2012).
Trails were laid out as single one-way single-track on smooth dirt, with sweeping berms, ramps and log rollovers; difficulty ratings follow IMBA standards
Mt Nowa Nowa fire tower: built 1929/30 on the summit; destroyed in the 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires. The summit is reached today via the top of Trail 5 (Wallaby Ramble), where there is a bike rack and picnic table.
Cultural context: Nowa Nowa sits in the Country of the Gunaikurnai people. The town's name is a Gunaikurnai placename, and the broader region is part of the Gunaikurnai Joint Management area for several parks (the MTB park itself is on state forest, not joint-managed national park).
Town's "bike mecca" identity: The Nowa Nowa Caravan Park markets the town as "the bike mecca of the East" and the local Nowa Nowa Futures community group highlights the MTB park alongside the East Gippsland Rail Trail and walking trails