Still Wheelie Excited! HHBP Closer To Beginning Construction

By Marcus Baker
Haunted Hills Bike Park Committee

Since the exciting update provided in December 2019 at lot has been happening, both in the MTB space as well as all our lives being turned upside down with the outbreak of Covid-19.

To try and tell a long and detailed story very quickly and without all the technical details, the previous update explained the planning and engineering works our good friends at Beveridge Williams were doing, in support of our Contractor at TrailScapes. This process uncovered some budget issues which we all had to work hard on to resolve, our budget is set in stone and unlike building our own home, we couldn’t simply ask the bank (or the parents) for a few more bucks to fulfill our dreams. This meant the entire team had to come together and devise a way of delivering the best product we possibly could…but within the budget we had.

At this point can we throw a thank you or two out there, To Latrobe City Council and their planning team, to HCM Constructions, Beveridge Williams and of course our key contractor, TrailScapes who are relentlessly trying to deliver on our bike park aspiration.

Long story short, we are now getting very close to resolving our budget issues, amending and gaining approval of our planning permit (the golden tick of approval needed to kick off works) and get this project underway. The process has been a lot like the climb to the top of Blores Hill to tackle Matilda D, slow and gradual, a bit of journey, but the pinnacle is well worth the effort.

The Steering committee are continuing to investigate in the funding space for the wheelie exciting stage 2 of the Haunted Hills Bike Park. The connections that Gippsland MTB has as well as the Steering Committee will be of massive benefit as we continue to pursue further funding. All we can say here is watch this space, the work is being put in and we are confident before long of some more exciting news!

Finally, the branding of the Haunted Hills Bike Park took a back seat while we tackled the budget challenges but is now being busily worked on by The View From Here team. We are very very very excited to release that in the near future once completed. The branding should lend itself to awesome merchandise and signage. Special thanks to Destination Gippsland for guidance on the branding exercise. Just another example of local legends helping a local club deliver a community asset for locals (but we will happily share it with everyone else too).

Although Covid-19’s unwelcome arrival has not helped the process we have gone through, it has been awesome to see the number of MTB riders on locals trails keeping fit and healthy. Especially encouraging has been the kids and teens hitting the trails. If this virus has taught us anything, it is that exercise is super important and having facilities to utilize is gold.

Stay safe, take care of each other and next time we chat, it will be to tell you we are digging!

Marcus