Woolgoolga MTB Park

Overview

Woolgoolga MTB Park is a community-built gravity network in Wedding Bells State Forest, ~25 km north of Coffs Harbour on the NSW Mid-North Coast. The network covers about 250 hectares of Forestry Corporation NSW land with roughly 11 km of one-way singletrack descents linked by fire-road climbs. Vertical drop is under 100 m, but the terrain delivers descents up to 3 km long — Wedding Bells is one of the few NSW coastal locations where the Great Dividing Range pushes to the sea, giving the trails real fall-line.

The park officially opened in May 2021 after roughly 18 months of negotiation between the Woolgoolga Mountain Bike Club, Forestry Corporation NSW, and the Coffs Harbour and District Local Aboriginal Land Council (Gumbaynggirr Country). Trails are signed and ride a mix of machine-built flow, natural rock-and-root tech, progressive jump lines and step-downs. A skills area and pump track (with lights) sit at the lower trailhead, and in December 2023 the club opened a purpose-built adaptive flow trail designed by Trail Net for handcycles — the first of its kind in NSW.

Riding here is year-round thanks to the coastal climate, with the Rocky Trail Fox Superflow stop returning each winter (next: 25–26 July 2026). It's a small, grassroots destination — no on-site water, no toilets, no shuttle — but the trail quality punches well above the local population of ~5,000.

Location & Access

Address: Sherwood Creek Rd, Woolgoolga NSW 2456
Region: Coffs Coast / Mid North Coast NSW
Drive times: ~25 km / 25 min north of Coffs Harbour, ~6 hr north of Sydney, ~5 hr south of Brisbane
Public transport: Coffs Harbour rail/coach station then taxi/car — no PT to the trailhead
Parking: Two trailheads. Lower trailhead (pump track / skills area) on Sherwood Creek Rd; upper trailhead at the "4-Way" at the top of Stuarts Road. Event quarry overflow lies ~500 m west of the upper hub.
Coords: -30.0486, 153.1836 (confirmed against DB row and Google Maps)

Best Season & Conditions

Peak riding season: Year-round; locals call out April–October as the prime cooler window. Mid-summer can be hot and humid.
Wet-weather impact: Trail surface drains well, but Super Bowl and other south-facing trails (notably Boogie Man) hold moisture and stay slick after rain. Closures during severe weather events are signed at the trailhead.
Fire-danger / total-fire-ban impact: State-forest TOBANs may close the network during catastrophic fire conditions — check NSW Forestry Corporation alerts.
Snow / alpine season: N/A — coastal lowland.
School-holiday surge: Busy Easter and summer holidays. Junior development programs run during NSW school Terms 1 and 4.

Managing Body & Trail Builders

Land manager: Forestry Corporation NSW (state forest tenure); cultural-heritage partnership with the Coffs Harbour and District Local Aboriginal Land Council (Gumbaynggirr Traditional Owners).
Trail builder / maintainer: Woolgoolga Mountain Bike Club (WMTBC) — volunteer dig days; professional contractors Trail Net (Josh Button) and Angry Goat Trails (Josh Smith) on machine-build phases.
Volunteer / dig days: Coordinated on the WMTBC Facebook/Instagram. Local "Dirt Coop" of businesses sponsors machine-hire weeks.
Donations / membership: AusCycling club membership via the WMTBC site (woopimtb.com); Active Kids vouchers accepted. Club is run by President Greg Stocks and VP Scott Bocking (Woodseys Wheels owner).

History & Background

Pre-2019: Significant unsanctioned trail-building in Wedding Bells State Forest by local riders. WMTBC stepped in to formalise and channel that energy.
2019–2020: ~18 months of stakeholder consultation — Forestry Corp, the Coffs Harbour and District Local Aboriginal Land Council, and an ecologist who walked every kilometre of trail. Some trails were rerouted to avoid Gumbaynggirr cultural artefacts.
May 2021: Official sanction granted; network of ~11 km opened. Initial funding was a small MTBA/AusCycling grant plus Coffs Harbour Council signage support and the local "Dirt Coop" of businesses.
Oct 2021: Flow Mountain Bike profile ("Is Woolgoolga the next big thing…") puts the network on the national radar.
9 Dec 2023: Australia's first purpose-built adaptive flow trail opens at Wedding Bells, designed by Josh Button (Trail Net) and launched with adaptive national champion Hank Duchateau.
2024–2026: Hosts the Rocky Trail Fox Superflow annually (24 km of timed-flow tracks across four trails: Dirt Serpent, Bangers n Mash, King Brown, MTB Direct). Next event: 25–26 July 2026.