Centre for Tourism Research

 

Report Number 1/2010
By: Dennis J Puniard

Capital Region Tourism
Towards a Cycle Tourism Strategy

Capital Region Tourism – Towards a Cycle Tourism Strategy
Executive Summary
The Capital Region already has a number of signature cycling events, good cycling infrastructure and facilities and an enthusiastic band of cycling enthusiasts supporting and promoting cycling in the Region. This report aims to identify the key stakeholders in this sector and to document the existing events, facilities and initiatives in order to develop an understanding this tourism sector. The project has included a survey of a sample of cycle tourists in the region to better understand their needs. The report aims to set the scene to develop a well structured and funded strategy to expand this growing tourism market and further enhance the benefits for local tourism.
The economic impacts in the Region from this niche tourism sector are already substantial. The National Visitors Survey shows that the total spend in 2009 by holiday cyclists to the ACT was some $26 million. Excluding the one off 2008 World Cup and 2009 World Championship MTB events, the annual calendar of cycling events across the Capital Region presently attracts some 16 000 visitors participating in cycling events with an economic impact in the Region of some $4.5 million. The World Mountain Bike Championships held in 2009 had a one-off direct spend by visitors of over $4 million during one week of racing.
In addition to the above our Survey has provided some first time data for some 550 visitors and provides a useful spend profile of cycle tourists in the Region in 2010, with an emphasis on mountain bikers. Whilst the direct spend identified in the Survey only totals some $30 000 for the 174 respondents, this provides a sound basis for further analysis and the base figures could be applied to some future cycle counts or tourist census.
The report identifies a number of initiatives that will enhance the cycling tourism experience in the Region and recommends support for these plans.
The key recommendations of the report are that a full Cycle Tourism Strategy be developed as soon as possible and that adequate resources be allocated to ensure this is done to a suitable standard. Funding should also be allocated for some key actions to enhance the existing product mix, including a regional cycling guide and cycling maps. In this regard a focal agency or host needs to be nominated and supported by the key Government stakeholders in the project, most specifically ACT Tourism and the ACT Territory Venues and Events group.
Australia’s Cycling Territory has great facilities , a great mix of existing events and many skilled and keen people, but we are Australia’s “Best Kept Secret” and we really need more events which are better linked and promoted, more high quality linked trails and especially more government support through a focus agency with paid professional people driving a strategy. Especially we need urgent attention to a focused promotional strategy with much better marketing materials, and more wheelie friendly tourism businesses.

In completing this report it has become apparent that cycle tourism already has a substantial base in the Capital Region and has significant potential to grow so that region becomes truly Australia’s Cycling Capital.
Introduction
The Capital Region stretches from the Southern Highlands of NSW through Canberra to the Snowy Mountains. The tourism managers in this Region work together in an attempt to provide a tourism experience for visitors to the Region and have jointly sponsored this project to investigate cycle tourism in the Region and to develop a strategy to further develop this niche area of tourism for the Region.
The Region already has a number of signature cycling events, good cycling infrastructure and facilities and an enthusiastic band of cycling enthusiasts supporting and promoting cycling in the Region. This report aims to identify the key stakeholders in this sector and to document the existing events, facilities and initiatives in order to develop an understanding this tourism sector. It will hopefully set the scene to expand the sector and further enhance the perceived benefits for local tourism. The project has included a survey of a sample of cycle tourists in the region to better understand their needs.
What is Cycle Tourism?

Cycle tourism is multifaceted phenomenon and crosses into a number of tourism domains. The connecting element of the cycle tourist is that they ride their bicycles (generally 2 wheeled and human powered) at their chosen destination and thus have specific needs and interests as cyclists and tourists that should be considered by tourism managers and operators.

In Australia, South Australia has lead the way in cycle tourism, particularly with the development over 11 years of the Tour Down Under and associated activities, together with great Mountain Biking across the State. Thus the definition of cycle tourism used in the South Australian Cycle Tourism Strategy is worthy of note:(South Australian Tourist Commission 2005)
“cycle tourism visits are considered to be for the purpose of holidays, recreation, pleasure, or sport and to include either overnight stays or day trips to other tourism regions during which the visitor either engages in active cycling or is a spectator at a cycling event” (South Australian Tourist Commission 2005)
In Victoria a success story in this sector is the Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail and associated regional developments aimed squarely at the cycle tourist market. The expanded definition used in their cycle tourism strategy (Rural City of Wangaratta 2008) is useful in the context of developing product and services for the sector. This differentiates between Cycling Holidays and Holiday Cyclists as follows:
Cycling Holidays – Holidays by both domestic and overseas visitors, where cycling is the main purpose of the holidays. Cycling holidays can either be self guided or organized by a cycling holiday operator.
Holiday Cyclists – Whereby people undertake cycling while on a holiday and consists of day rides taken while on holidays and will be one of a number of activities undertaken during the holiday.
This second definition is also important in understanding data collected on cycling tourists by Tourism Australia. Their data identifies visitors who listed cycling as an activity undertaken during their trip, thus they are “holiday cyclists”.
This differentiation can help business operators understand to whom they are marketing and what cycling experience or product they are providing.
How Big is Cycling – Some Cycling Statistics

In 2009 Australians purchased over 1.17 million bicycles. This is the 10th consecutive year in which Australians have bought more bicycles than cars. Over the last 7 years Australians have purchased 16.15 million bicycles compared to 7.25 million cars. (Cycling Promotion Fund 2006; Cycling Promotion Fund 2010)
Bike sales statistics in Australia are collected by the Retail Cycle Traders Association. The latest published data is a 2006 report (Bradshaw 2006) which notes that across Australia around 70% of bikes sold are Mountain Bikes with about 11% road bikes and 18% hybrid/comfort bikes. The report does not identify BMX sales. In the last 5 years there has been a trend towards more comfort or commuting style bicycles with “retro” style bikes becoming very popular in the major cities. Because the average price of Mountain Bikes sold is around $530 compared to road bikes at $2 200 it is likely many people buy mountain bikes as a cheaper option but do not use them off road as Mountain Bikes.
Cycling is the fourth most popular physical activity for adults in Australia and remains more popular than golf and tennis. (Australian Sports Commission 2010).
Figure 1 below summarises the data collected by the Sports Commission by physical activity for 2009.
Activity Number of Participants Participation Rate (%)
Walking 6,215,000 36.1
Aerobics/fitness 3,913,400 22.9
Swimming 2,419,100 14.1
Cycling 1,901,300 11.1
Running 1,893,700 11.0
Figure 1: Participation rates in top 5 physical activities 2009

In 2009, 1.9 million adults regularly participated in cycling which is an increase of 463,000 people (32%) since 2001. A significant contributor to this increase has been the number of women taking up cycling with 145,000 more women riding in 2008 compared to 2007. The largest growth is happening in the age group of 35 to 44 which has seen an increase of 88,000 people cycling from 2007 to 2008 (Australian Sports Commission 2010).
Again in looking at the potential market for cycle tourism in the Capital Region it is interesting to note the male/female differences in cycling participation and also the differences by State across Australia.
Figure 2 below summarises the data for cycling by State and Gender for 2009.
State/
Territory Males Females Total
Number of Participants % of Population Number of Participants % of Population Number of Participants % of Population
ACT 30,500 22.4 15,900 11.4 46,400 16.8
NSW 240,000 14.1 101,000 3.6 500,000 9.0
Qld 240,000 14.1 124,000 7.2 364,000 10.8
SA 87,000 13.7 37,000 5.7 124,000 9.6
Tas 25,000 12.7 10,000 5.1 35,000 8.9
Vic 363,000 17.2 188,000 8.6 551,000 12.8
WA 161,000 18.6 89,600 10.4 250,600 14.5

Figure 2 – Participation rates in cycling by gender and State/Territory for 2009
In the context of Cycle Tourism for the Capital Region it is useful to note that the ACT leads the nation in cycling participation rates, with nearly 50,000 active cyclists. However, the Region’s major tourism market in NSW has over 500,000 active cyclists, Victoria has 551,000 and Queensland another 364,000.
In delivering cycling events and activities the number of organisations involved in cycling provides an infrastructure of people, mostly volunteers, who are passionate about what they do. According to a 2009 survey by the Cycling Promotion Fund there are 1,115 cycling organisations around Australia with 185 local cycling organisations conducting 8,154 cycling activities in 2009 which attracted more than 45,000 participants. (Cycling Promotion Fund 2009)
Organised cycling events are thus an important factor in examining cycle tourism.
In understanding the cycle tourism market it is thus significant that:
• A significant proportion of the Australian population own bicycles – 16 million bicycles have been purchased since 2000;
• Over 1.9 million Australians used them regularly in 2009;
• Around 10% of the Australian population use their bicycles at least weekly;
• The Australian Capital Territory leads the nation in bicycle use. (16.8%)
• There are over 1 million active cyclists in NSW and Victoria combined.

Current Research into Cycle Tourism
In the past few years a number of reports and papers have been published in Australia on various aspects of cycle tourism, some of which have findings or outcomes relevant to cycle tourism in the Capital Region. Researchers based at the University of Canberra have been prominent in this space with other key Universities engaged in this area being Southern Cross University and Latrobe University. Professor Brent Ritchie, now at University of Queensland, but until 2008 head of the Tourism discipline at University of Canberra, was one of the early researchers in this field with his work on New Zealand cycle tourists being the first serious examination of the topic in this part of the world.(Ritchie 1998; Ritchie 1999)
Much of research to date in this field has concentrated on recreational cycling using road or hybrid type bicycles. A 2006 study by Faulks et al (Faulks 2006) was an investigation into the scope and size of cycle tourism in Australia. It did examine some major “challenge” events and identified some financial, social and environmental benefits of cycle tourism, however it did not address in any detail the tourism aspects of major cycling events or independent travel by mountain bikers, competitive road cyclists or BMX riders.
Another 2008 study by Faulks, Ritchie and Brown (Faulks 2008) looked at aspects of cycle tourism from the perspective of destination marketing for South Australia. Their report, based on surveys of cycle tourists, makes some very useful observations with respect to destination development for cycle tourism. In relation to events, 18% of the respondents travelled specifically to participate in cycling events. The average length of the cycling holidays was 13.4 days and 63% of their holiday was cycling related. The report made comparisons between on road and off road (Mountain Bike) activities, with 50% involved in independent on road cycling compared to 37% for off road. 30% of the respondents participated in an on road event, whilst off road events attracted only 9%. The report identifies 5 segments of cycle tourist with characteristics related to socio-demographics, cycling holiday behaviours, preferred destination attributes and perceptions of South Australia as a cycle tourism destination. In planning to develop a cycle tourism market sector this data is quite informative.
More recent published work by Lamont (Lamont 2008; Lamont 2009) has extended our knowledge and perspective on Cycle Tourism in Australia. In his 2009 published Ph D thesis and other associated publications Lamont has proposed a new definition of cycle tourism, which includes day trips and the full range of cycling disciplines. His research looked at independent cycle tourists (basically recreational road riders) but some of his findings are relevant to this study. He surveyed over 380 cycle tourists and found that the major factors in destination choice for these cycle tourists were quiet (minimal traffic) roads, appealing scenery, wide road shoulders, trails that separate road traffic from cyclists and cycle friendly accommodation. These factors closely correlate with these cyclists’ needs for map content with dangerous roads identified, location of segregated routes shown and accommodation locations rating highly as information needs from maps(Lamont 2009).
In her 2010 Ph D thesis (Faulks 2010) Faulks has examined motivations of cyclists participating in “Big Rides” around Australia. These are multi day events that move through a region and attract significant numbers of riders. The Big Victorian ride in 2007 had 3500 participants, with the Big Queensland ride having over 1000 in the same year. The NSW version of this event (with around 1000 riders) has visited the Capital region in recent years with the rest day in Queanbeyan in 2006 generating significant income for that city, and the previous year an overnight in Bungendore also had a significant input to the local economy. Of note for these events is the demographic profile of riders, with 64% of riders being males and 67% of riders being over 44 years of age. The Capital Region does not have any similar events at present but in formulating future plans the motivations of riders in these events should be noted. According to the Faulks’ study the major motivators for these events are the personal and physical challenge, the desire for fitness and health outcomes, a desire to relax and escape and to have fun with other similar minded people.

Bridge over the Ovens River – Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail
Some detailed studies have been conducted by Latrobe University academics on the Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail in Victoria. Beeton (Beeton 2006)has completed 3 studies (2003, 2006 and 2009) of users of this facility with the useful outcomes including demographic profiles of users, their accommodation preferences and spending patterns. The latest daily expenditure figure (2009) was $244 per day per visitor. This may be a little higher than other regions as the food and beverage element is quite high, probably due to the proximity of a number of wineries to the trail in a recognised wine tourism area.
Willard in his 2004 study of the Murray to the Mountains region looked at businesses and the impact of cycle tourists (Willard 2004). He surveyed 45 businesses in the region and found that 65% of these businesses had experienced a positive impact on their business from cycle tourists. The businesses most positively impacted were accommodation (35%), food outlets(39%) and alcoholic beverages (20%) with convenience goods significant at 12%.

Bruthen Bakery and Cyclists _ East Gippsland Rail Trail
Whilst Lamont (Lamont 2009) has recognised competitive cycling events as significant from a tourism perspective he has not further examined this. A number of authors have identified Mountain Biking as a significant sector of cycle tourism (IMBA 2007; Faulks 2008), however to date there have been no definitive studies in this sector.
From the existing studies, bike sales statistics, cycling club memberships and recent cycling event statistics it is apparent that the two major cycling disciplines in Australia are on road cycling and mountain biking. For the purpose of this report the two major cycling disciplines will be considered as key elements of the cycle tourism market. For each of these two groups, the study will specifically explore both recreational cycling (independent or groups) and competitive cycling, making four distinct market sub-segments to be investigated:

1. Competitive road cycling events, including “challenge” events, and training activity associated with these;
2. Competitive mountain bike events;
3. Recreational road cycling including the use of dedicated or shared cycle paths;
4. Recreational mountain biking – primarily off road;

It could be argued that cycle tourism also includes events that incorporate cycling as a major part of the activity such as Triathlons and adventure challenges with cycling involved. These groups travel with their bikes with a prime motivation of participating in cycling activity at their chosen destination. Similarly BMX riders and accompanying persons, both racing and freestyle, could be considered as cycle tourists. As these are smaller niches than road and MTB riding they will not be explored in depth in this report.
It is most probable that the different cycling disciplines have a number of similar needs but also some discipline specific needs that attract them to a destination. This report will attempt to identify these needs as input to a Cycle Tourism Strategy for the Capital Region.
Cycle Tourism in a Regional Context

The Region, and the ACT in particular, has great cycling infrastructure, good on-road and off-road cycling, exceptional natural beauty, and a number of existing cycling events that attract visitors. However at present there is no strategy to build on these attributes in a coordinated way between the various stakeholders which includes a number of government agencies, cycling organizations, and commercial entities with an interest in cycling.
Under the SCAN project Jenny Rand and Associates produced a Cycling Niche Market Report in 2006 (Rand 2006). This report was quite a comprehensive survey of cycling facilities, organisations and events for the region, with some general background on cycling tourism in Australia and internationally. It also made recommendations on some actions to develop and market cycle tourism in the region. Some of this information is now outdated and it would appear many of the recommendations have not been pursued. There are also some notable gaps in the content.
Thus this report will update the key information in the SCAN report and expand its scope and content. Critical to the development of any strategy for the Region is to begin a process of stakeholder identification and engagement with actions and resource needs identified to capitalise and build on the Region’s strengths in this growing niche tourism market.

