Economic studies about the benefits of mountain bike trails are getting better every year, but it’s rare to see a local community measure the before and after of a new trail development. The town of Narooma, Australia, has just released some intriguing numbers showing the impact of a new mountain bike trail development.
In 2024, $4.1 million AUD was invested by the Australian and NSW Government’s Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund to build an additional 58km of mountain bike trails in Bodalla State Forest. This trail expansion brings the total kilometers in the forest up to about 85. Across the region, which includes the communities of Narooma, Eden, and Mogo (previously featured on Singletracks), 250km of mountain bike trails have been built.
In the Narooma Trails, “you’ll find flowing trails that hug rainforest gullies and explore burrawang and spotted gum ridges. The scenery changes along each trail and caters for all skill levels,” according to VisitNSW.com. “Get ready for a wilderness zone, skills zone and gravity zone with insane berms and jumps that’ll connect to longer flowing trails and the main trailhead.”
The $4.1 million investment also funded the construction of a new trailhead for Bodalla State Forest, which also opened in 2024.
Economic impacts of Narooma’s new trails
Just one year after the construction of Narooma’s new trails, the local community has already seen a massive economic impact. According to data released by the Government of New South Wales (NSW), 63,000 riders visited the Narooma Mountain Bike Trails in the first year since the new development opened, marking an 89% increase in visitation compared to 2023.
According to the report from NSW, visitors to the region spent $69.5 million in 2024. Unfortunately, the study did not provide precise figures detailing the impact of mountain bikers specifically. Still, by looking at certain businesses, we can get an idea of the incredible impacts that riders are having.
“Southbound Escapes, a tour operator that offers mountain bike shuttles on the trails, went from employing two part-time workers in 2023 to three full-time workers and eight casuals,” according to NSW.
“Since the opening of the park, mountain bikers are coming all year around and especially in off-peak times, and they are staying for longer, with most riding Mogo, Eden, Tathra, and even Thredbo in the same trip,” said Sally Bouckley, Southbound Escapes Director.
“We’ve seen an increased demand for our accommodation as a direct result of the mountain bike trails, and our bookings are up by almost one-third since the trails opened,” said John Murray, Whale Coast Realty Principal. “We can see the benefits and have made changes in our business so we can offer visitors more bike-friendly options because of that.”
Thanks to this proven link between mountain bike trail development and positive economic outcomes, the government will likely continue investing in trail projects. “The NSW Government is committed to backing community projects, like this one, that not only have flow-on benefits for local accommodation providers, cafes, and tour companies, but also create new local jobs,” said Tara Moriarty, Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW.
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