The tender process for the design and construction of the trail started last week. It will include significant improvement of existing trails and create 22km of new trail.
It will allow mountain bikers, walkers and those on the water to travel uninterrupted between the two points. The project will deliver small bridge crossings, kayak launches and facilities including picnic areas, parking and toilets.
It follows the river from Picnic Point through the Barmah National Park, dissecting the Moira and Barmah Lakes, then through Barmah and past Cape Horn Vineyard before reaching Moama.
It will follow the river through Echuca, alongside the Port of Echuca Discovery Centre and continue past Perricoota, Five Mile and Deep Creek, before reaching Torrumbarry Weir and the Gunbower National Park.
And finally it will twist its way through Barham until it reaches Koondrook.
Echuca Moama Mountain Bike president Paul Oman said it would be a great asset, making the most of an under-utilised resource.
“We really do not make the most of the river, at least as far as mountain biking goes. There is a single trail from the bridge out to the southern cross drainage channel, which you can ride along.
“But it is not an official trail, it’s something that has just evolved,” he said.
Mr Oman said the existing track stretched for only four or five kilometres, and was used by mountain bikers and walkers alike, along with many pet owners.
He explained that the announcement of the adventure trail was the climax of many years of work by the likes of Murray Regional Tourism chief executive officer Mark Francis.
“He has been pushing this for ages,” Mr Oman said.
He said while the announcement was extremely exciting it was light on detail and he wasn’t exactly sure of the finer details of the trail.
“There are a lot of unofficial tracks in this area, in particular, those that rely on the good graces of land owners.
“To have an official track running right through the region is a great idea,” he said.
Echuca-Moama is the only mountain bike club on the Murray River, with the other nearest groups being at Bendigo or Shepparton.
Mr Oman said having access to the track along the entire length of the Picnic Point-to-Koondrook journey would be fantastic.
“It would attract a lot of people. At the moment riders, and walkers, would face obstacles all the way.
“There is private property, water to negotiate in some areas, fences and other barriers.
“Ninety per cent of the time the creeks are dry, so they don’t present a major problem,” he said.
Mr Oman said having more details about the concept would allow his group to promote it widely within state and national mountain biking circles.
“Opening it up to people and allowing them to walk the whole distance would be terrific,” he said.
The Echuca-Moama club has about 15 members, but has recently been announced as the host of a 2022 AusCycling Mountain Bike National Cup event.
“We are now hosting a national two-day event on April 2-3 next year,” Mr Oman said.
“People can check it out at www.ridethemurray.com
“We are in final stages of obtaining all the required approvals
Murray River Council providing funding, along with the Moama Bowling Club, which has enabled the club to secure the rights to host an Urban short course event.
“The first event on the Saturday will be a circuit riders will tackle, probably four times, following a course which will take in the port area,” Mr Oman said.
“It will be a two-kilometre course and will be very fast.
“Competitors will be riding down steps and we will create other points of interest.”
The club was approached four months ago, but the go-ahead for the event was only given a week ago.
“Murray River Council has given us a grant of $5000 toward the running of the event.
“Moama Bowling Club has also chipped in $2500 to offset the cost of staging the event,” he said.
Mr Oman said the club was expecting 200 competitors in the first year.
“This event is the full noise, it is under a national body, and carries with it points for the national championship.
“We don’t have any mountains, but we can still make it challenging.
“Because competitors will have to pedal the whole time it will be tough.’’
On Sunday, April 3, they have an hour-and-a-half XCO at the Five Mile mountain bike track. The race will be about 7.8km.
“We will have elite riders, masters, juniors,” Mr Oman said.
“I expect the course to go through the gates behind the discovery centre, down the walkway and under the wharf before riders come out and continue onto the wharf.
“They will follow a course down toward the caravan park and return along the track near the houseboats.
“We’re aiming to have spectators on the land and the water.’’