Family Group Cycling around Lake Burley Griffen
Some recent data from Tourism Australia provides some context to the current market in the ACT for cycle tourism. The 2009 Annual Visitors’ Survey(Tourism Research Australia 2009) results in Figure 3 below is for domestic overnight visitors to the ACT for the year ending 30 June 2009. This data is for visitors who listed cycling as an activity undertaken during their trip (Holiday Cyclists).
Total visitors 31 000
Average Length of Stay 2.7 nights
Total visitor nights 83 000
Expenditure per day $236 (up form $160 the previous year)
Expenditure per visit $631
Total spend $19 561 000

Figure 3 – Domestic Overnight Visitors – Holiday Cyclists in the ACT 2009

In addition to the overnight visitors the data from the Survey also provides data for domestic day visitors to the ACT who listed cycling as an activity undertaken during their trip. See Figure 4 below.

Total Visitors 15 000 (up from 7000 the previous year)
Expenditure per visit $398 (up from $225 the previous year)
Total Spend $5,977,000

Figure 4 – Domestic Day Visits – Holiday Cyclists in the ACT 2009
From this data it can be seen that the total spend by the recorded holiday cyclists to the ACT in 2009 was some $26 million. Whilst for these visitors cycling may not have been the prime reason for their visit it has been a significant factor in their choice to travel to the ACT. Further analysis of event and other data in this report will investigate the size of the cycle tourism market in the Region.
Approach and Scope of the Report
The geographical area to be considered for this project will encompass the ACT and the surrounding Capital Region stretching from the Southern Highlands through to the Snowy Mountains. It will not cover the NSW south coast.

The report will cover:
1. An audit of cycling related facilities in the Region;
2. A comprehensive examination of cycling events in the Region;
3. The identification of key stakeholders involved in cycling and tourism in the region and their key interests;
4. Identification of any current initiatives or known plans in the region for cycling related activity in the next 10 years;
5. A survey of cycle tourists to explore their characteristics and needs; and,
6. An outline of a draft cycle tourism strategy for the region covering the period 2011 to 2020, identifying opportunities for the region and future development options.
Cycling Facilities and Infrastructure

Cycling is a pursuit that in many cases requires dedicated facilities or safe routes separated from motor traffic. Whilst road racing and recreational riding largely use existing road networks, mountain biking is an off road activity which uses fire trails and single lane tracks generally through bushland or urban parklands. BMX riders use specifically designed tracks and skateparks are the home for freestyle BMXers.
In recent years government agencies across Australia have been developing cycling plans to make cycling safe and enjoyable, with commuting to work and sustainable transport initiatives part of the motivation for better cycling infrastructure. A number of studies into cycle tourism (Lamont 2009; Faulks 2010) in the last few years have identified safe riding routes as a key motivator for cycle tourists. In Victoria in particular there have been a number of disused railway corridors converted to cycling and walking trails with this “Rail Trail” network serving the needs of both locals and tourists alike. In the cities there are now many “shared paths” for commuters and recreational cyclists and most cities in Australia now have active programs for the installation of cycle lanes across the road network to provide dedicated “on road” cycle lanes.
In the capital region there have been significant efforts by Government agencies to provide cycling facilities and infrastructure. Whilst much of this development has been driven by the sustainable transport movement the spin off is that these facilities are also a significant attractor for cycle tourists. This is most apparent in the ACT with an active ACT Government program having delivered an extensive network of both on road cycle lanes and off road paths. There has also been extensive development of mountain bike trails both in the ACT and in other parts of the Capital region.
Cycling around Lake Burley Griffen in the ACT
ACT Cycling Facilities
In many ways the National Capital could be described as Australia’s Cycling Territory and at the same time Australia’s best kept cycling secret.
Whilst the whole network of paths and on road cycle lanes across the ACT provide a significant attraction for cyclists, there are a number of features that are particularly attractive for cycle tourists. The icon of these is the shared path that circumnavigates Lake Burley Griffin in the centre of the city. This is arguably one of the best recreational rides in the country. The path can be used to travel around the whole lake (a distance of around 27km) with presently 90% of this off road. It can also be approached in smaller portions with the central basin loop being 5km and the Scrivener dam loop, which passes many national attractions, being 16km.
The suburban lakes at Tuggeranong, Belconnen and Gungahlin have shared paths that circle the lakes and there is a connecting network of paths between all the lakes, making the whole of the city very accessible by bicycle without the need to travel on roads. On the other hand the on road network provides a safe environment for riders wanting to travel a little faster and are ideally suited for commuting or training for road cycling. In addition there is a network of quieter country roads emanating from the city that provide for longer rides with little traffic.

On road cycle lane – Cotter Rd (Curtin) in the ACT
The other major feature of the ACT in the way of cycling infrastructure is Stromlo Forest Park and a number of dedicated mountain biking courses. After the disastrous bushfires of 2003 which destroyed many homes and large tracts of forest near the city, the ACT Government, with lobbying from cycling groups, initiated a plan to develop the Mt Stromlo area into a recreational park. Key features of this park are an extensive network of mountain bike trails and facilities and a dedicated criterium circuit for road racing. The mountain biking includes many kilometres of cross country tracks, both single track and firetrails, an international class downhill course and four cross and trails courses. The park includes a pavilion suitable to manage medium sized events with associated toilets and change facilities. The power, water and sewerage infrastructure allows for large numbers of people with temporary structures brought in for larger events, and camping is possible at the venue. The venue was host to the World Mountain Bike Championships in September 2009 with 40 000 spectators over 5 days, but it also has been the venue for many smaller events, both mountain bike and road cycling, in the past 3-4 years and many cyclists using the facilities on a daily basis.

Downhill Mountain Biking – Stromlo Forest Park ACT
There are a number of other mountain bike courses around the ACT with developed trails and trail markings. Majura Pines, Kowen Forest and Sparrows are well used trails and have hosted significant mountain bike events, notably the Mont 24 hour at Sparrows. A recent new event, Capital Punishment, started at Sparrows and crossed through the other parks at Kowen and Majura finishing up at Stromlo, a total of 100km.

In the ACT there are two dedicated BMX tracks at Kaleen in the North and Kambah in the south. These are both well built tracks with good support infrastructure and have hosted State level Championship events.
BMX riding – Canberra

A major attractor for many BMX freestyle riders are skateparks. There are some 24 skateparks in the ACT and most regional towns in the Region have good skateparks. Figure 5 below is a listing of skateparks in the ACT extracted from a national online directory to skateparks (Skateboard.com.au 2010). It is of note that 7 of these parks are rated 4 star or better.
In addition to the ACT this site lists parks in the Capital Region at Bowral, Mossvale, Bundanoon, Marulan, Goulburn, Yass, Bungendore, Queanbeyan, Cooma, Berridale and Jindabyne. The website has an excellent interactive map to help find the skate parks.
Skatepark Location Rating
Belconnen Skate Park
Belconnen ACT *****
Campbell Mini
Campbell ACT ***
Charnwood Bowl
Charnwood ACT ***
Civic Sk8 Park (CLOSED)
Canberra City ACT ****
Dickson Mini Ramp
Dickson ACT ***
Eddison Park Woden
Canberra ACT ****1/2
Erindale Banks
Erindale ACT ****
Fadden Pines
Fadden ACT ***
Gungahlin Sk8 Park
Gungahlin ACT *****
Hackett Drains
Hackett ACT
J Ramp
Weston Creek ACT
Kambah Bowl
Kambah ACT ***
Kippax Mini
Kippax ACT ***
Lanyon Skate Park
Lanyon ACT **
Richardson Bowl
Richardson ACT ***
Rivett Mini
Rivett ACT ***
Spence Drains
Spence ACT ***
Stirling Mini Ramp
Stirling ACT ***
Telopea Park Mini
Kingston ACT ***
The Yard Skate Park
Canberra City ACT ***
The Yard Skate Park
Civic ACT ***
Tuggeranong Sk8 Park
Tuggeranong ACT *****
Watson Superbowl
Canberra ACT
Weston Creek
Canberra ACT *****
Figure 5 – Skateparks and ratings in the ACT from www.skateboard.com.au

Southern Highlands
In the Southern Highlands area there a number of cycling facilities that cater to cycle tourist needs. Tourism Southern Highlands actively promotes cycling as part of the tourism experience with their Holiday Planner having cycling as a prominent activity for tourists and their website has a “cycling” section listing facilities and major activities.

Bong Bong Track near Bowral
Bowral has a recreational shared path that covers 12km around the Bowral township and connects to Moss Vale on the Bong Track along the Winecarribee River. The Welby Mountain Bike Track on the outskirts of Mittagong has 6km of marked MTB trails.
Bundanoon is the cycling hub of the Southern Highlands. There is an excellent Bundanoon Bike Trail Brochure available from the Tourism Southern Highlands website (Southern Highlands Tourism) which details 5 rides around Bundanoon for both road and MTB riders. Ye Olde Bicycle shop and the Wild Horizons company are based in Bundanoon. They are owned and managed by Huw Kingston who has facilitated many cycling initiatives in the Region. They host a number of events, have a bike store, bike hire and a coffee shop serving cyclists needs. They provide guided MTB tours, have a number of scheduled small group rides/tours and host the two major MTB events in the Southern Highlands , the 3 Ring Circus and Highland Fling. More details of these events are provided under the Events section of this report.

Ye Olde Bicycle Shop Bundanoon
Fitzroy Falls has MTB trails linked to McGee’s Cycling Store at Bowral. This store is owned by Brad McGee and his brothers, Craig and Rod. Brad is a recently retired international road and track cyclist and is presently Director Sportif for the Saxobank Pro Team in Europe. In addition to the cycling store they own and manage the Twin Falls Bush Cottages at Fitzroy Falls. The Twin Falls property has 5km of MTB trails and is adjacent to a national park with many MTB rides possible through the park from their base. McGee’s are involved in a number of cycling initiatives for events and tours in the Southern Highlands including a recent MTB event based at their Fitzroy Falls facility for Camp Quality and a proposed challenge event with Bowral Lions Club.

McGee’s Bike Store Bowral and Cycling near Fitzroy Falls
The Southern Highlands Cycling Club(SHCC) is the focus of much cycling activity in the Southern Highlands and caters for both road cyclists, including track racing, and mountain bikers. There is a concrete velodome in Bowral which is used for track racing. An upgrade is planned soon for this facility.
Most of the events managed by SHCC are focussed on their local members but do have some potential to attract visitors to the Region. There is also a Bicycle User’s Group (BUG) in the Southern Highlands that promotes cycling and advocacy for cycling infrastructure.

In 2008 the Wingecarribee Shire released a report outlining their Bicycle Strategy for Mittagong, Bowral and Moss Vale(Wingecarribee Shire Council 2008). This strategy has amongst its key objectives:

• To encourage bicycle travel and tourism within the Local Government area,
• To build on existing events and programs;
• Support for user group initiatives such as the programs being developed and promoted by the Ben Mikic Foundation, and,
• Support for the Picton to Mittagong Rail Trail;

Goulburn Region
In the Goulburn Region there are few cycling facilities that could attract visitors to Goulburn. There is a velodrome for track racing but is largely used by local riders for some summer track races. There are some MTB trails around the city of Goulburn but are again mainly used by locals. There is an active cycling community in Goulburn with the Goulburn Cycling club holding regular road races. The Greengrocer on Clifford store is a hub for cycling in Goulburn with regular organised rides starting based from the store. The management also get involved with events such as the Citi to Goulburn annual ride and the upcoming Grand Prix Cycle Challenge scheduled for September 2010. Olympic Cycle store has hire bikes and assists visitors with information about where to ride around Goulburn. The management of Olympic Cycle has also been strong supporters of the proposed Crookwell to Goulburn Rail Trail.
Snowy Mountains
In the Snowy Mountains there is a shared concrete path at Jindabyne that runs for some 5km along the Lake Shores around the township which is an attractive ride for visitors. There are also some developing Mountain Bike trails within easy reach of the township. Cooma has some Mountain Bike trails around the town, but these are mostly used by locals.
The main infrastructure for cyclists in the Snowy Mountains is a 12km long network of Mountain Bike trails at the Crackenback resort and an extensive trails network radiating from Thredbo, which is only accessible during the summer months from November through to May each year. Perisher Blue also promotes Mountain Biking in summer with a published trail guide. Crakenback resort has hire bikes and actively promotes cycling as part of their packages. The South East Mountain Bike Company, based at Thredbo, has hire bike facilities, trail maps and manages a number of MTB events at Thredbo through summer and these combined efforts attract a good number of MTB enthusiasts to Thredbo , especially from Christmas through to Easter each summer. There is a connecting trail, under management by NSW national parks, from Thredbo along the Thredbo River to the Crackenback facilities and there are plans for improvements and extensions to these trails.
Around Tumut, State forests actively promote Mountain Biking through State Forests and their website provides maps and trail descriptions (Department of Primary Industries NSW 2010).
In the Snowy Mountains Region there are a number of other accommodation based businesses that actively promote cycling and have some organised events to attract visitors to their facilities and surrounding country. These include:
Laurel Hill Forest Lodge(Fitzgerald 2010) between Batlow and Tumbarumba which caters to cycling groups and has specific weekends with guided and supported rides, both for MTB and for recreational hybrid riders. The managers at Laurel Hill are also key players in the Riverina High Country Rail Trail team.

