Construction of a new mountain bike park in Harcourt began on Thursday as part of a $2 million state government commitment to build 34 kilometres of trails across the state.
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Member for Bendigo West Maree Edwards was on hand to help turn the first sod on a project she said would put the region on the map as a destination of choice for mountain bike enthusiasts.
Ms Edwards said while there was already an established mountain bike culture in the region, which was informally known as a place for riders to visit, major upgrades were needed to bring the facilities up to a standard to meet the growing interest.
“The start of construction of this world class mountain bike park is an exciting time for Harcourt and the Mount Alexander region as it signals the beginning of a great opportunity to grow tourism in the area as well as being a terrific facility for locals to enjoy,” she said.
“I’m proud to be part of this project that will put Mount Alexander on the map as a mountain bike destination of choice.”
The park is expected to be ready for use by early next year and the government expects the investment to generate 25,000 visitors in 2018 and 100,000 a year within the next five years, creating jobs and opening up a new tourism stream for the region.
