mountain biking in Tasmania
Whilst our first priority in our ten weeks in Tasmania was doing all the multi-day hiking trips we hadn’t done yet, we also carried our mountain bikes on the back of the palace so we could go riding if there was an opportunity. We knew about Derby, the re-invented tin mining town, now a mountain biking mecca in Tasmania’s northeast. And we also knew several of our friends would be heading there on the weekend of 2-3 March. From the end of the Leeaberra track to Derby was not far, and after catching up with John and Celia for morning tea we decided to drive to Derby. The weather wasn’t looking too good in the southwest wilderness area for our next hike, so this was the perfect opportunity.
we catch up with John and Celia before heading to Derby
It’s a small town with great facilities for mountain biking. We found you can camp right next to the trailhead for free, with toilets and showers right there and open 24 hours a day. There was even a place to clean your bikes next to it, a pump track and some shaded picnic tables. Nice.
Lara at the trailhead in Derby, she is parked in prime position with the trails starting across the road
We had been given some recommendations from a few people on which trails to ride and we managed to do quite a few of them. The area you ride in is stunning and varied. From lush rain forests with loads of dark sections full of fern trees, to the more open forests with large gum trees. There are also plenty of granite rock slabs around, hidden lakes, small creeks and waterfalls.
a map of most of the mountain biking trails in Derby, Tasmania
Jude at the map of the Derby mountain biking trails
The trail builders have done an amazing job. The amount of work that must have gone into the trails is insane. They have managed to use the features of the land, creating beautiful spots to sit for a snack, admire the views from the lookouts and see some of the relics of the bygone tin-mining era. The Derby tunnel being one of them, and the Briseis water race another.
Jude on the trails in Derby
Jon riding in Derby
there is one creek crossing in Derby where you end up with wet feet
Jon on the trails in Derby
Jon enjoying himself on the trails in Derby, Tasmania
The 600m long Derby tunnel was part of several used by the miners to get the waste out towards the river. It now has a few automatic lights that work on sensors so you can ride through the tunnel without needing one. It’s fun, but you have to watch your head as it is quite low in places.
Jude entering the Derby tunnel, it is long and very dark, luckily there are some faint automated lights that come on when you ride through
The other feature from the tin mining time is the Briseis water race, built to get water for the mines from Ringarooma to Derby. The total length of the water race is 48km, but the Kingswall mtb trail follows the last 3km or so as it reaches Derby. When they first let the water through, it took 3 weeks for the water to reach the mine site! On the trail you sometimes ride on, but mostly next to the wall. It’s pretty impressive to think that was built in 1902.
Jude riding on top of the wall that is part of the water race built in 1902 and now is part of the Kingswall trail
Unfortunately all our friends who were coming over from Perth and Canberra (Lisa, Karen, Bec, Pete, Jake, Lucy and Tom) didn’t arrive until late Sunday afternoon so we missed them at Derby. We had enjoyed a couple of days of riding and were very happy to have finally been to Derby.
We also managed to pop into Saint Helens for a day on our way back to the Spirit of Tasmania. Despite the fact it was Easter the place seemed to be eerily quiet and there were no shuttles running. They have some lovely trails you can ride straight from the carpark and we decided to go for a morning lap, then have lunch before Jon returned to the trails for another session. We loved riding through the forest here, the trails were a lot easier to ride, but the vibe was better in Derby.
the carpark at the trailhead in Saint Helens is eerily empty in the Easter weekend
a map of most of the mountain biking trails in Saint Helens, Tasmania
Jon at the trailhead in Saint Helens, Tasmania
We’d definitely recommend bringing bikes to Tasmania, there are lots more places jumping on the bandwagon and trail networks are popping up everywhere. We enjoyed the time on our bikes.
Jon on the trails at Saint Helens
Jude riding in Saint Helens