Bondi Forest Lodge ,(Bondi Forest Lodge 2010) which is near Bombala, actively promotes Mountain Biking and has maps and descriptions of a number of suggested rides radiating from their accommodation.

Cottonwood Lodge at Berridale (Snowy Cycling 2010)actively promotes road cycling and group training rides on the roads around Berridale.

Cycle tourism facilitators

In addition to facilities and infrastructure being important attractors for cycle tourists there a number of businesses in the Capital Region that actively promote cycle tourism as a key element of their business.
Group tours
A Sydney based company, mtnbike.com.au, run by Will Levy, has developed a business around weekend group tours to Canberra from Sydney, specifically for mountain biking. They use the AIS for accommodation and provide bike transport to and from Sydney for participants, with organised rides through each weekend, and some specific trips built around events such as the Scott 24hr. These trips are dedicated weekends for mates/businesses to get out of Sydney do some great riding over a weekend. The company does all the work organising transport, bikes, food and some social activity. In the past year they have run 15 trips with an average of 10 riders and they generally stay one night at the AIS. Cost of each trip is $329 to participants.

Bike hire
As already noted bicycle stores often have bike hire as part of their businesses, and there are a number of businesses in the Region where bike hire is the prime focus of their business. McGees at Bowral, Ye Olde Bicle Shoppe at Bundannon and Olmypic Cycle at Goulburn are some of the key bike hire businesses in the Southern Highlands, whilst the South East Mountain Bike Company at Thredbo builds much of its business around bike hire. In Canberra there are three specialist bike hire businesses. Mr Spokes has an outlet in a prime location on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin in the centre of Canberra, whilst Capital Bicycle Hire and Real Fun are “mobile” businesses who often deliver bikes to clients and service some accommodation outlets with hire bikes.

Ride Canberra
A new website has been developed in the past year (Ride Canberra 2010) specifically to provide cyclists (particularly mountain bikers) with a “one stop shop” for information about cycling in Canberra. It is a private initiative but is linked to ACT Government sites for Stromlo Forest Park and the Visit Canberra tourism portal. The site provides maps, trail descriptions, links to bike hire and cycle friendly accommodation, as well as information about upcoming events.

Events

It is well recognised that special events are key tourism attractors and cycling events of many types are genuine tourism attractors. The Tour Down Under , now in it’s 11th year in Adelaide, attracted a total of 770, 500 spectators over the period 17-24 January 2010. There were 39 700 event specific visitors from interstate and overseas to the event with an estimated $41.5 economic impact for Adelaide. (South Australian Tourist Commission 2010). Some “challenge” events around Australia that attract large numbers of riders and tourists include Around the Bay in a Day, Melbourne,(16 000 participants) , Sydney to Gong,(10 000) Tour Down Under Community Ride (8 000) and Brisbane to Gold Coast (8 000).
A study by Lamont et al (Lamont 2008) of the Alpine Classic held in Bright, Victoria each January determined the direct economic impact on the region from just over 2000 participants was $814 176, with total impact including non- participant visitors to the event estimated at $1.5 million.
In our local region, the recent World Mountain Bike Championships held in Canberra in September 2009, had 2500 international competitors with around 40,000 spectators over 5 days of the event, with an estimated $4 million economic impact on the local economy.(ACT Government 2010). One round of the Mountain Bike World Cup held in Canberra in 2008 attracted over 4000 visitors with an economic impact of $867,560.(Faulks 2008). Moruya on the NSW south coast hosted the National Masters Cycling Championships in 2009 and 2010 with an estimated 1200 visitors and an economic impact of over $300 000 in the region over one weekend.(Eurobodalla Cyclist Club 2009)

In announcing the deal to hold the National Road Cycling Championships the City of Ballarat has estimated an economic impact of $4 million per year for 6 years. (City of Ballarat 2009).
The Capital Region has a number of existing cycling events that attract visitors to the region across cycling disciplines. Tables 1 to 4 below summarise these events, participant numbers and the estimated economic impact of each event. In estimating the economic impact for these events the average spend for each visitor is taken as $240 per day, except where otherwise noted. This number is derived from two sources which provide data on cycle tourists spending, namely the National Visitor’s Survey for the ACT in 2009 and work by Beeton (Beeton 2006) in studies of cycle tourism on the Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail in Victoria.

Challenge/ Community Events 2009-10
Event Dates Venue Organisers Total Riders Visiting riders Spectators/
Accompanying persons Total Visitors Tourism Impact Notes
ACT
Tour de femme 8 Nov 2009
Out and back from Stromlo Forest Park Canberra Cycle Club 610 150 estimate 150
estimate 300 $72 000 Both competition and recreation classes – women only
Rotary Spring Cycle – 5 Hills Ride of Canberra 27 Sep 2009
Starts at Blundell’s cottage then around the 5 peaks Rotary Club of Woden 450 100
estimate 50
estimate 150 $36 000 4 options
Urban Polaris/Metro Sun 6 Dec 20 Canberra and surrounding roads 09
Mental Health Foundation 610 200
estimate 50
estimate 250 $60 000 2 options
Amy’s Ride Sun 14 March 2010
Out and back from Stromlo Forest Park Amy Gillett Foundation 691 92 50
estimate 142 $34 080 Assume on average 1 overnight stay by interstate visitors
Fitz’s Challenge Sun 30 Oct 2009
Stromlo to Fitz’s Hill and other options Pedal Power ACT and Childrens’ Oncology Foundation 730 250
estimate
50
estimate 300 $72 000 4 options
Big Canberra Bike Ride Parliamentary Triangle start and around Canberra for 25km Pedal Power ACT 800+ 50
estimate nil 50 $12 500 2 options
Gear up Girl 28 March 2010
Around Canberra Bicycle NSW 200 (estimate 100 estimate 50 (estimate) 150 $36 000
Snowy Mountains
Hartley Challenge Nov 2009
Canberra to Charlottes pass and retund Hartley Lifecare Canberra 450 450 50 500 $50 000 2 Overnights at Jindabye;
Estimate local spend $100 per person
Table 1 – Summary of Challenge/ Community Events 2009-10
Most of the events in this category are established annual events which attract relatively small numbers of visitors as they have been primarily run for local residents. Some of these events have the potential, with appropriate marketing and support from Government, to attract many more visitors to the region. Apart from a growing awareness of Fitz’s Challenge, with the new linkage to the Oncology Children’s Foundation, the other events are not seriously marketed outside the Region. Despite this lack of awareness outside the region the total economic impact of these events on the ACT is in the order of $320 000. The Hartley Challenge is a fully subscribed event with limited numbers at present due to restrictions by NSW authorities on the total numbers, so has little scope to grow. As previously noted, this type of event has considerable potential for growth, as the Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide rides have grown significantly in recent years to be major tourism attractors in those cities.
MTB Events 2008-10
Event Dates Venue Organisers Total Riders Visiting riders Spectators/
Accompanying persons Total Visitors Tourism Impact Notes
ACT
UCI MTB World Cup Round Aug 2008 Canberra Off Road Cyclists (CORC) 350 300 3700 4000 $870 000 Source: University of Canberra Event Evaluation
UCI MTB World Champs
MTB Oct 2009
Stromlo Forest Park Territory Events and Management 700
700 45 000 spectators
11 800 tickets sold 8000 $4 million Source: Post event report – ACT Govt
Scott 24 hr 10-11 Oct 2009 Canberra Off Road Cyclists (CORC) 2500 1200 600 1700 $170 000 Mostly camping
Estimate $100 per day
Mont 24hr March 2010
Sparrows Self Propelled Enterprises Pty Ltd 2500 1200 600 1700 $170 000 Mostly camping
Estimate $100 per day
Individual 24hr April 2010
Majura Pines CORC 180 150 50 200 $20 000 Mostly camping
Estimate $100 per day
Capital Punishment 29 May 2010
Sparrows to Stromlo AROC Sports 1930 entered
(380 did not start) 400 (estimate) 300 700 $168 000 Wet weather effected numbers who started

Southern Highlands
Highland Fling 7-8 Nov 2009
Bundanoon Wild Horizons 1800 1700 1000 2700 $648 000 2 day festival;
Estmate one overnight per visitor @ $240
3 Ring Circus 22 August 2009
Wingella Forest Wild Horizons 610 550 250 800 $80 000 One day event near Sydney $100 per day average spend
Event
Dates Venue Organisers Total Riders Visiting riders Spectators/
Accompanying persons Total Visitors Tourism Impact Notes
Snowy Mountains
DT Swiss Mountains to Beach 28 Feb to 5 Mar 2010-Thredbo to Narooma Wild Horizons 130 130 50 180 $108 000 Estimate $100 per day
Thredbo Events 13-14 Feb 2010 Australian National MTB Champs
MBTA/South East MTB Co

250 250 200 450 $216 000 2 nights @ $240
27-28 Feb 2010 NSW State DH & 4X Champs South East MTB Co 212 212 300 512 $245 760 2 nights @ $240
19-21Mar 2010
NSW Interschools MTB Champs South East MTB Co 267 267 300 567 $408 240 3 nights @ $240
Table 2 – Summary of MTB Events 2008-10
In reviewing the impact of Mountain Bike Events, the two outstanding events over the past 3 years have been the 2008 World Cup and the 2009 World Championships held at Stromlo Forest Park. These two international events have been major drawcards for MTB enthusiasts to Canberra. The World Cup round was held as a ”warm up” for the World Championships, but still had a significant economic impact with an estimated $870 000 income to the region (Faulks 2008). The World Championships had an estimated $4 million impact on the local economy (ACT Government 2010).
These “one off” events are complemented by several other annual events in the ACT. The combined impact of the Scott 24hr, Mont 24 hr and Individual 24 hr events is estimated at $360 000 each year. The new first time Capital Punishment event, despite terrible weather for its first running, attracted around 2000 riders, many as visitors, with an economic impact estimated at $168 000. It has considerable potential to grow into a major tourism attractor, whereas the 24 hour events (Scott and Mont) are presently limited to around 2500 riders.
In the Southern Highlands Wild Horizons runs two very successful MTB challenge events based around its headquarters at Bundanoon. The 3 Ring Circus and the Highland fling are estimated to bring in around $730 000 to the Region. Entries for the highland fling (limited to 2000 riders) were booked out the day after they were opened this year.
The other outstanding performer in the region is the MTB series of events held over summer at Thredbo with an estimated impact on Thredbo of $870 000 for three events in 2010.
There is considerable scope to grow the number and scope of MTB events in the region and to host future national and international events, especially at Stromlo and Thredbo.
Road Racing Events 2009-10
Event Dates Venue Organisers Total Riders Visiting riders Spectators/
Accompanying persons Total Visitors Tourism Impact Notes
ACT
Canberra Tour 30 April – 2 May 2010
Stromlo and Surrounds Canberra Cycling Club 420 330 200 530 $254 400 Ave 2 nights @ $240
Junior and Women’s Canberra Tour 2 -4 July July 2010
Mt Stromlo and Surrounds. Canberra Cycling Club 400 350 300 650 $312 000 Average 2 Nights @ $240
National Masters Road Champs 1-5 Oct 09
Mt Stromlo and surrounds Cycling Australia/ Vikings Cycling Club 370 340 300 640 $307 200 2 nights @ @240
Australian Junior Champs 11-13 Sep 2009
Stromlo and Surrounds Cycling Australia/ Canberra Cycling Club 200 175 200 375 $180 000 2 nights @$240
Southern Highlands
Goulburn to Citi 20 Sep 2009
Goulburn to Sydney Macarthur Cycling Club 120 plus
130 charity ride 240 150 390 $93 600 1 night @ $240
Gunning 2 day 1-2 May 2010
Gunning and Surrounds ACT Vets Cycling Club 150 150 50 200 $10 000 Mostly day trips estimate $50 per person

Table 3 – Summary of Road Racing Events 2009-10
The major activity in the Road Racing category is happening in the ACT with the annual Canberra Tour, Junior and Women’s Tour, and the Australian Junior Championships having a combined economic impact of around $750 000 each year they are held. One off national events such as the National Masters held in 2009 can have a significant impact in addition to the annual events. There is considerable scope for more Road Racing activity in the region with our relatively safe riding environment and a number of large clubs able to manage such events. Cycling clubs at Goulburn and in the Southern Highlands also have the capability to host this type of event and have aspirations and plans to do so. In the past the Snowy Mountains region has hosted significant road races but this option appears to have faded from the horizon recently.
BMX Events 2009-10
Event Dates Venue Organisers Total Riders Visiting riders Spectators/
Accompanying persons Total Visitors Tourism Impact Notes
ACT
Round 5/6UCI Chambikx/
Probikx 5-6 Mar 2010 ACT BMX 165 150 150 300 $144 000 Ave 2 night stay
ACT BMX Champs 6- 7 Mar 2010 ACT BMX 700 560 4000 1500 $720 000 Ave 2 night stay

Table 3 – Summary of BMX Events 2009-10
Whilst BMX is a specialised sector of the cycle tourism market it has a significant impact on visitation when major events are hosted in the Region. BMX is now an Olympic competition event and has large numbers of participants across Australia. Two BMX events held in 2010 attracted over 1800 visitors and had a combined economic impact of some $860,000. There are a number of BMX freestyle events held in the region which also attract a considerable number of visitors to use the excellent facilities available, but within the scope of this project it was not possible to measure the impact of these activities.
Stakeholders

Cycle Tourism in the Capital Region has many stakeholders ranging from businesses specifically based on this market through cycling clubs and advocacy groups to Government agencies. Interest groups include accommodation suppliers, specific food outlets (coffee shops) and transport operators. In addition a number of individuals provide valuable services and expertise in the sector from their personal knowledge or experiences. Regional tourism bodies with specific interests include Australian Capital Tourism, Capital Region Tourism, Southern Highlands Tourism, Snowy Mountains Tourism, and Tourism NSW;
Cycling organizations with a key interest include a number of road and mountain bike cycling clubs, recreational cycling bodies, and “peak” cycling bodies such as Bicycle NSW, Cycling Australia and the Australian Bicycle Council. Other key interest groups include Rail Trail supporters and event managers such as AROC and Wild Horizons.
A key stakeholder in cycle tourism in the ACT is Territory Venues and Events which controls the usage of Stromlo Forest Park. Stromlo Forest Park was the host venue for the 2009 World Mountain Bike Championships which brought in an abundance of cycle tourists into the ACT and surrounding Capital Region. (UCI Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships, 2009).
Mountain Biking at Stromlo Forest Park

In the Snowy Mountains Region a significant cycling stakeholder is South East Mountain Bike Company which is located in Thredbo. The South East Mountain Bike Company controls all mountain biking in the Thredbo area with the National Park providing hire services, and events such as the Australian National Mountain Bike Championships, New South Wales State Championships and Inter-schools competitions (South East Mountain Bike Company, 2010).
In the Southern Highlands, Wild Horizons and Forests NSW are major stakeholders, providing trail maps and helping to maintain the trails in and around the Wingello, Penrose, and Belanglo State forests (Wild Horizons, 2009).
To identify key stakeholders a list of key stakeholders was identified and this was shared with a number of interested parties and expanded with their input. There were two approaches to engaging with these stakeholders. Two workshops were facilitated at Goulburn and Canberra where all stakeholders were invited and given an opportunity to provide input to this report. In addition interviews were conducted with several key stakeholders throughout the region, supplemented by many email exchanges with key players.
The stakeholders identified during this project and their interests are listed at Appendix 1, together with a listing of people interviewed for this report.
The attendees at the Goulburn and Canberra workshops are listed at Appendix 2.
Key outcomes and initiatives identified by stakeholders are detailed in the summary section later in this report.

