Mystic Park, located in Bright, has become one of the most popular mountain biking destinations in Australia.
Hand built by the local community - for the community - the park consists of over 60km of trails to suit all abilities from those new to the sport, through to expert riders.
Mystic Park is on Crown land managed by Hancock Victorian Plantations Pty Ltd (HVP) as a forestry plantation and attracts around 63,000 visitors to the Alpine Shire each year, contributing more than $27 million into the local economy.
In 2013 Alpine Community Plantation (ACP) was formed as a not-for-profit group to help maintain and manage the trails. ACP comprises members from both land manager and end user stakeholder groups and has managed the trails for several years.
The township of Bright, and more specifically the Mystic Park plantation area, has a long history as one of Australia’s premier mountain bike riding destinations. The quaint, but well-serviced mountain town, paired with nearby diverse trail networks and strong elevation opportunities, has proven popular with riders from across the country since trail development began informally in the area.
Over recent years, and particularly through the COVID-19 period, trail usage has grown exponentially, which has placed the maintenance and management of the Mystic Park trails under strain.
In late 2022, ACP raised concerns regarding its financial capacity to continue to sustainably manage the park, which brought about several changes, including a paid access model, and a shift to commercial-only uplift service. This model has been successful in securing the financial viability of the park and providing future direction. The model requires all users of the park to sign a waiver of indemnity prior to entering it. All drivers entering the park are also required to undertake an ACP induction.
Given the growth of the park, Council is now entering a sub-licence agreement with HVP to oversee the operations and management of the park via a professional operator. This operator will oversee the operations and management of the park to include (but not be limited to) uplift shuttles, trail maintenance, trail building, merchandise and sponsorship offerings.
This is an exciting opportunity for Council and Mystic Park.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why the change from ACP to commercial operator?
- How did the tender process work to ensure it was fair?
- Will the park still be accessible to everyone, all members of the community?
- What services/amenities will the new operator offer? Shuttles, maintenance, trail building, bike hire, cafe etc
- Why was this operator chosen over others?
- What new features will the new operator bring to the park?
- Will Mystic members still be allowed to hike, walk and run within the park?
- What changes (features/services removed) will we expect to see with the new operator?
- Will there be changes to trails?
- What role does Council play with this new arrangement?
- How will the park retain its community responsibilities when it’s managed under a commercial for profit operator? What will happen to the park's community feel? Who will hold them accountable?
- Will the new operator honour existing annual events within Mystic Park? Eg Stampede, Gravity Enduro, Bright Open
Looking for more information?
For more details or queries n on Mystic Park's trails and memberships, visit ACP's website.
