Investment in trails infrastructure in the Collie area is unlocking trails tourism opportunities which are building the area’s appeal and elevating Collie’s Trail Town status. This investment is boosting the local economy, with grants that have resulted in:
- Increasing the mountain bike trails network near Collie and in Wellington National Park by 40 kilometres, to the largest network in the state of 100 kilometres.
- Expansion of the Collie-based business Adventure Connections Australia Pty Ltd, for their Mountain Biking Adventure Training and Tours business project which has diversified their services to include mountain bike trail activities and adventure tours.
- Staging the 2023 Collie Labour Day Festival Funding by the Collie Cycle Club. The event brought together locals and visitors who enjoyed a range of recreational activities and competitions including mountain biking, freshwater fishing and water skiing.
- Funding to enable local tourism business start-up TraaVerse to offer off road transfer to hikers and riders on the Bibbulmun Track and Munda Biddi trail.
- Funding to support the business Outback Horse Trails expand from Margaret River to Collie. The company offers a wide range of scenic horseback trails for locals and travellers, appealing to riders wanting to swap their mountain bike for a horse.
The SWDC’s support has a resulted in recognition of the Collie as a premier trails destination with world-class mountain biking trails. Achievements include:
- Collie awarded Trail Town status by exceeding criteria for services and infrastructure. The area has over 100 kilometres of mountain bike trails. The Trail Town initiative boosts Western Australia’s regional centres by promoting towns as tourism hotspots and showcasing the communities’ strong connection to local trail networks.
- The 2024 Mountain Bike Enduro National and Oceania Championships held at the new Wellington National Park Wambenger Trails over 3 days from 17-20 October. 450 riders participated in the Australian Championships and 50 in the Oceania Championships. The event course showcased jarrah forest and river valley terrain through a portion of the new trails.
Over 400 spectators attended the event on 17 October, and 600-700 attended on 18 and 19 October. Approximately 100 event crew, event village and support personnel staffed the event each day. Previous enduro event surveys by WA Gravity Enduro found that each participant and spectator spend is $180-$200 per day in the region.