The Survey

A key element of this research has been the development and use of a questionnaire targeted at cycle tourists visiting the Region. The aim of the questionnaire was to capture some sample data from a range of cycling tourists to help formulate a future strategy. The questionnaire was designed initially as an online survey where cycling tourists would be encouraged to go online to complete the survey. A poster and a postcard were printed and distributed to points where cyclists gather to encourage them to complete the survey. The posters and postcards were placed in visitor information centres in Goulburn and Jindabyne, Bike hire locations in Goulburn and Canberra and some cycling shops in Goulburn and Canberra.
The survey was designed using an online commercial application called Survey Monkey which is an interactive tool that also provides some good analysis capabilities. The primary link to the survey was placed on the homepage of the Stromlo Forest park website with links from a number of other relevant sites. The survey went “live” in March 2010 and has run through until July 2010.

Figure 6 – Poster and Graphic for Cycle Tourist Survey
After a short trial period, it became apparent that without a major incentive, it was quite difficult to get respondents to go online to complete the survey. With some major cycling events on the horizon it was decided to use some students from the University of Canberra to use the questionnaire on a face to face basis to collect data from interstate participants in these events. The two key events targeted were the Mont 24 hour Mountain Bike event held at Sparrows MTB park , on the Kings Highway between Canberra and Bungendore, on 27-28 March 2010 and the inaugural Capital Punishment event (also MTB) which ran from Sparrows to Stromlo Forest Park on 28-29 May 2010. Both events had around 2000 participants. About 20 responses were collected at each of these events, which provided a useful sample.
In addition to this face to face data collection, paper copies of the survey were placed in a several locations to get visitors to complete these instead of going online. A good number of these were completed with significant responses achieved through Mr Spokes Bike hire (located in the centre of Canberra on Lake Burley Griffin, near the bike path around the Lake) , from Capital Bike Hire (Canberra) and Olympic Cycle in Goulburn. Attempts through the Goulburn and Jindabyne Visitor’s Centres were less successful (one each). Surveys were placed with the South East MTB hire company at Thredbo but to date have not been returned. Until late June 2010 most data (120 replies) had come from the face to face surveys and paper based copies though all sources. In early July a significant number of online surveys were completed with about 50 of these completed in this period. The Survey was closed on 20 July 2010 with 187 responses recorded.
Figure 7 – Postcard used for the Cycle Tourists Survey

The Survey Instrument and Questions
A copy of the Questionnaire used for online, face to face and self completed surveys is at Appendix 3.
The survey included 21 questions in 3 sections.
• Section 1 covered reasons for travel, composition of groups and cycling interests;
• Section 2 covered means of travel, activities at destination and spending profiles; and,
• Section 3 collected basic demographics of age , gender , employment and home location.
Data Analysis and Key Outcomes from the Survey
Data collected from face to face and paper based surveys were entered into Survey Monkey giving a consolidated data set from all sources. Responses to the Survey and some observations follow.
Demographics
Gender Age
78.4% of survey respondents were male 72% of respondents were between 26 and 45years old

Employment Income
85% in full time employment Over 50% earn more than $75 000 p.a.

Home Location Means of Travel
83% from NSW 88% travelled to the region by car
NSW 140
Vic 11
Qld 4
ACT 7
Tas 1
Overseas 5
Accommodation

Activities

Destination and time stayed
63% stayed 2 or more nights and 88% stayed in Canberra

Reasons for Travel
Cycling was the major reason for 60%

Hire Bikes
24 % of visitors hired a bike and 73% were happy with that bike
Where did you ride?
66% rode Stromlo and 38% rode around Lake Burley Griffen

What type of bikes?
Over 80% came with Mountain Bikes with 20% doing road or recreational cycling

Groups
In total 550 people were covered by the survey
35% travelled with partner 50% in a group of 3 or more

Expenditure

Average spend per person on:
Item Amount
Accommodation $65
Food and Beverage $50
Fuel and Transport $27
Bike related $15
Souvenirs $9
Other $5
Total $171
Some selected additional comments by respondents:
An intermediate downhill at Stromlo Forest Park would be great.
Would like to see refreshments available at Mt Stromlo
Had a great time riding around the lake
Mr Spokes Bike Hire gave us free ice-cream once we’d returned our bikes which
was very well received! Thank you!
Camping facilities near cycling (mountain bike) parks would be a great idea.
Would love to see a camping site at Stromlo Forest Park and a food outlet (even if it is
only available on weekends or during school holidays)
Don’t take away the mountains for mountain biking!!
Great Mountain Biking. More government support for cycling clubs.
Great family experience! Bike Hire was fantastic. Loved Tidbinbilla Park also.
The relatively cohesive plan for cycle tourism in the Canberra region is a significant drawcard, the trails are generally well maintained and signposted. Majura could do with some more signposting but overall, we were exceptionally happy with the quality of the mountain bike trails and will return again in May 2010.
Some observations on Survey outcomes

The survey is dominated by responses from mountain bike riders with over 80% stating this is their preferred discipline. This outcome is partly related to the survey collection approach where MTB events were targeted and groups travelling to Canberra specifically for mountain biking were responding online. The links on the Stromlo website was most likely used by MTB riders to seek information on Stromlo Forest Park. However it is apparent from both the survey responses and the event data collected that the Capital Region and the ACT in particular are very popular with MTB enthusiasts. It is also of note that very little research has been conducted in the realm of mountain biking so this data a very useful addition to the research spectrum.
Taking into account the size of parties travelling with survey respondents, in total 550 people were covered by the survey.

In looking at the profiles of respondents they are:
• largely male (78%) in the age bracket of 26-45 (72%);
• mostly from NSW (83%) (Sydney?);
• in full employment (85%) with over 50% earning more than $75 000 per annum; and,
• 35% travelled with partner and 50% in a group of 3 or more.
Bearing in mind that cyclists were specifically targeted in this survey it is not surprising that 60% identified that cycling was the major reason for their visit.
It is of note that:
• 17% were visiting friends and relatives;
• 18% came for leisure or holidays; and,
• only 10% specifically identified a cycling event as the major reason for their visit.
When they came to the Region:
• they mostly came by car (88%) ;
• over 63% stayed 2 nights or more;
• 40% stayed in hotel/motel/apartment accommodation;
• 30% stayed with friends or relatives; and,
• those attending 24 hr events camped on site;
In addition to their cycling activity:
• they used cafes and restaurants 84%, and
• visited nature reserves or national parks (50%)
Noting the dominance of MTB respondents and the fact that most travelled specifically to the ACT (88%) it is not surprising that:
• 66% visited Stromlo Forest park;
• 49% visited Sparrows (the Mont 24 hr was a factor in this response level); and,
• 10% visited Thredbo and 8% used the trails around Bundanoon
The popularity of the path around Lake Burley Griffin is evidenced by the 38% who rode this route ( MTB riders rode around the lake!)
In respect to the spending patterns of respondents, the average spend per person, per day was $171, somewhat below the figure from the National Visitors Survey for cyclists in the ACT ($244). This can be attributed to the fact that a significant number of respondents were visiting friends and relatives and a number camped out for the Mont 24 hour event. Thus the accommodation element ($65 per day average) was lower than expected, however the Food and Beverage element is significant at $50 per day and fuel and transport at $27 per day. Of note is the $15 per day spent on bike related expenses.
In summary this Survey has shown that the Region (and the ACT especially) is a mecca for Mountain Biking with all MTB locations well regarded. This snapshot provides useful data in considering any marketing efforts in this market. Some of individual comments made through the survey are very useful and will incorporated into the final recommendations. It would be useful to continue with more survey work as a strategy for this market evolves.
Cycling Maps and Publications
One of the consistent comments through the Survey and through verbal feedback to those doing the Survey is that maps and guides specifically for cyclists are desired by many cycle tourists.

There have been a number of cycling maps and guides produced in the region but there are few that are “current” and none that are “comprehensive” guides to cycling in the region.
The ACT Region
ACT tourism has produced a free guide “See yourself cycling around the lake” which is available from a number of outlets. This guide has a map of Lake Burley Griffin with cycling routes, major attractions, toilets and picnic areas identified. It is now outdated with the Kingston Foreshores development and the new path through the Jerrabomberra Wetlands now open.
The Cycling and Walking Map of Canberra and Queanbeyan was produced by ACTPLA but is now out of print and it is understood the responsibility for this is being transferred to ACT Roads. It appears that there are no immediate plans for the continuation of this most popular and well regarded cycling guide. There is an online version of the map but this presents some difficulties for mobile cyclists.
Canberra Off Road Cyclists (CORC) has produced a series of flyers with maps for mountain biking around Canberra. These cover Stromlo, Sparrows, and Majura Pines and an overall guide “Where to eat/where to ride”.
Southern Highlands
Whilst the Southern Highlands has no cycling specific maps or guides in print form the Holiday Planner for the area has a cycling section with useful information about both recreational riding on paths and roads and mountain bike parks.
Snowy Mountains
In the Snowies printed materials are related to specific resorts. Thredbo, Perisher and Crackenback resorts all promote Mountain Biking in summer and each has a printed map and guide for mountain biking. There wa a booklet published some years ago titled “A Guide to Bicycling the Snowy Mountains” however this is now outdated and out of print.
What else is out there?
Across Australia a number of cities and regions produce guides specifically targeted at cycle tourists. There are also a number of commercial publications aimed at this market.
Some of the better examples of these include:

Commercial Guides
Lonely Planet Guide
Cycling Australia – Discover the World on Two Wheels(Lonely Planet 2001)
This book has a sections on the ACT and Kosciusko High Country
Where to Ride series published by Bicycling Australia
Where to Ride Canberra(Hards 2009)
Details 41 Adult rides and 20 Kids’ Rides in and around Canberra with maps and ride descriptions and classifies rides by Path, On Road, Off Road and MTB.
NRMA NSW
Great Cycling Rides in NSW – 75 of NSW’s best family bike rides(NRMA 2006)
Details 5 rides in the Southern Highlands and 5 in the ACT– none in the Snowy Mountains
Cycling Guides
Ride Guide 2010 – Cyclists Guide to North East Victoria –
based on Murray to the Mountains Rail trail but extends to other cycling interests;
Cycle in Greater Shepparton – Victoria
The Riesling Trail, Clare Valley South Australia – another Rail Trail
The NSW Central Coast Cycling Guide

Cycling Maps
There are a large range and number of cycling maps published by commercial companies, bicycle organisations and government agencies across the country. Most of these are primarily focussed on the needs of commuting and recreational cyclists resident in the areas covered. These are obviously relevant to tourists as well as locals. Adelaide and Perth have particularly good cycling maps that cover all of those cities in great detail across a number of map sheets. The list below includes some of the better published maps that are aimed more particularly at the cycling tourist.
Discover Tasmania – Your guide to Cycling Touring;
Noosa Shire Cycling and Walking Map
Hobson Bay Coastal Trail (Melbourne Western Suburbs) People Piers and Pelicans
Perth Bike Map Series – Perth/Fremantle – Stirling
Cycling in the Swan Valley and Guildford, Swan Valley WA
Westlink Cycleway and Walking Path – An uninterrupted 40 km trip across Sydney
The Reisling Trail – Clare Valley South Australia
Websites and Online Maps
A number of researchers have examined how cycle tourists use online sources to gather information to assist in choice of destination for their cycling pursuits. More and more cyclists are going online for information about potential ride locations. In their 2006 report on Destination Marketing for South Australia Faulks et al (Faulks 2008) have identified that 53% of cycle tourists used the internet as a prime source of information and 37% obtained their information from cycling clubs or organisations. Brochures and travel guides/books were used by 23% of their respondents. Lamont (Lamont 2010)has examined map content and directional signage needs of independent cycle tourists.
Many cyclists, especially road riders, use general mapping tools such as Google Earth to research potential rides, and often record their favourite routes there for others to share. There are a number of cycling specific websites that have the capability to map routes, including vertical profiles, record ride details and associated facilities, and to share these with others. They are mostly used by road and recreation riders.
Map My Ride (www.mapmyride.com) is one of the more popular sites that has many rides detailed around the Capital Region. One of the issues with such sites is that the routes chosen and rated are very subjective, and an easy, quiet route to one rider may turn out to be hard and dangerous to another.
Many of the maps published online are basically copies of hardcopy maps often just scanned and placed on a website with very basic navigation features. The Canberra and Queanbeyan Walking and Cycling Map is an example of this where some basic zoom and roam capabilities allow online users to just peruse the paper map online. True interactive mapping is now becoming more prominent where maps can be created interactively online from a range of base information. These are much more useful to users who can select from menus the type of information they need and create their own map. Apart from Google Maps and Mapmyride there are few examples of this capability being available in the Capital Region, although the interactive map on the Ride Canberra website has some of these features.
Some of the cycling maps available online for the region include:
The Canberra Walking and Cycling Map at http://www.tams.act.gov.au/move/cycling/cycling_and_walking_map
Ride Canberra has an interactive map for mountain bike trials at http://ridecanberra.com.au/map/
Southern Highlands has a number of maps at: http://www.southern-highlands.com.au/cycling
Stromlo maps including an interactive version showing selected difficulty of the various trails in the Park are available from their website at: http://www.stromloforestpark.com.au/maps/
Signage for Cyclists
Together with maps, guides and online information a number of respondents to the Survey and some of the recent research(Lamont 2009) has shown that signage on cycleways, especially for visitors is quite important. There is a National Standard for such signage and the ACT has a program under way at present to install signs throughout Canberra. Below is an extract from a recent report by the consultants (CivilScope Consult Pty Ltd) working on this project.

