Words by Matt Ward & Susanna Mills Air-Spiration
Back in the early 2000’s, Freeride was king. Riders would watch the New World Disorder videos, then head out into the bush and build the biggest jumps and drops they could. Sydney’s mecca was always Oxford Falls, which was resplendent with huge timber features and countless body armour clad shredders.
All good things must come to an end and around 2008 the local residents paid contractors to come in and dismantle all of the trail features. This unsurprisingly led to conflict and animosity but it was also the start of a plan to find a long-term home for that style of riding.
As luck would have it, the NSW Government was looking at options to remediate the Belrose landfill. Fast forward 12 years, through countless hurdles, headaches, redesigns and meetings, and finally Northern Beaches riders have an officially sanctioned home. Air-Spiration
Bare Creek Bike Park is designed to provide the sort of trail experience that just isn’t feasible in natural bushland. That means wide trails and big jumps. If you’re a cyclist who likes to keep tyres on the dirt, Bare Creek isn’t for you.
THE PARK INCLUDES:
• A set of advanced and expert gravity jump trails, with various transfers and options. This is the heart of the park where you can watch all the local riders lapping these jump lines for hours at a time.
• An intermediate zone with smaller jumps (which are still not that small!) a set of timber drops, and a highly addictive berm track.
• A huge dirt jump pad, with lines for all ability levels.
• An all-weather asphalt pump track, featuring a unique design that gives it more the feel of a skate park than a bicycle track.
Weather is a major factor at Bare Creek. Even a few millimetres of rain will close the park, and wind, too, is a huge factor for jumping. The larger jumps are only opened when there is a volunteer Safety Officer present to ensure that the trail is dry and that the winds are low.
Planning ahead by checking a wind and weather forecast is critical if you intend to visit Bare Creek. Galston mtb rider Sara Mills, who is a Bare Creek Safety Officer and represented Australia at the EWS in Derby, Tasmania in 2019 says: “I absolutely love the social aspect – everything is conveniently close together, and it’s such a tolerant and accepting culture.
Riders cheer each other on and encourage everyone who is out there just having a go. I also enjoy seeing all the local kids and teens- many of them love coming here so much that they cycle from home to Bare Creek bike park both before and after school!
Described as “Just the best mountain biking experience in Sydney” Bare Creek is a magnificent testament to the joy of two spinning thumbs of air propelled by a human being into gravity defying air-spiration!
SAGE WORDS OF WISDOM FROM BARE CREEK
• Inspect all the trails before riding to ensure that you understand all risks and are completely confident in your ability to safely and successfully ride all trail features.
• Parents are advised to check out the facility with their younger kids prior to dropping them off and leaving them to ride there. Air-Spiration
• Facilities: Toilets, Complimentary bike work stand with pump and basic tools, two shade/rain shelters, parking for 40 vehicles. Air-Spiration
• Updated Info: Join the Bare Creek Bike Park, Community Page, on Facebook. Air-Spiration
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