The following rides are on gazetted roads or, Rockwheelers have obtained permission to traverse during club rides.
Mt Stuart Downhill Track
The DH track at Mt Stuart is Townsville's first official mountain biking dedicated venue with permission from Townsville City Council to hold regular events and training here. This track has been built by many hardworking volunteers and under the steerage of Rockwheelers MTB. Drive up Mt Stuart Rd until you reach the second plateau which is roughly 5km from the turn off on Charters Towers Rd. You'll see a large sign with the Rockwheelers logo and you can park on the right hand side of the road. The track is fast and flowy with lots of berms, a couple of drops and some nice big jumps. See the web calendar for regular DH events held here. You'll see lots of like minded riders out having a blast most days of the week.
Bluewater Forestry Road – XC
Head north out of Townsville for about 30 minutes until you reach the Bluewater Creek and bridge. A service station is on the right, over the bridge. Take the first left passed the bridge; this is Forestry Rd and is opposite the Toolakea turn off. Follow the bitumen road until it turns to dirt – about 6 k. This is where the club meets to start their 1 st Sunday in the month ride (watch web calendar for date changes). From here it is flat riding for about 6.5k to the bottom of the range then another 6.5k uphill to the shed. There is a gate a few km up the hill which may be locked – on club rides we have access to the key when needed. The ride up the range is pretty straight forward, however it can be long and tiring in summer (fit riders won't have too much problem) and takes about 45 - 60 minutes to the shed. From here you can continue on forestry track to Keelbottom Creek which is about 14k from the shed. The track is pretty much overgrown from Keelbottom onwards. Turn around and have some great downhills on the way back to your car. This can be a pretty demanding ride and the track conditions can change dramatically. http://www.mtbguru.com/trip/show_static/1117-bluewater-xc-ride
Paluma - XC
Go north out of Townsville for about 45 minutes, to the Paluma turn off on your left, then another 20 minutes to half an hour up the range to Paluma. Rides can start either in the township of Paluma , ride about 5 km on through to the Paluma Dam turn off on the right (look for sign Lake Paluma ). The road to the dam is accessible most of the year by 2 wheel drive vehicle and is approx 11km to the dam where you get to have a swim when you are finished. Most of the riding will be in rainforest or wet to dry scheropyhll type forest. It can be a bit cold in winter (understatement!) and a bit wet or very hot in summer. The club has requested permission to hold club rides 5 times a year on the forestry trails beyond the dam wall – see web calendar for dates. See the Paluma Push 2006 track at : http://www.mtbguru.com/trip/show_static/453-paluma-push-2006
Castle Hill – bitumen
The ride to the lookout car park is bitumen all the way (3km uphill) and is a fairly even grade up the hill. It takes 15 to 25 mins for reasonably fit mountain bikers to ascend. The road is popular with walkers and is a scenic drive so there are always pedestrians (all over the road) and cars to contend with, both on the way up and back down. There is a good view from the top.
Mount Stuart – bitumen
The road to the TV towers is bitumen all the way but is a steep climb up three hills. The up ride usually takes about an hour and has a good view of Townsville once at the top. The first twenty minutes or so is the worst, steep and continuous, so hang in there. The rest isn't too bad except for the last short pinch to the top. However these steep grades make for an exciting down ride that can take less than 20 minutes. This ride is very strenuous and not for the novice or unfit rider. Take the road to Charters Towers and you'll find Mt Stuart Rd on your right when you get into the 100k zone out of Stuart.
There are a number of “unofficial” locations that local riders maintain tracks and ride on around Townsville. Riders use these trails at their own risk and official permission to be in these areas has yet to be obtained. To ensure this land is not locked off to mountain biking and to promote mountain biking as an eco and socially friendly activity please observe MTBA codes of conduct at all times.
Douglas – XC
These trails are in the hills up behind the University. For more information visit: http://www.mtbguru.com/trip/show_static/609-douglas-wobbegong and http://www.mtbguru.com/trip/show_static/875-scrub-pythons . If you wish to meet up with other riders using these tracks use the FORUM on this website. There are walkers and joggers who use these trails so please be aware.
Mt Stuart – XC