Roads ACT Main Community Route Signage Project

Roads ACT had a budget appropriation of $800,000 in 2009-10 to provide directional signage on Main Community Routes (MCRs) and ongoing infrastructure funding to continue the project through 2010-11.
A map is included at Appendix 6 to illustrate the MCR layout with proposed signage.
Directional signage installed on cycle path around Lake Burley Griffin, ACT

Lake Recreational Direction Signage

The proposed signage to suit a recreational / tourist focus around four of Canberra’s Lakes including Lake Burley Griffin, Lakes Ginninderra and Tuggeranong and Yerrabi Pond has been developed in conjunction with NCA, Parks Conservation and Lands and ACT Heritage. ACT Tourism have also been consulted on copy for signage.
Path Signage Lake Burley Griffin Shared Path
Signage Types / Numbers
The design of the signs has progressed with regular consultation with stakeholders and the signage design proposed for Lake Burley Griffin is illustrated in Figure 6 below.

Figure 6 – Three Lake Recreational Directional signage types

The Lake Burley Griffin Circuit is made up of three loops and the detail design has been completed for the Western loop which is 16km of the 29km circuit. Approval is expected by the end of July and construction on the works is to commence in September 2010. Design is progressing on the Central and Eastern loops and these are expected to gain Approval in early October 2010. Signage following the same character but without the corten steel sail is to be installed between Jolimont Centre and Parliament House and this should occur concurrently with the Central loop.

All three signage types are proposed for installation around Lake Burley Griffin with Destination and reassurance signs only to be installed around the other Lakes. In all 57 signs are proposed around the 28km circuit of Lake Burley Griffin with 46 proposed around the other three lakes and a further 7 to mark the route between Jolimont Centre and Parliament House. The design for the signage around the other three lakes is proceeding and is expected to be complete by November 2010 with installation around these lakes expected to be completed by the end of February 2011.
Rail Trails
One of the major cycle tourism needs that are constantly to the fore is for “safe” cycling and Rail Trails meet this need very well. Rail Trails are disused Railway lines converted to cycling and walking trails. They are attractive because they are free of all road traffic, they generally have gentle grades and curves and often traverse scenic areas. Victoria has been particularly active in creating Rail Trails with a number throughout the State. There has been some significant research (Willard 2004; Beeton 2006) into the economic impact on tourism of these trails.

Murray to Mountains Rail Trail Gapsted Winery on the Trail
The Murray to Mountains trail from Wangaratta to Bright in Victoria’s North East is the most studied and arguably the most popular, but the Lilydale to Waburton trail on the outskirts of Melbourne,the East Gippsland Trail from Bairnsdale to Orbost and the High Country Trail from Wodonga to Tallangatta are also very popular with tourists.

East Gippsland High Country Lilydale to Warburton
One landmark study of the Murray to Mountains trail over Easter in 2006 (Beeton 2006) estimated that 8300 riders used the trail over the Easter period with an economic impact over the 4 days on the local economy of $2 141 000. This represents the creation of 21 full time jobs for a year though this one holiday period.
In NSW the creation of rail trails have been problematical with a major barrier being the State legislation in place that requires legislative change to allow the closure of disused railway lines, even if they have been disused for long periods and are never likely to be used for rail transport again. Despite considerable lobbying this remains an issue.
In the Capital Region there are several potential Rail Trail projects in various stages of development.
These include:
Riverina High Country
Wagga wagga to Tumbarumba (137km) and Tumut to Batlow (32km)
Murrumbidgee Valley
Coolac to Tumblong via Gundagai (32km)
Monaro High Country
Canberra to Cooma and on to Bombala
Upper Molonglo
Captains Flat to Bungendore (42km) with possible links to Queanbeyan and Canberra.
Crookwell to Goulburn (54km)
Picton to Mittagong

The most advanced of the Regional Rail trail proposals is the Riverina High Country trail, which has completed a feasibility study and some funding has been secured for further investigations and development of a short portion of the trail. The management of this initiative now rests with the Riverina Development Board – a semi government agency.

Captains Flat Molonglo River Bridge Bungendore Station
Upper Molonglo Rail Trail
The Upper Molonglo team also completed feasibility study but has been unsuccessful in securing development funds. The Captains Flat to Bungendore trail is on a closed rail line that in the past served the mine at Captain’s Flat. The proponents of this proposal submitted a grant application (TQUAL) to Tourism Australia in 2007 which was not successful. This proposal incorporated a link from Bungendore through Queanbeyan into the Canberra cycle network potentially linking Captains Flat via Bungendore to Canberra on a traffic free route. This concept could link well into the ACT Centenary Trail project described elsewhere in this report.
Whilst each of these proposed trails has had volunteer groups promoting their prospects, the legislative issues in NSW remain a significant barrier and resourcing of professional project/management teams to progress beyond “the good idea” phase is badly needed. Detailed descriptions of these proposals (extracted for the Rail Trails Australia Website) are included at Appendix 5 to this report.
From a tourism development perspective it would be a significant boost to cycle tourism in the Region if all of these trails came to be in the next 10-15 years, or even if one or two were developed it would add significantly to the mix of cycle tourism attractors in the region.

Outcomes of Workshops and Interviews

The workshops held at Goulburn and in Canberra had a number of objectives. They were an attempt to engage with identified stakeholders to outline the scope of the project and provide an overview of Cycle Tourism concepts. It was an opportunity to obtain input to the audit of facilities and list of events and to facilitate circulation of the survey questionnaire through stakeholders. The other aspect of the workshops was to identify any upcoming activities or initiatives of relevance to a developing cycle tourism strategy. It also was an opportunity to solicit suggestions for further development.
The interviews conducted had basically the same objectives as the workshops but provided either an opportunity to explore issues in more depth or to engage with key stakeholders unable to attend the workshops.
The Goulburn Workshop
Whilst the attendance at this workshop was only small (7 people) and only represented the Goulburn region it was useful to identify issues in Goulburn and some initiatives proposed for the city and surrounds. The attendance list is at Appendix 2. It would seem that many tourism operators in the Region do not see Goulburn as part of the Southern Highlands.
Key issues identified at this workshop included:
• The general manager of Goulburn Mulwaree Shire is an active cyclist who is supportive of initiatives in cycling and tourism and is assisting with support for a number of key proposals for the Shire.
• There is regional series of MTB rides/races run in conjunction with the Southern Highlands Cycle Club. This has potential to attract visiting MTB riders.
• There is a velodrome in Goulburn for track racing with potential to host regional track events;
• There is potential to use regional closed road circuits for criteriums and road races. These courses include Wakefield Park motor racing circuit, a Police training facility in Goulburn and the Marulan Driver training circuit.
• The rural roads around Goulburn are well suited to road riding for recreation, training or racing especially not the Tablelands way is sealed through to Oberon.
• An ongoing issue for the local cycling club is the red tape involved and lack of support for road events for the local Police and RTA officials, which has become a real barrier to these events.

Initiatives/opportunities identified included:
• The Goulburn to Citi road race is an established, and well regarded semi-professional road race held in September each year. There is an opportunity to build some cycling activity in Goulburn around this event. In 2010 the Goulburn Grand Prix Challenge will be held in NSW Bike Week (19 September) with 3 road based events offered catering for recreation and serious riders across several distances/routes. This is a week before the Goulburn to Citi.
• The Council and local cycling club with support from some commercial operators (Greengrocer on Clifford) are presently preparing a bid to host the NSW and possibly the National Masters’ Road Cycling Championships from 2011 for 3 years.
• The Crookwell to Goulburn Rail Trail has great potential but local supporters are now totally frustrated by a lack of support either locally or at the State level.
Canberra Workshop
This workshop was well attended with some 16 stakeholders attending representing a good cross section of interested agencies, clubs and cycling related businesses. The attendance list is at Appendix 2.
The presentations included a brief on the Stromlo Master Plan by Neale Guthrie, General Manager of Territory Venues and Events and a short introduction to the Ride Canberra website by Ride Canberra operators Kimberlee King and Clint Wright.
The workshop held in Canberra was a well attended and a worthwhile exercise. Presenters Dennis Puniard, Neale Guthrie, Kimberlee King and Clint Wright all clearly discussed their roles within the cycle tourism framework and the initiatives they are driving. Discussions amongst key stakeholders who attended helped to identify key areas of concern and strategies to overcome these. Through direct contact and input from key cycling stakeholders in the ACT a clearer understanding has emerged for necessary actions needed to improve cycle tourism and provide input to a cycle tourism strategy for the Region.
In the discussion session at the workshop three questions were posed to attendees. The questions and the responses are briefly outlined below:
Question 1: What are the 3-5 key actions that you think would bring more tourists with bikes to Canberra?
• Create better maps (GPS friendly) that incorporate cycling tracks and routes. Provide more information about trails and guides that are accessible for tourists e.g. at tourist information centres, airports, bus terminals and train stations. This will aid cycle tourists in knowing where to go before they arrive at the destination.
• Sustainable cycle tourism brings cyclists back to the destination time and time again and also spreads by positive word of mouth. The aim for main cycling stakeholders is for cycle tourists to stay in the region for two – five days rather than for one night.
• Improving signage across the A.C.T and surrounding Capital Region for all forms of cycling will increase the popularity of cycling and the accessibility to cycling destinations. Clear and accurate signage directly from the airport to the cycling destination in the Capital Region i.e. Stromlo Forest Park will be very beneficial for cycle tourists.
• Improving the alliance with cycle tourism friendly accommodation in the Capital Region will allow cyclists to safely secure their cycling belongings and bikes. This will increase the likelihood of cycle tourists visiting the Capital Region and thus will bring in greater revenue.
• Improving and increasing infrastructure and facilities throughout the A.C.T. and surrounding Capital Region will accommodate cyclists of all disciplines and further increase the popularity of cycling.
• Creating trails that will be of shared use for cycling, horse riding, running and walking will greatly benefit not only cycle tourism in the Capital Region but also benefit the wider community.
• Increase the amount of advertising and promotion of cycling in the A.C.T. and surrounding Capital Region.
• Focusing on the social and health benefits that are associated with cycling will greatly enhance the popularity of the sport.
• By using the initiative of “Ride Canberra” to assist cyclists knowing where to ride, how to get to certain destinations, where to stay, where to eat and the location of bike shops, will further increase cycling in the region.
• Leverage off larger tourism focussed events held in the A.C.T. and surrounding Capital Region such as Floriade, ‘Masterpieces from Paris’ at the National Gallery and the World Mountain Biking Championships held at Stromlo Forest Park in 2009.
• By better coordination and communication and a clear Government supported strategy for this growing tourism sector, government officials, commercial operators, business managers, event managers and volunteers will have a clearer understanding of what cycle tourists want, what their needs are and wher they can enjoy cycling in the Region.
Question 2: Who (which organization/individual) should coordinate the action/make it happen?
• Australian Capital Tourism
• Chief Minister’s Department
• Premiers Council for Active Living NSW
• Community based group with possible public funding through a public submission
• All of Government Initiative.
Question 3: Who Pays?
• The Interest Groups could pool funding (convention bureau model)
• Whole of Government funding through the budget – initial seed funding and ongoing committment
• Australian Capital Tourism
• Create a Cycle Tourism Trust Fund: For cycling related databases, shops, events, sporting bodies and main sporting organizations involved with cycling to pay a certain percentage of benefits gained from the increase of infrastructure into the fund.
• Incorporate annual registration fees for competing cyclists throughout the nation.
• Create a number of day and overnight MTB trails from Stromlo, with accommodation cabins placed at strategic locations (similar to cross country skiing).
• Encourage train/bike tourism with train carriages set aside for the transport of bikes by train (especially from Sydney)
Through the Canberra workshop additional inputs were provided to identify all major events with a tourism impact and some expansion of the knowledge base of facilities and planned future activities.
A summary slide form the workshop is useful snapshot of the current image of cycle tourism in the Region.
We’ve got it all !
 We are Australia’s Cycling Territory
 Great Facilities
 Great mix of Events
 Lots of skilled and keen people
What we have NOT got !
 But we are Australia’s Best Kept Secret (word is getting out) and we really need:
 More events, better linked;
 More linked trails;
 More government support through a focus agency;
 Coordination – we need paid professional people driving a strategy;
 A promotional strategy;
 Much better marketing materials, and,
 More wheelie friendly tourism businesses

Through the workshop and the additional one on one interviews the following initiatives with potential impact on cycle tourism were identified.
The Centenary Trail
The ACT Government through the Department of Territory and Municipal Services and ACT Procurement Solutions have proposed the construction of a Centenary Trail around the Urban parts of the ACT. This trail, to be completed by the ACT Centenary in 2013 is primarily aimed to meet the needs of residents of the ACT but has potential to add considerably to the infrastructure attractive to visitors, in this case particularly mountain bike riders. A Request for Expressions of Interest was release in March 2010 for Project Design Services for this project.
The Centenary Trail Concept aims to create a Trail which will:
• be challenging, interesting, self-guided and non-motorised;
• cater to a wide range of local and visiting trail users, particularly walkers, cyclists and horse riders (not necessarily concurrently in the same location);
• provide a world-class trail network staged to deliver a minimum 100km network backbone by March 2013;
• have a backbone segmented into daily legs of reasonably uniform standard;
• build upon and links to existing ACT Government infrastructure and partnerships, particularly in areas managed by Parks Consevration and Lands(PCL);
• incorporate a wide range of Canberra’s natural, built, heritage, recreational and scenic values and attractions;
• link to adjacent campsites, commercial accommodation, food and retail outlets, recreational facilities and other user services; and,
• engage the community, other Government departments and the private sector;
It is of note that the consultant appointed to complete the Design Study is required to:
• identify potential trail users: the nature of their use, their location and means of future consultation;
• advise on the potential for developing a package for tourism marketing;
• identify the ideal location of a proposed backbone trail with associated linkages and loops;
• research relevant experiences elsewhere and advise on the extent and nature of multi-use / sharing;
• advise on other design issues including trail standard, signage, facilities (parking, toilets, campsites etc.) and maintenance; and,
• develop an indicative budget (including maintenance costs) and timeline for the project.
Should this project proceed as envisaged it will add to the mix of cycle tourism experiences for some sectors of the cycle tourism market.
In its presently specified form this trail will only be suited to mountain bikes, thus will be of limited use to recreational riders and of no interest to road riders. It does have the potential to be further developed into a taril suited to recreational riders and to link very well with the concept of a rail trail from Canberra via Queanbeyan to Bungendore and Captains Flat should that become a reality in the future.
Stromlo Forest Park Future Development
Stromlo Forest Park was developed after the catastrophic bushfires in 2003 that destroyed most of the forest and facilities on Mt Stromlo and many homes in adjacent suburbs. It has now become recognised as one of the best mountain bike facilities not only in Australia but also internationally after hosting the very successful World MTB Championships in 2009. Over the past 2-3 years it has also played host to a number of national cycling events in both mountain biking and road racing. It has been the base for a number of challenge events as well.

