Cycling
Flinders Ranges By Bike
Weave your way amongst the Ranges and experience some of South Australia’s most spectacular and captivating landscape.
The circuit from Rawnsley Park Station (Wilpena Pound) in the south to Gum Creek Station at Blinman in the north links parts of the Mawson Trail with existing pastoral tracks. Meet the locals and abundant native wildlife as you experience the bold beauty and history of this ancient region.
The following documents MAY have been superseded! Please check details before travelling.
Flinders Ranges by Bike Brochure
Flinders Ranges by Bike Conditions of Use
Melrose/Mt Remarkable
Additionally there are trails around Melrose and even Orroroo is establishing a MB bike trail around the Pekina Reservoir. Check out Over the Edge Sports website for Melrose trails www.otesports.com.au/trails.htm
Boring Stuff. Regional Strategy, uh hu, uh hu!
The following is the Executive Summary of the Southern Flinders Ranges Cycle Tourism Master Pla, you can download the plan from www.southernflindersranges.com.au/content/docs/MASTERPLANFINAL.pdf
Cycle Tourism Plan Executive Summary
The popularity of cycling and cycle tourism is rapidly increasing in countries all over the world. Cycling is now the fourth most popular physical activity for adult Australians and annual purchases of bicycles in Australia, at nearly 1.5 million in 2007, have exceeded those of motor vehicles since 2005.
Domestic and international tourists are now seeking high quality experiences which include learning, participation and enjoyment in a healthy and environmentally sensitive manner. Cycle tourism is a growing market and the Southern Flinders Ranges, with carefully planned development, will comfortably attract and meet the increasing desires and expectations of cycle tourists from all over Australia and the world.
Our vision is for the Southern Flinders Ranges to become the pre-eminent cycle friendly destination in Australia that is renowned for its range of cycling opportunities including world class mountain biking.
For the last five years all key stakeholders (see opposite) have been united by the Southern Flinders Ranges Development Board and the Southern Flinders Regional Tourism Authority in their efforts to improve the region’s economic, social and physical health through the Southern Flinders Ranges Cycle Tourism Development Program. This program has included grass roots community and business consultation, learning from Australian and international experts, developing expert knowledge by attending national cycle tourism and trail building conferences, hand in hand work with all relevant tourism and cycling agencies, building new mountain bike and other off-road cycling trails, initial marketing and, perhaps most importantly, this Master Plan for the Development of Cycle Tourism in the Southern Flinders Ranges over the next ten years.
The Southern Flinders Ranges has been adhering to a sound cycle tourism strategy for several years already. This Master Plan builds on that strategy and is a clear blueprint for turning the region’s cycle tourism vision into reality. The Master Plan details all the specific actions required for success and identifies the responsible stakeholders, time lines and costs associated with each action. The ten most important priorities to be achieved over the next three years are extracted and highlighted along with clearly defined costs and responsible parties. Also included are detailed descriptions and maps of specific cycle trails to be built which include both construction and maintenance cost estimates as well as ongoing management plans.
The Southern Flinders Ranges’ sensational topography, Mediterranean climate, close proximity of friendly and attractive towns, growing food and wine culture and position between the Clare Valley and Northern Flinders Ranges make it the natural place to develop cycle tourism. However, as well as receiving the obvious economic benefits from increased tourism, the lives of the region’s residents will also be enhanced by direct access to new cycling and walking trails. This will lead to improved levels of health and fitness via increased physical activity and the flow-on benefits of lower levels of heart disease, obesity, diabetes and depression.
The actions identified in this Master Plan for the development of cycle tourism also support many of the objectives of South Australia’s Strategic Plan (SASP), particularly as it applies to Regional South Australia. The implementation of these actions will contribute greatly to the South Australian Government’s achievement of the following specific objectives:
- T1.1 Economic Growth
- T1.11 Unemployment
- T1.15 Tourism Industry
- T1.21 Strategic Infrastructure
- T2.2 Healthy Weight
- T2.3 Sport and Recreation
- T2.4 Healthy South Australians
- T3.5 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction
- T3.7 Ecological Footprint
- T5.6 Volunteering
- T5.9 Regional Population Levels.
To implement this exciting plan for regional South Australia and directly contribute to the SASP objectives, project management in the early years is critical as is the funding required to complete the specific actions identified for success. All key organisations are committed and ready to work with each other, with community and with Government over the next ten years. Together they have the will and the capacity to successfully achieve the vision and deliver the broad range of positive outcomes including regional prosperity and community health to the Southern Flinders Ranges.
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