Penguin Mountain Bike Park

Overview

Penguin Mountain Bike Park is a community-built cross-country and skills park 2 km south of the seaside town of Penguin on Tasmania's North West Coast. Built into the disused Penguin Speedway site, it offers roughly 6 km of XC singletrack plus a tight cluster of man-made features inside the old speedway oval — jumps, wall rides, a corkscrew overpass and a 6 m curved wallride, the small Little Devils skills loop, and a freeride zone with container drops and step-ups. Designed for all abilities with a strong beginner / family progression, it's the busiest "front door" to the much larger Dial Range network that climbs into the hills behind the township.

The park is the work of the Cradle Coast Mountain Bike Club (CCMBC), a small volunteer outfit (≈8 active committee members) that first met in 2009, leased the speedway site from Central Coast Council in July 2012, and has since extended the network into the Dial Range with the Montgomery Loop (Dec 2018), Iron Tor Climb/Descent and Ironcliffe Ridge (Sep 2019). The park sits at the southern edge of the Penguin Regional Sports Centre precinct and is free to access.

For visiting riders Penguin works well as a half-day stop on a north-west tour (Devonport ferry → Penguin → Burnie → Wynyard) or as a soft-pedal alternative to the gnarlier Dial Range loops. The XC trails are smooth, fast and well-signed; the freeride hub gives intermediate / advanced riders a session-able playground without the long climbs needed for Iron Tor.

Location & Access

Address: Ironcliffe Road, Penguin TAS 7316 (≈2 km south of the township, off the Bass Highway via Dial Road / Ironcliffe Road)
Region: North West Coast (Cradle Coast tourism region)
Drive times: Burnie 15 min (18 km); Devonport 25 min (≈30 km); Launceston 90 min (131 km); Hobart ≈4 hr
Public transport: Limited — Tassielink coaches stop at Penguin on the Bass Highway service; no scheduled link to the park itself (2 km walk/ride out from town)
Parking: Free. Small dirt car park inside the first yellow boom gate on Ironcliffe Road (limited bays); second boom gate opens for event parking (10 km/h speed limit beyond). Additional trailhead parking at Ferndene car park and Penguin Cradle Trail car park further up Ironcliffe Road for Dial Range / Montgomery Loop access
Coords: -41.138421, 146.046315

Best Season & Conditions

Peak riding season: Year-round; spring through autumn (Sep–May) is best. Tasmania's North West is cooler and damper than mainland Australia — coastal climate keeps soils workable nearly all year
Wet-weather impact: Some trails may close briefly after heavy rain to protect surface; check CCMBC Facebook page for current conditions
Fire-danger / total-fire-ban impact: Minimal in this coastal location; not a high-risk fire zone in summer compared to inland TAS
Snow / alpine season: N/A — coastal, sea-level park
School-holiday surge: Modest; the park is far less visited than Blue Derby or Maydena, so capacity is rarely an issue. Club events (Cranky Penguin marathon, gravity enduro rounds) can fill the car park

Managing Body & Trail Builders

Land manager: Central Coast Council (land owner; lease holder is CCMBC)
Trail builder / maintainer: Cradle Coast Mountain Bike Club Inc (CCMBC)
Volunteer / dig days: Regular working bees coordinated via the club newsletter and Facebook page
Donations / membership: Annual membership and one-off donations via ccmbc.com.au; email club@ccmbc.com.au
Committee (2025/26): President — Chris Fletcher; Vice President — Chris Stredwick; Secretary — Craig Kerr; Treasurer — Emma Lee
Postal address: PO Box 458, Penguin TAS 7316

History & Background

Pre-park (1970s–2000s): The site operated as the Penguin Speedway. After speedway use ceased, the land sat unused under Central Coast Council ownership
Jul 2009: First meeting on the North West Coast to discuss forming a mountain bike club
Jul 2012: Cradle Coast MTB Club signs the lease on the disused speedway site with Central Coast Council, begins clearing and building
2012–2018: Singletrack network built inside and around the speedway oval; speedway bowl converted to freeride / skills area with wall rides and a 6 m curved wallride
Dec 2018: First official trail in the Dial Range — Montgomery Loop (≈5 km) — opens, accessible from the Penguin MTB Park trailhead
Sep 2019: Stage 2 of Dial Range expansion: Iron Tor Climb (2.3 km), Iron Tor Descent (3 km) and Ironcliffe Ridge (1 km dual-direction) open
2024: Central Coast Council releases the Dial Range Recreational Management Plan, formalising what activities are permitted across the Dial Range alongside MTB
Events hosted: Australian Masters Games (MTB rounds), Tasmanian Cross-Country Championships, Tasmanian Gravity Enduro Series, Cranky Penguin marathon, club race series