In 2009 the ACT Government commissioned a report on the future development of the Park by consultants Parsons Brickenhoff, who consulted many stakeholders and presented their report in December 2009.

This plan proposes that there should be considerable infrastructure developments to enhance and improve the facility. The general the masterplan includes:
• Accommodation – both camping and cabin type accommodation – eventually onsite hotel type accommodation.
• An event village, shops, aquatic centre and a 400m running track;
• Sport and recreation hall and office accommodation;
• Extended mountain bike trails and downhill course;
• Expanded event management infrastructure;
• An expanded criterium track;
• A 12km loop road inside the perimeter of the Park for road races;
• A velodrome;
• A BMX track; and,
• A chair lift to the summit for use by downhill mountain bikers;
Stromlo Forest Park sits on the edge of the planned future suburbs for Molonglo. This is the planned major expansion of Canberra over the next 10-15 years with major roads and other infrastructure and many new homes. The new Arboretum lies about 4km to East of Stromlo Forest Park. Territory Venues and Events (TVE), in cooperation with cycling advocates, are working with planning authorities and the Chief Minister’s Department to ensure these new developments provide adequate access to and from Stromlo Forest Park. One of the initiatives proposed is to have a suitable link from Stromlo to the road system through the Arboretum, which will provide further options for cycling road race circuits, and enhance the regions ability to host major national and international road cycling events.
In 2010 the National Veterans Road Championships will be hosted out of Stromlo.
TVE continues to work with cycling organizations at the local and national level to attract more major events, such as World MTB cup events and BMX Supercross.

Southern Highlands
The Wingecarribee Shire Council which covers Mittagong, Bowral and Moss Vale has developed a Bicycle Strategy released in October 2008. Whilst much of this strategy is related to local commuting for cyclists and health enhancements for te community by encouraging more safe cycling many of the objectives and plans will have a tourism impact.
Specific objectives of the plan relevant to cycle tourism include:
• To build a coherent network consisting of a network of bicycle routes: regional routes for longer trips, local routes for localised trips and traffic calmed local streets for easy access to all destinations;
• To provide a system of signage and network mapping for easy way-finding and place details to encourage and assist riders to better use the network;
Some of the specific actions proposed in the plan will considerably enhance the tourism experience for visitors to the Southern Highlands. These include:

• Inform Wingecarribee residents and workforce on the location of bicycle routes and facilities through paper and electronic PDF maps available on Council’s web site as well as the Tourism Southern Highlands website. Publication-quality mapping will allow transport access guides to be easily produced for schools, major workplaces and shopping / commercial centres. All maps and promotional material will be available from the Visitor Information Centre;
• Encourage bicycle travel and tourism within the Local Government area, building on existing events and programs such as recently developed VAUDE Highland Fling / the Australian MTB Marathon Championships by Wild Horizons in Bundanoon;
• Require and encourage the private sector and government agencies to provide bicycle parking and end of trip facilities in and around their buildings; and
• Improve and expand the level and quality of bicycle parking in the public domain.
The plan proposes a Mittagong, Bowral and Moss Vale Bicycle Network which will include:

• Linking Mittagong, Bowral and Moss Vale. In response to the Social Plan and the needs identified by the stakeholders, there is a clear need for a continuous shared path from Mittagong to Moss Vale. Some of the path exists, some of it needs upgrading, some of it is included in existing plans and some of it is newly identified in this plan. It will form the spine for pedestrian and bicycle access between the three towns;

• Main Feeder Routes. Connecting routes branching off from the demonstration project to link Welby, Willow Vale, Renwick, East Bowral and Burradoo;

• Regional Links and Tourism Routes, including the development of the Mittagong to Picton Rail Trail and a series of routes to Berrima – the Berrima Double 8 Loop.
Snowy Mountains
As there was insufficient support for a workshop in the Snowy Mountains a number of meetings and interviews with key individual stakeholders were held. Whilst mountain biking is well covered by Thredbo, Crackenback Resort and Perisher facilities and events that are run at those resorts in summer, there seem to be few initiatives planned in this region for road or recreational cycling. A new mountain bike event, Activ 8, is planned for Crackenback in January 2010, being run by Wild Horizons from Bundanoon. A second edition of the Mountains to the Sea multi-day Mountain Bike event first held in 2010 is also planned for 2011.
A study was recently commissioned into the Lake Jindabyne Recreational Trail by the Snowy River Shire Council. The consultants, GTA consultants, delivered their report to Council in January 2010, and it has reported on extensive engineering investigations and cost estimates for extensions to the existing recreational path along the shores of Lake Jindabyne. Extensions are planned from the township across the Lake Jindabyne dam wall to the Tyrolean Village and on to East Jindabyne and also from the end of the existing path at Willows Inlet (to the west of the township) to Hatchery Bay. The trails are planned to be completed in stages as funding becomes available. The extensions total some 13 km giving a
20km of trail in total when all works are completed. There are plans to extend the trail network around the Lake to Kalkite and eventually to have a loop right around the whole lake. The trails are being planned to meet the needs of “recreational riding” and to also to connect into other mountain bike trials near East Jindabyne.

Summary
Summary of Economic Impacts
From the data taken from the National Visitors Survey the total spend in 2009 by holiday cyclists to the ACT was some $26 million. Whilst for these visitors cycling may not have been the prime reason for their visit it has been a significant factor in their choice to travel to the ACT.
Excluding the one off 2008 World Cup and 2009 World Championship MTB events, the annual calendar of cycling events across the Capital Region presently attracts some 16 000 visitors participating in cycling events with an economic impact in the Region of some $4.5 million. These visitors are definitely on Cycling Holidays where cycling is the main purpose of their visit to the region.
In addition to the above our Survey has provided some first time data for some 550 visitors covered by the Survey and this provides useful spend profile of cycle tourists in the Region in 2010, with an emphasis on mountain bikers. Whilst the direct spend identified in the Survey only totals some $30 000 for the 174 respondents, this provides a sound basis for further analysis and the base figures could be applied to some future cycle counts or tourist census.

Towards a Cycle Tourism Strategy
The A.C.T. and surrounding Capital Region has notable cycling infrastructure including on-road and off-road cycling, and extensive mountain bike trails. There are also many existing cycling events that attract visitors to the region. However at present there is no strategy to build on the attributes of the ACT and the surrounding Capital Region.

Across Australia most of those regions that are leading the way in Cycle Tourism have devoted resources to the sector and have been through a strategic planning process, with Cycle Tourism Strategies developed and managed.

The South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC) has developed a Cycle Tourism Strategy (South Australian Tourist Commission 2005) for the State covering the 5 years from 2005-2009, which indentifies the market position, target markets, different regions to participate in cycling tourism within South Australia as well as the main objectives and strategies of the SATC. The fruits of this strategy are being realised through many developments across the State, but especially with the Tour Down Under in January each year and mountain bike facilities and events in the Adelaide Hills and the Flinders ranges.
The other most notable Cycle Tourism Strategy (Rural City of Wangaratta 2008) has been developed by the Murray to the Mountains region in North East Victoria. This region covers the three local Government areas of Alpine and Indigo Shires and the Rural City of Wangaratta, with the Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail traversing these three councils. They have appointed a full time staff member as the Cycle Tourism Officer for the region with their main role to manage and implement the Strategy.
Whilst this report provides much of the background information required to formulate a Cycle Tourism Strategy for the Capital Region it does not actually formulate a Strategy. Such a Strategy can draw from this report and should, at a minimum, cover the following specific points:
• A vision
• A theme
• Objectives
• Timeframe – (now to 2020?)
• Context – existing facilities, events, stakeholders
• Benefits to ACT and region – specifically summarizing economic impacts from existing activities and events but also projecting potential economic impacts from future developments.
• Identify potential market/s
o Scope and size, location of target markets, disciplines, events, etc
• Outline activities or actions to build the market
• Resourcing and funding for an Action Plan
• Identify and build Partnerships
Recommendations
Capital Region or Separate Plans
In formulating a cycle tourism strategy the first consideration is whether this strategy should be a regional strategy or be separate strategies for the distinct parts of the Capital Region. The ACT has one Government and is well served by facilities and existing events and has a considerable base of cycling organisations and willing volunteers. On the other hand the Capital Region outside the ACT covers many shires and local government areas in NSW, with different agendas, budgets, tourism resources and focus.
Generally the cycling organisations in the Region outside the ACT are small and rightly focussed on serving the needs of their local members. The Region outside the ACT, with the exception of the Bundanoon area and Snowy Mountains mountain biking in summer, has little in the way of facilities and major cycling events compared to the ACT. There are some plans to enhance recreational cycling facilities at Jindabyne and in the Southern Highlands and these will certainly enhance the cycle tourism experience in these areas.
The concept of Regional packaging for this market has some merit, where a visitor (especially those from the Sydney area) would be made aware of the range of cycling options through the Region, and encouraged to extend their trips to experience a range of locations.

A Strategy
It is strongly recommended that a Cycle Tourism Strategy be developed as a follow up to this report.
This task should be undertaken by an agency with suitable funding and resources to see the task through and to drive its implementation. A key factor in achieving this is to have resources dedicated to the task. This includes both people and funding. The task could be undertaken by a government agency if suitably resourced or by suitable consultants with government funding and oversight.
A focal point/agency
To ensure that coordination of efforts in this market is achieved it is strongly recommended that a focal agency be nominated to manage the future of this initiative. The Agency most suited to this role is probably ACT Tourism but other candidates include Territory Venues and Events or the loosely structured Capital Tourism consortium.
Funding
Without coordination and suitable funding this potentially significant tourism market will struggle to progress beyond its present state, where individuals drive separate events and initiatives for their own reasons, either for financial or other motives. The funding is required initially to complete a Strategy, agreed and committed to by stakeholders, but to also make some initial moves in the marketing and promotion of the sector. It is thus recommended that the focal agency identified to take carriage of this initiative be adequately funded for at least 3 years to progress beyond the “good idea” phase of cycle tourism.
Promotion
It is immediately apparent from this report that promotion of cycling tourism in the region is uncoordinated, haphazard and generally very poor. There are a few publications and websites that promote individual facilities, regions or events but generally there is no consistent message or approach. Much of the content of this report could form the basis for a promotional strategy for the considerable existing attractions of the region, but this needs funding and coordination. As a bare minimum the following should be pursued:
• A Regional Cycling Guide should be produced similar to the Shepparton or Murray to Mountains Guide. This could cover the whole of the Capital Region and all cycling disciplines.
• Cycling maps should be produced to a standard, with consistent presentation and content. These maps would be discipline specific and cover specific areas within the regions.
Maps and guides are required in “hard copy” form but can also be made available online. Cyclists are mobile tourists who will not carry computers on their bikes.
More survey work
In formulating a Cycle Tourism Strategy it would be informative to continue with the survey of cycle tourists through the coming summer months. Whilst the survey results included in this report are useful to understand the market the sampling has been dominated by the ACT and mountain bikers. A more comprehensive survey would provide better data on which to base a Strategy. In conducting such survey work the provision of incentives for respondenst would improve the response rate and quality.
More Big Events
Much of the evidence in the Cycle Tourism sphere is that major cycling events bring tourists and create a focus on the other tourism attractions in an area. SBS television coverage of the Tour Down Under has excited many cyclists and non cyclists alike to not only visit during the Tour but to also explore the Adelaide region at other times. The World MTB championships at Stromlo in 2009 had a major economic impact on the ACT and raised awareness of our MTB facilities. Any endeavours to attract major national and international events to the Region should thus be supported in full by regional agencies in any way possible.
Rail trails
There is very strong evidence that the Rail Trails in Victoria are significant attractors for cycle tourists and have major economic benefits for the regions where they are located. Thus any support that can be given or coordinated for the NSW proposed trails should have considerable priority in tourism plans for the Region.

In completing this report it has become apparent that cycle tourism already has a substantial base in the Capital Region and has significant potential to grow so that region becomes truly Australia’s Cycling Capital.

Acknowledgements
In completing the research for this report a number of individuals have provided support, encouragement and their time and resources.

In particular thanks are due to:
• Professor Trevor Mules, recently retired Director of the Centre for Tourism Research, University of Canberra
• Pam Faulks, University of Canberra and now Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism
• Associate Professor Tracey Dickson, University of Canberra
• Justin Lalor and Joanthan Kobus, Australian Capital Tourism
• Kasia Stawski and Lauren Dobson, Tourism Students at University of Canberra
• Peter Dowse, Capital Bike Hire
• Jillian Edwards, Mr Spokes Bike Hire
• Paul Agius, Olympic Cycle Goulburn
• All that provided their time, emails and advice through the workshops and interviews.

