One of the most unique elements of Tasmania’s adventure landscape is Maydena Bike Park, a world-class gravity-focused mountain bike park that is taking the biking world by storm. With 30 km of individual hand- and machine-cut trails (and 65 km more in development) and up to 820m of vertical drops, Maydena Bike Park is a slice of heaven for mountain bike enthusiasts. But this state-of-the-art park is not just for the experienced mountain biker: beginners are encouraged to come and try out this adrenaline-filled sport for themselves on some of the gentler trails, or relax with some hiking and a Flat White at the 1100m summit cafe. Just an hour from Hobart, Maydena Bike Park will transport you out of the city and back to nature, with a side of heart-stopping adrenaline or idyllic peacefulness. Image thanks to Tourism Tasmania & Richard Bennett.
Located in the heart of Tasmania’s Derwent Valley, just over an hour’s drive from Hobart, Maydena Bike Park spans hundreds of kilometres of lush natural land. Steeped in history with beautiful Georgian- and Victorian-era architecture from the early days of European colonisation, Derwent Valley is known for its stunning natural beauty as well as its whisky production and historical buildings, including a former convict hospital and some of Oz’s oldest churches.
Maydena Bike Park boasts an expansive network of mountain bike trails, surrounded by numerous national parks and hiking trails. This is the place to be for adventure seekers looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of Oz’s main urban attractions while getting their blood pumping with fresh mountain air and adrenaline. Aside from its world-class gravity bike trails, come here to find flowing waterfalls, crystal-clear lakes, gentle hiking trails, and so much more.
The closest airport to Maydena Bike Park is in Hobart, just over an hour’s drive away, where you can rent a car or use Maydena Bike Park’s daily shuttle bus service from Hobart’s Central Business District. If you’d like to bring your own vehicle and equipment along for the fun, you may instead choose to arrive by ferry. The boat departs from Melbourne, docks at Devonport, and is then a 3.5 hour drive to Maydena.
Designed and built by renowned trail company, Dirt Art, Maydena is the mecca for mountain bike aficionados. The park boasts hundreds of kilometres of gravity-focused, marked and grated trails complete with jumps, berms, switchbacks, and 820 m of vertical descent, the biggest vertical drop of all bike trails in Australia. The trails are a mix of hand-cut and machine-cut, which means some are smoother rides than others to allow for a wide range of ability. The trails also range from weaving between giant eucalypt trees to more open drop and jump zones, where experienced bikers can test out their trick skills.
Aside from your camera to capture the view from the 1100 m summit, you’ll want to make sure you’re fully equipped for the challenges of these trails with a downhill bike, full face helmet and pads, all of which are available by hire, sale, and repair at the on-site bike shop.
Since the park is so expansive, the best way to get the most out of the experience is to ride the Maydena Uplift, the park’s continuous shuttle bus service that brings riders directly to the summit to hit the trails or settle into the cafe to enjoy sweeping views of the park below. Riders and non-riders alike can also take a break in Eagle Eyrie, Maydena’s visitor centre at the summit, where they’ll learn more about the history of the surrounding valley. Single ride passes and day passes are available for adults, with child and multi-day prices and season passes available as well.
If you’re looking for just a taste of what Maydena has to offer, you may opt to explore the climbing trail that leads to the top of the lower area of the trails. From there, you can bike or hike down a variety of trails that offer a vertical drop of 200 m. This area can be assessed with a $10 AUD day pass.
Here for a few days? Don’t miss the asphalted pump track at the base area: this is a great place to practice your skills, free of charge.
As Maydena Bike Park is located in Tasmania’s southwest wilderness in a designated World Heritage Wilderness area, expect a number of stunning landscapes to explore within a short driving distance.
The Derwent Valley offers a plethora of options for the nature lovers amongst us. Find relief from the bright Tassie sun amidst giant Eucalyptus and manfern trees at the nearby Styx and Florentine Forests. Or better yet, skip the sun altogether and opt to explore the extensive cave system at Junee Cave. For a change of scenery, you can head to the lush rainforest of Mount Fields National Park right next door. If water is more your thing, there are a number of nearby rivers and lakes, or you can catch the cascades at Marriotts Falls, Horseshoe Falls, and Russell Falls. If you love to work on moulding those buns, there are thousands of walks/hikes in the area ranging from 2 hours to 10 days, or you can choose to work those muscles in other ways, like a pedal-powered experience on a historic stretch of railway.
Maydena may be a centre for all things nature, but with physical activity comes a longing for nourishment; the area offers creative ways to incorporate your love for the outdoors with unique local food and drink experiences. If you love to eat fresh fish, you can head to the trout and salmon farm to learn all about how your food was grown before eating it — no better way to appreciate the fruits of nature. Visit a local beekeeper, to watch the bees at work, and purchase a variety of local honey and honey products. Or perhaps a berry farm might be more your style, where visitors can take their pick of local varieties of raspberries, blackcurrants, blackberries, strawberries, and more. You can even take a cooking course on convict and colonial cookery at the local cooking school.
As a former British colony, Australia places a lot of cultural importance on tea, and one nearby tea room reportedly serves up the best cream tea in all of Tas. The region also has multiple wineries to choose from, including one with a museum about wine and the production of wine in the area, as well as a local cider house, distillery and museum all in one. Opportunities abound to learn all about the local eats and drinks, keeping your experience connected to the natural offerings of the area.
The majority of accommodation options in the Maydena area come in the form of homes for rent, most of which are in a similar price range. It’s also possible to find cabins, cottages, and other forms of self-contained accommodation. There is also a nearby Caravan Park and camping site at Mount Field National Park, and if you prefer a hotel, there’s a small hotel offering wood fires and home-cooked meals every day of the week. The summer months of December, January and February are peak season in Tasmania, and even then, the natural landscape is generally quiet and without crowds. But if you really can’t handle the other visitors tromping on your waiting-to-be-explored territory, you may opt to visit during the quieter months of March, April, and May.
