About the project
Located around 70 kilometres east of Melbourne, The Warburton Mountain Bike Destination is set to be a world-class mountain bike destination, featuring up to 160 kilometres of mountain bike trails across the hills of Mount Little Joe, Mount Tugwel, Mt Bride and Mount Donna Buang, connecting with the popular Lilydale-Warburton Rail Trail and the O’Shannassy Aqueduct Trail.
Nestled amongst the mountains, the Project will attract visitors from around the world to experience Warburton’s natural beauty and relaxing atmosphere. It will also create more jobs and help grow the local economy. In 2031 when all stages of the project are complete, the trail network is expected to bring substantial economic benefits to Warburton. Injecting more than $31 million a year into the local economy, creating 84 jobs during construction and 148 operational jobs.
Trail heads will provide facilities for riders, including car parking, picnic areas, toilets and bike wash stations. The main trail head and visitor’s hub will be located at Wesburn Park for stage 1 of the project, where riders can access the trail network or take a shuttle bus to Mount Tugwell trail head (Stage 1) and Mount Donna Buang (stage 2).
The project is staged into two parts. Stage 1 is fully funded by the Commonwealth and Victorian governments, and contributions from Yarra Ranges Council and the Upper Yarra Community Enterprise for approximately 100km of trail in Southern Trail Netowork, located in the Yarra State Forest. Once both stages are complete, the project would be eligible for designation as a Gold-Level Ride Centre by the International Mountain Bike Association, making Warburton the only Gold-Level centre in Australia and one of only three outside the USA.
Wesburn Park
Wesburn Park is the main trail head for stage 1 of the Warburton Mountain Bike Destination.
Access to the trail network will be provided from Wesburn Park. Car park improvements and visitor facility upgrades have already been completed as part of this project. Upgrades to fencing and other infrastructure have also been undertaken to ensure existing uses of Wesburn Park are not impacted. A Wesburn Park Master Plan is being developed by Yarra Ranges Council and will consider the needs of all users.
Project History
The Warburton Mountain Bike Destination Project has been in development since it was first raised in 2010 by local riders as part of Parks Victoria’s Healthy Parks Healthy People program.
Since then, Council has undertaken a feasibility study, detailed planning work, community consultation and extensive impact investigations to develop the project’s Environment Effects Statement.
The project has been developed in partnership with Parks Victoria and the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action and with input from the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung, Melbourne Water and the Upper Yarra Community Enterprise.
View the project history below and the extensive work that has gone into the project’s development.
Environment Effects Statement (EES)
An EES is Victoria’s most rigorous impact assessment process. It gave decision-makers like the Minister for Planning the information they needed to determine whether project approvals should be granted and what conditions should apply.
Yarra Ranges Council referred the project to the State Government under the Environment Effects Act in December 2019, and the Commonwealth Government under the Environment Protection Biodiversity Act.
The Minister decided the project was to complete an EES in May 2020 and the Commonwealth EPBC Matters of National Environmental Significance assessment concurrently under a bilateral agreement with the State Government. Council undertook the required technical studies throughout 2020 and 2021 and provided the completed EES to the Minister in October 2021.
After exhibiting the EES to the public in December – January 2021/2022 for public submissions. An Independent Advisory Committee held a 4-week public inquiry in early 2022. Following the IAC report, the Minister then provided their assessment of the project to decision-makers in late 2022.
Read the full EES below:
Summary Brochure
Main Report
- Executive Summary
- Chapter 1 – Introduction
- Chapter 2 – Project rationale
- Chapter 3 – Project description
- Chapter 4 – Project development and alternatives
- Chapter 5 – Legislative framework
- Chapter 6 – Assessment framework
- Chapter 7 – Communications and engagement
- Chapter 8 – Biodiversity and habitats
- Chapter 9 – Surface water, groundwater and geotechnical hazards
- Chapter 10 – Cultural heritage
- Chapter 11 – Land use and planning
- Chapter 12- Socio-economic
- Chapter 13 – Transport
- Chapter 14 – Matters of National Environmental Significance
- Chapter 15 – Comparative evaluation of Trail 1 and Trails 45 to 47
- Chapter 16 – Environmental management framework
- Chapter 17 – Conclusion
- Chapter 18 – References
- Chapter 19 – Glossary and abbreviations
Technical Reports
- A – Biodiversity Part 1
- A – Biodiversity Part 2
- A – Biodiversity Part 3
- A – Biodiversity Part 4
- A – Biodiversity Part 5
- B – Surface water, groundwater and geotechnical hazards
- C – Cultural heritage
- D – Land use and planning
- E – Social-economic
- F – Transport
Attachments
- Attachment I – Map book
- Attachment II – Alternatives assessment report
- Attachment II – A- Economic and jobs report
- Attachment III – Stakeholder consultation report
- Attachment IV – Biodiversity offset strategy
- Attachment V – Construction environment management plan
- Attachment VI – Operation environment management plan
- Attachment VIII – Planning scheme amendment
Fact sheets
- Warburton Mountain Bike Destination – Overview
- Warburton Mountain Bike Destination – Transport factsheet
IAC Report and Ministers Assessment
- How the project has been developed
- Project overview
- Local and regional benefits of a world-class mountain bike destination
- Trail heads and shuttling
- Designing and operating our network of trails
- Environment Effects Statement (EES)
- Cultural heritage
- Environment, habitat and biodiversity
- Social, economic, amenity and land use
- Waterways and catchments
- Community engagement report 2019
- Economic health benefits assessment
- Landscape and visual impact assessment
- Local movement and transport report
- Qualitative road traffic noise assessment
- Social impact assessment
- Traffic impact assessment
- Map book
- Trail network summary
*The documents contained here and within the archive were accurate at the time of publication.
Yarra Ranges Shire Council
P.O. Box 105, Anderson Street
Lilydale, VIC 3140
T : 1300 368 333