Appendices

1. Stakeholder lists

2. Attendance at Workshops and Interviews

3. Survey Instrument

4. Full List of Comments from Survey

5. Potential Rail Trails in the Capital Region

6. Map of signage plan for Lake Burley Griffin

Reference List
ACT Government (2010). Post Event Report – 2009 UCI Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships. Canberra.
Australian Sports Commission (2010). Participation in Exercise, Recreation and Sport Survey – 2009 Annual Report, Standing Committee on Recreation and Sport of the ASC.
Beeton, S. (2006). Regional Communities and Cycling:The Case of the Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail, Victoria, Australia. Australian Cycle Toursim Conference. Adelaide, South Australia.
Bondi Forest Lodge. (2010). “Mountain Bike Activities.” Retrieved July 2010, from www.bondiforestlodge.com.au.
Bradshaw, G. (2006). The Australian Bicycle Industry Report. Melbourne . , Retail Cycle Traders Australia: 32.
City of Ballarat (2009) “Media Release – Council Seals six year National Deal “.
Cycling Promotion Fund (2006). Bike Sales in Australia 1998-2005.
Cycling Promotion Fund (2009). Survey of Cycling Organisations 2009.
Cycling Promotion Fund (2010). Bicycle Sales in Australia 2010. Melbourne, Cycling Promotion Fund.
Department of Primary Industries NSW. (2010). “State Forest Facilities – Cycling.” Retrieved Julty 2010, from www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/recreation.
Eurobodalla Cyclist Club (2009) “Media Release – Moruya the Winner from a Great Weekend’s Cycling.”
Faulks, P. (2010). Motivations of active sport tourists:A case study of bicycle tourists particpating in Big Rides. Tourism. Canberra, University of Canberra. Doctor of Philosophy.
Faulks, P., and Mules,T. (2008). 2008 Nissan UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Event Evaluation, Centre for Tourism Research, University of Canberra.
Faulks, P., Ritchie, B., Brown, G.,and Beeton,S. (2008). Cycle Tourism and South Australia Destination Marketing: An Exploratory Study, Sustainable Tourism CRC: Gold Coast, Australia.
.
Faulks, P., Ritchie,B., and Fluker, M. (2006). Cycle Tourism in Australia:
An investigation into its size and scope, CRC for Sustainable Tourism.
Fitzgerald, O. (2010). “Laurel Hill Forest Lodge.” Retrieved July 2010, from www.laurelhillforestlodge.com.au.
Hards, N. (2009). Where to Ride Canberra. Port Kembla NSW, Bicycling Australia Press.
IMBA (2007). Mountain Bike Tourism Success Stories, International Mountain Bicycling Association.
Lamont, M. (2008). Wheels of Change: a model of whole tourism systems for independeant bicycle tourism. Recreating Tourism New Zealand Tourism and Hospitality Research. Christchurch.
Lamont, M. (2009). Independent Bicycle Tourism in Australia:A whole Tourism Systems Analysis. School of Tourism and Hospitality Management. Lismore, Southern Cross University. Doctor of Philosophy.
Lamont, M., and Causley, K., (2010). “Guiding the Way: Exploring Cycle Tourists’ Needs and Preferences for Cycling Route Maps and Signage.” Annuals of Leisure Research TBA.
Lamont, M., Axelsen,M., and Faulks,P. (2008). Outcomes of the 2008 Audax Alpine Classic Participant Survey, University of Canberra, Univestity of Queensland, and Southern Cross University,.
Lonely Planet (2001). Cycling Australia, Discover the World on Two Wheels. Melbourne, Lonely Planet Publications.
NRMA (2006). Great Cycling Rides in New South Wales. Sydney, NRMA Motoring and Services and Bicycle NSW.
Rand, J., and Associates, (2006). SCAN Region Cycling Niche Market Report. Canberra.
Ride Canberra. (2010). “Mountain Biking Canberra.” Retrieved July 2010, from www.ridecanberra.com.au.
Ritchie, B. (1998). “Bicycle Tourism in the South Island of New Zealand; Planning and Management Issues.” Tourism Management 19(6): 567-582.
Ritchie, B., and Hall, M.C., (1999). “Bicycle Tourism and Regional Development : A New Zealand Case Study.” Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research 10(2): 89-112.
Rural City of Wangaratta (2008). Murray to the Mountains Cycle Tourism Strategy.
Skateboard.com.au. (2010). “Skateboard Park Directory.” Retrieved July 2010, from www.skateboard.com.au.
Snowy Cycling. (2010). “Snowy Cycling.” Retrieved July 2010, from www.snowycycling.com.au.
South Australian Tourist Commission (2005). Cycle Tourism Strategy 2005-2009, South Australian Tourist Commission.
South Australian Tourist Commission (2010). Santos Tour Down Under Media Release. Tourism South Australia. Adelaide.
Southern Highlands Tourism. “Southern Highlands Tourism Cycling.” Retrieved July 2010, from http://www.southern-highlands.com.au/cycling.
Tourism Research Australia (2009). Travel by Australians – Results of the National Visitors Survey. Canberra, Australian Government, Department of Resources Energy and Tourism.
Willard, P. (2004). Rail Trails and Cycle Tourism: Economic Implications for Regional Business Operators and Impact of Stakeholder Relationships. Faculty of Law and Management, School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management. Melbourne Victoria, Latrobe University. Honours: 126.
Wingecarribee Shire Council (2008). Bicycle Strategy for Mittagong, Bowral and Moss Vale.

–

Appendix 1
Capital Region Cycle Tourism Research Project
Stakeholder Listing

Sector Region Organisation Contact Person Position

Research ACT University of Canberra Dennis Puniard
Tracey Dickson

Tourism Research Australia Vic Dobos General Manager

Government
ACT ACT Australian Capital Tourism Justin Lalor
Jonathan Kobus

Parks/environment Jane Easthope
ACT Roads Tony Gill
Territory Venues and Events Neale Guthrie General Manager
TAMS – Parks and conservation Stephen Alegria
ACTPLA Neil Savery
Heart Foundation Greg Mews
Federal Australian Bicycle Council Fiona MacColl Secretariat
Peter Thompson Project Manager Roads ACT
Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism Pam Faulks
Transport Regulation and Planning,ACT Department of Territory and Municipal Services Christine Laurence Senior Policy Officer
NSW Capital Country Tourism Sarah Dawson Executive Officer
Tourism Snowy Mountains Jo Hearne/Larkin Executive Officer
Tourism Southern Highlands Steve Rosa Executive Manager
Palerang Council Peter Bascombe General Manager
Goulburn Mulwaree Council Chris Berry General Manager
Charles Litchfiled Snowy River Council
Cycling Clubs Canberra Cycling Club Jason Parkes President
John Warren Secretary
Vikings Cycling Club Simon Claringbold President
Vanessa Essam Secretary
ACT Veterans Cycling Club Rob Diamond President
Pedal Power ACT John Widdup President
Jeff Ibbotson
CORC Steve Hanley President
Audax ACT Marea England ACT President
ACTBMX Steve Thomas President
Linda Terry Secretary
Females in Training (FIT) Di Evans President
Goulburn Cycling Club Adam Lambert President
Chris Bushell
Graeme Northey
Goulburn MTB Club Tim Gibson
Cooma Cycling Club Kevin Carlson President
Wagga Wagga Cycling Club Paddy Robertson President
Steve Taylor Treasurer
Goulburn MTB Tim Gibson
South East MTB Jane Corben
Southern Highlands Cycling Club Roy McEwan
MTB Wagga Bradley Carroll
Thredbo Range Rats Colin Battersby
Goulburn Cyclists Group Chris Bushell
Bicycle User Groups Southern Highlands BUG Greg Searle
Gundagai BUG Leon Paterson
Bicycle Wagga Wagga Eric Armstrong President
Steve Hosking President
Cycling peak bodies ACT Cycling Federation Lexie Webster Admin Officer
Peter Gough
Cycling Australia/Cycling Promotion Fund Stephen Hodge Vice President
Amy Gillet Foundation Rod Katz
Cycling NSW
Bicycle NSW Alex Unwin CEO
Triathlon ACT Mathieu Meriaux Executive officer
Rail Trails Australia Damian McCrohan Secretary

Commercial Operators AROC Alina McMaster Owners
Tom Landon Smith
Cycle Education P/L ACT Raynee MacNee Manager

Bundanoon Wild Horizons/Ye old bicyle shop Huw Kingston Manager
Thedbo South East Mountain Biking Coy Jane Corben
Thredbo Resort Richard Phillips General manager
Jindabyne Horizons Resort Nick Elliot
Crackenback Resort Bruce Marshall
Mountain adventure centre
Goulburn Olympic Cycle Paul Agius Manager
Green Grocer on Clifford Con Toparis Business manager
Makin Traks Darren Stewart
Anthony Burton
Real Fun/Row n Ride Rohan Reynolds Manager
mtnbike.com.au Will Levy
Oncology Childrens Foundation Charles Dennis
Bike Hire Mr Spokes Martin and Jillian Edwards
Capital Bike Hire Peter and
Steve Dowse
Rail Trail proponents Bungendore Tourism Information Centre Alan Donnelly
Riverina High Country Owen Fitzgerald
Cycle Tourism Ride Canberra/Threesides Clint Wright
Threesides Ben Henderson
Early Bird Marketing Kimberlee King

Appendix 2
Attendance at Workshops and Interviews
Cycle Tourism Workshop
Goulburn Thursday 25 March 2010
Attendance List
Name Organisation
Graeme Northey Goulburn Cycling Club
Chris Bushell Goulburn Cycling Club
Adam Lambert Goulburn Cycling Club
Tim Gibson Goulburn Mountain Bike Club
Sarah Dawson Capital Country Tourism
Jenny Falconer Capital Country Tourism
Paul Agius Olympic Cycle

Canberra Stadium Thursday 6 April 2010
Attendance List
Name Organisation
Peter Thompson Roads ACT and Australian Bicycle council
Greg Mews Heart Foundation ACT
Jane Easthope Parks and Conservation ACT
Steve Thomas ACT BMX
Jeff Ibbotson Pedal Power ACT
Justin Lalor Australian Capital Tourism
Kimberlee King Early Bird Marketing
Clint Wright Threesides
Neale Guthrie Territory Venues and Events
Darren Stewart Makin Tracks
Peter Dowse Capital Bike Hire
Ben Henderson Ride Canberra
Pam Faulks Department of Resources, Energy ad Tourism
Stephen Alegria TAMS – Parks and Conservation
Jillian Edwards Mr Spokes Bike Hire
Stephen Hodge Cycling Promotion Fund

Dennis Puniard Facilitator – University of Canberra
Kasia Stawski University of Canberra
Lauren Dobson University of Canberra

 
Capital Region Cycle Tourism Research Project

Project Stakeholders Interviewed

Southern Highlands
Steve Rosa – Executive Manager Tourism Southern Highlands
Sarah Dawson – Executive Manager Capital Country Tourism
Con Toparis – The Greengrocer on Clifford
Huw Kingston – Wild Horizons
Craig McGee – McGee’s Cycling, Bowral

Snowy Mountains
Jo Larkin Executive Officer Tourism Snowy Mountains

Charles Litchfield, Exec Manager Planning & Environment, Snowy River Shire Council
Jane Corben – South East MTB Company
Bruce Marshall – Crackenback Resort
Nick Elliot – Manager Horizons Resort
ACT
Jillian Edwards – Mr Spokes Bike Hire
Peter Dowse – Capital Bike Hire
Anthony Burton – Makin Tracks/CORC
Darren Stewart – Makin Tracks
Kimberly King – Early Bird Marketing
Will Levy Mtb.com
Neale Guthrie – General Manager, Territory venues and Events
– Appendix 3
Survey Instrument for Capital Cycle Tourism
Cycling in the Capital Region
1. Background to the Survey

This short survey is being carried out to capture information about tourists who travel to the Capital Region with cycling as part of the reason for their travel.The Capital Region stretches from the Southern Highlands through Goulburn to Canberra and on to the Snowy Mountains.

We would value a few minutes of your time to complete the Survey.

The responses to the Survey will provide input to the development of cycle tourism concepts and lead to a better understanding of the needs of cycle tourists in the Region.

The Survey is being conducted by the Tourism Research Unit at the University of Canberra on behalf of Capital
Country Tourism.
For more information or any queries you may contact the Research Leader: Dennis Puniard
on email at : dennis.puniard@canberra.edu.au or by telephone on 0407 220885

2. Why did you travel to the Capital region?- and some cycling related questions.
1. What was your major reason for travelling to the Capital Region?

fec Holiday or leisure

fec Visiting Friends or Relatives

fec Cycling

fec A specific exhibition

fec A special event

fec Business

fec Other

Other (please specify)

Cycling in the Capital Region
2. If cycling was a major part of your reason for travelling to the Capital Region, what type of cycling are you doing?
mlj

Recreational
mlj

Mountain Biking
mlj

BMX
mlj

Road riding or racing
mlj

Other

Other (please specify)

3. Did you bring your own bike with you?
mlj

Yes

mlj No
4. If you brought your own bike, what type of bike is it?
mlj

Mountain Bike
mlj

Touring
mlj

Hybrid
mlj

Road bike
mlj

BMX
mlj

Recumbent
mlj

Other

Other (please specify)

5. Did you hire a bike or bikes whilst in the region?
mlj

Yes

mlj No
6. If you hired a bike did it meet your expectations?
mlj

Yes

mlj No

If you answered no , why was it not suitable?

Cycling in the Capital Region
7. Whilst you were in the Capital Region did you use any of the following facilities?

fec Stromlo Forest Park

fec Mt Majura

fec Sparrows

fec Bike Path around Lake Burley Griffin

fec Bowral cycle paths

fec Bundanoon Trails

fec Jindabyne cycle path

fec Thredbo downhill tracks

Other (please specify)

8. Not including yourself, how many people have travelled with you on this trip?

fec I am travelling by myself

fec 1 other fec 2 others fec 3 others fec 4 others
fec More than 4 others

9. If you travelled with others, which of the following best describes your group?

fec As a couple with my partner

fec As a family group of parents and children

fec With friends or other relatives fec With an organised tour group With another group (please specify)

3. General information about your stay in the Capital Region
Cycling in the Capital Region

1. How did you get to the Capital Region?
mlj

Car
mlj

Airline
mlj

Train
mlj

Bus
mlj

Bike
mlj

Other

Other (please specify)

2. Where have you stayed whilst in the Capital Region?
mlj

Did not stay overnight
mlj

Hotel/motel
mlj

Serviced apartment
mlj

Caravan/holiday park
mlj

With friends or relatives
mlj

Other

Other (please specify)

3. How long was your stay in the Capital Region?
mlj

Day trip only
mlj

One night
mlj

2 nights
mlj

3-5 nights
mlj

More than 5 nights
4. Where did you spend most of your time on this visit?
mlj

Canberra
mlj

Goulburn
mlj

Snowy Mountains
mlj

Southern Highlands

Other (please specify)

Cycling in the Capital Region
5. On this trip where did you spend your time?

1 night 2 nights 3-5 nights more than 5 nights Canberra nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj Goulburn mlj mlj mlj mlj
Snowy Mountains nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Southern Highlands mlj mlj mlj mlj

Other (please specify)

6. When you were in the Capital Region approximately what expenses did you incur in the following areas?
More than $150 per less than $20 per day $21-50 per day $51-100 per day $101-150 per day
day

Accommodation (per day) gfedc gfedc gfedc gfedc gfedc
Food and beverages (per fec fec fec fec fec
day)
Fuel/Transport costs (per gfedc gfedc gfedc gfedc gfedc
day)
Bike related expenses (per fec fec fec fec fec
day)

Souvenirs/gifts (per day) gfedc gfedc gfedc gfedc gfedc

Other fec fec fec fec fec

7. Which of the following did you visit during your stay in the Capital Region?

fec Restaurants or cafes

fec Nightclubs or bars

fec Nature reserves or national parks

Other venues or attractions (please specify)
4. Some information about yourself and you travelling party

1. Your gender

mlj Male

mlj Female

Cycling in the Capital Region
2. Your age

mlj Under 18 years

mlj 18-25 mlj 26-35 mlj 36-45 mlj 46-55 mlj 56-65 mlj over 65
3. Are you presently in paid employment?

mlj Not currently

mljFull time mlj Part time mlj Casual
mlj Retired

4. What is you annual income from all sources before tax?

mlj less than $30,000 mlj $30,000 – $50,000 mlj $50,0001 – $75,000 mlj $75,001-$100,000
mlj $100,001 – $125,000

mlj Over $125,000

mlj I do not wish to answer this question.

*5. Please tell us a little about yourself; If you do not wish to be personally identified that is OK, but we do need to know the city or locality where you live.

Name: City/Town: State:
ZIP/Postal Code: Country:
Email Address: Phone Number:
5. Wrapping up

Thanks for your input to this research.

Cycling in the Capital Region

See you on your Bike in Australia’s Cycling Territory

1. We would welcome any comments or suggestions on your cycling experience in the Capital Region – the good aspects or the not so good aspects, or some suggestions of what you would like to see in the future. Feel free to add your comments here.

Appendix 4
Full List of Comments from Survey
The bike path along the lake at Jindabyne is pleasant but much too short for a serious ride. Roads have resaonable shoulders and are fairly safe.
We have been to Moab, Fruita, Bead, etc and Canberra MTB is as good as it gets.
Would have loved to cycle bike paths in Canberra. There are no paths in Goulburn but lots of quiet roads so I did enjoy 30-40km rides here. I am going to Vic to ride the Bright Rail Trail asnd some others
Trim the long grass around bike paths near Scrivener Dam
Thank you. I wish the NSW govt was as competent in delivering mountain biking trails and facilities as you guys!
Mountain biking infrastructure is a good investement
Better road signage needed to direct tourists to these cylcling amenities
Personally I think the setup is brilliant and the resources are terrific. LOve coming to the ACT for riding.
Excellent facilities at Stromlo but it would be great to continue to build on them – ie more trails, cafe, bike shop etc.
Due to the great Mountain biking facilitys in the ACT i usually look for reasons to Visit the area to ride and i allways have the bike in the car when i go there for work too
Cheaper decent accommodation is sorely needed!
An expansion of the riding areas available around the capital region. Bruce/O’Conner Ridge is a great venue that should be legalized for MTB’ing, the area is currently used by many so to have it move to a legal trail will only enhance the appeal for biking in the Capital region
A cycling guide would be great. The “Cycle in Greater Shepparton” guide released by Shepparton Council is a great example of a guide that promotes recreational cycling and tourism both to residents and tourists.
a chair lift on Mt Stromlo DH would be awesome as well as well as access for shuttles at other venues
I found the skateparks among the best I’ve ridden in Australia, and they almost warrant a trip from sydney themselves.
I love the abundance of cycle paths, however they take 2-3 times as long to get anywhere due to their twisty nature. It is also frustrating as you just build up speed, and come to a road crossing with some bollards you have to slow down to go through. You also have to stop at traffic lights for a ridiculous amount of time waiting for them to change, and is partly a reason for cyclists running red lights.
Otherwise the motorists are friendly towards cyclists, which is a luxury I do not have in Sydney.
gates at stromlo dh are unlocked around once every few months if that on the dh track. There are not really enough great dh tracks to bring alot of the riders from around canberra and nsw. There are few higher level of competition races held in and around canberra eg national and state level and championship races. Canberra could make its own sort of championship race or something too. not really enough done to promote the sport and develop its riders/racers
Canberra has the best cycling facilities in the ACT/NSW areas. Majura Pines, Sparrow Hill and Mt Stromlo are brilliant mountain biking destinations. CORC does a fantastic job looking after them and it is a shame that some of the areas are being thinned and tracks are being lost. The cycleway around Lake Burley Griffen is also excellent, although some of the sand on parts of the track make things a little too interesting at time. If you could do something about the weather I’d live there!
More single track venues for trail riding around Canberra. Also, more comprehensive facilities at Stromlo – e.g., skills area, public access BMX track, dual slalom track, dirt jumps.
Dirt jump and freeride/northshore facilties at stromlo-for such a fairly comprehensive park, these features are totally absent!
Mountain biking in Canberra is where its at!
We need more choice with the downhill trails, and maybe a chairlift assisted downhill area on a good sized hill,similar to Whistler Canada. Thredbo is too far away and it is closed in winter.
I would like to see a chair lift or similar to travel to the top of Stromlo DH track.
Mountain biking in the ACT is great, my family and friends will visit again and we would love to explore further. Are there more tracks? more information would be great. I would love to see a mountain bike track from Stromlo Forest to the Arboretum and the city
canberra is a fantastic Mountain biking destination. Sad to see that Majura and Sparrows are being logged. A real waste of fantastic facilities.
trail maps needed. Very difficult to find your way around the forest parks
More mountain bikeing trails like in kowen forest
Bike paths were fantastic
The bike paths are a great idea. Cycling around the lake was really pretty
The path around the lake is beautiful. A splendid resource.
More cycling tracks
The cycle path around lake burley griffin is great! I wish sydney had more accessible paths. Canberra is a great city for fitness and outdoor pursuits.
More paths around canberra
more bike tracks in north canberra, better bike website or one major one
More tracks on road, more bike barking in city
Currens cycle maps
If you encounter a damaged tire or accident where can you go for help that is close so as you can continue on your cycling holiday. More information about cycle paths, bike repairers, bike hires
Keep working on adding bike lanes to all roads, rural and urban.
Awesome MTB facilities. Keep it up.
Cycling both on-rd and off-rd is good. Less traffic then Sydney and better maintained trails. Plus the fact that Canberra has Pine Forests, make the adventure much better. Less sunburn! Stromlo has no trees….
However, only familiar with Canberra City Centre, not the Suburbs.
The relatively cohesive plan for cycle tourism in the Canberra region is a significant drawcard, the trails are generally well maintained and signposted. Majura could do with some more signposting but overall, we were exceptionally happy with the quality of the mountain bike trails and will return again in May 2010.
Great family experience! Bike Hire was fantastic. Loved Tidbinbilla park also
Great Mountain Bikibg. More govt support for clubs.
Dont take away the mountains for mountain biking!!
love to see a camping site at stromlo and a food outlet (even if it is only available on weekends or during school holidays)
Camping near cycling (mountain bike) parks
Mr Spokes bike hire gave us free ice-cream once we’d returned our bikes which was very well received! Thank you!
Had a great time riding around the lake
Would like to see Refreshments aviable at Mt Stromblo
an intermediate downhill at Stromlo would be great

Appendix 5
Rail Trails in the Capital Region
Goulburn – Crookwell Rail Trail – Trail Description

One of the many curves in the line as it climbs the hills to Crookwell. Rolfe Bozier
Location: Southern Highlands, 190km from Sydney
Start/end: Goulburn/Crookwell
Region: Country NSW and ACT, New South Wales and ACT
PROPOSED RAIL TRAIL
Another high altidtude railway that crosses the Great Dividing Range to reach Crookwell (altitude 890m) The 54km line from Goulburn opened in 1902 and operations ceased in 1985. In addition another line branched off from Roslyn to Taralga which closed in 1957, though we understand all this land has been freeholded.
Several locals are investigating the possibility of creating a rail trail along this route. At the Crookwell end the Goulburn Crookwell Heritage Railway Inc. is proposing to run rail trolleys but the terrain permits a rail-side trail so the theme of the trail will be “Bike, Hike & Trike”.
Trail Map

Copyright © Railtrails Australia. For personal use only, do not reproduce. Our volunteers have spent many hours producing these maps. Please respect their work.
Upper Molonglo Rail Trail – Trail Description

The impressive bridge over the Molonglo River, between Hoskinstown and Captains Flat. Urban Adventure Images
Location: Southern NSW near Canberra, 272km from Sydney
Start/end: Bungendore/Captains Flat
Region: Country NSW and ACT, New South Wales and ACT
PROPOSED RAIL TRAIL
Description
This trail is not yet open.
Local groups are hoping to develop this former branch line that follows the Molonglo River for some of its distance.
The line only operated from 1940 to 1968 though in 1969 it was used in in the making of the original “Ned Kelly” movie.
Trail Map

Copyright © Railtrails Australia.

Monaro Rail Trail – Trail Description

Bredbo Station Rolfe Bozier
Location: Hinterland of the Snowy Mountains
Start/end: Varies
Region: Country NSW and ACT, New South Wales and ACT
PROPOSED RAIL TRAIL
Description
This trail is not yet open.
This 214km branch line from Queanbeyan to Bombala was built across the Monaro in several stages, reaching Cooma in 1889 and Bombala in 1923. The state governemnt railways ceased operations progressively back towards Queanbeyan between 1986 and 1990.
Currently the Australian Railway Historical Society (ACT Division) has operating rights from Queanbeyan to Michelago and the Cooma Monaro Railway has operating rights between Cooma and Chakola.
Pedal Power ACT see the oppurtunity to develop parts of this railway as rail trails and possibly rail-side trails or diversions where the tourist railways are operating. However they have not managed to attract much support from the ACT and other local governments to date.
Trail Map

Copyright © Railtrails Australia. For personal use only, do not reproduce. Our volunteers have spent many hours producing these
Riverina Highlands Rail Trail – Trail Description

At the start of the climb to Batlow looking back towards Gilmore. Damian McCrohan
Location: Southern NSW, 420km from Sydney
Start/end: Wagga Wagga to Tumbarumba and Batlow to Tumut
Region: Country NSW and ACT, New South Wales and ACT
UNDER EVALUATION
Description
This trail is not yet open.
The Riverina Highlands Rail Trails Steering Committee was formed in 2004 under the Riverina Regional Development Board to promote the development of two rail trails. One is Wagga Wagga to Tumbarumba (130km) and the other is Tumut to Batlow (32km).
Extensive consultation with local communites has seen great support for the proposals. All four councils involved have also expressed strong support. It is understood that the NSW Lands and Transport Ministers also support the project.
In June 2006 the Riverina Regional Development Board adopted the recommendations of the feasibility study to construct the rail trails. Refer to news item for more information on this.
It is hoped that construction can begin in the not too distant future.
The railway from Cootamundra to Tumut was completed in 1903 and extended to Batlow in 1923. Operation ceased in 1984 though the Tumut – Batlow section briefly resumed as a tourist railway around 1989. The Tumut to Batlow section will make a great rail trail as it climbs over 500m up to Batlow at 780m above sea level.
The scenic railway to Tumbarumba, also over 800m above sea level, was completed in 1921. Operation beyond Ladysmith ceased in 1974 and all operation ceased in 1987. There is the possiblity of Tumba Rail operating rail trikes at Ladysmith.
News Items
• April 2009 Federal Government reaffirms support
• March 2006 Feasibility study announced
Trail Map

Copyright © Railtrails Australia.
Murrumbidgee Valley Rail Trail – Trail Description

Gundagai Station has been kept in excellent order by the local community. Leon Patterson – 2007
Location: South Western Slopes , 376km from Sydney
Start/end: Coolac/Tumblong
Region: Country NSW and ACT, New South Wales and ACT
Surface: n/a
UNDER EVALUATION
Description
This trail is not yet open.
This proposed rail trail would be 32km in length, centred on the town of Gundagai.
This rail trail could also tie in with the proposed Riverina Highlands Rail Trail Click here for more information on the rail trail including map.
The rail trail is being proposal by the Gundagai Bicycle Users Group, GundaBUG, and the Gundagai Shire Council appears supportive of the idea in principle.
The railway from Cootamundra to Tumut was completed in 1903 and extended to Batlow in 1923. Operation ceased in 1984 and despite several studies to reopen the line to service the Visy mill at Gilmore, it is still unused.
News Items
• October 2008 Expressions of Interest sought for feasibility study
• July 2007 The Gundagai Shire Council seeks comment on the proposal
Trail Map

Copyright © Railtrails Australia.

Picton – Mittagong loop railway line, New South Wales
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
NOTE: The Wingecarribee Shire Bicycle Strategy specifically mentions support for this proposal.
The Picton-Mittagong Loop Line is a partly disused railway line between the towns of Picton and Mittagong in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia.
History
The Picton-Mittagong line was originally built in 1867[1] to extend the Main Southern Line. The line originally ran westwards from Picton Station, over the Picton Viaduct, across the Great South Road,[n. 1] thence through a 592 foot tunnel in the Redbank Range (see Fig. 4) and turned southwest.
Stations were constructed at Thirlmere (1885), Couridjah (1867), Buxton (1893), Balmoral (1878), Hill Top (1878), Colo Vale (1883) and Braemar, 1867. There were a number of smaller stops (‘halts’), sidings and passing loops along the line, as well. North of Hill Top, the cutting through Big Hill was for many years the deepest in Australia (see Fig. 15); the extraordinary manual effort required for its construction is celebrated by a memorial nearby (See Fig. 16).[2][n. 2] To service the line, Picton became a busy station with an engine depot for bank engines, dormitories for train crews, and goods sidings.[3][4] The original Main Line, while gently curved, had gradients as steep as 1 in 30. It was also a single-track line, and even though deviations were constructed between Hill Top and Colo Vale to ease grades, these factors combined to create a bottleneck, as rail traffic increased. In 1919, the main railway shifted eastwards to an alignment with 300 metre radius curves and much easier 1 in 75 grades; the track was also duplicated.[n. 3] The old line and stations continued to be used for passenger services until 1978.[5] The Loop Line Today
The Loop Line now consists of a section of permanent way between Picton and Buxton which is regularly used by excursion trains. Some of the remainder of the track southwards from Buxton is overgrown or decaying, and impassable by rail traffic. The road underbridge at Colo Vale is disused and condemned. The section from the turnout north of Mittagong to Braemar station is still in use for goods traffic to and from a concrete railway sleeper factory and the railway wagon plant.
Appendix 6
TO GET YOUR ASSIGNMENTS DONE AT A CHEAPER PRICE,PLACE YOUR ORDER WITH US NOW