CRG support part of ‘wheelie’ exciting future for local club
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Posted on May 3, 2023
Barry Sewell, President of the Central Highlands Mountain Bike Club (CHMTB) and member of the Emerald Community Reference Group (CRG), and his team of executives at CHMTB are making mountain biking their mission and leading the way in popularising the sport in Central Queensland.
‘Mountain biking as a sport is so inclusive, you can be a lifestyle participant or a racer, you can have an eBike, or you can even explore the option of adaptive mountain biking for differing abilities,’ said Sewell.
‘We’re really pushing to get people together, have a go at something new and see our beautiful region in a different way.’
In 2022, CHMTB successfully applied for funding through council’s Community Grants Program to host a meet-and-greet event for recruiting new members. The event, held earlier this year was a great success.
‘We had over 140 signatures on our attendance sheet and saw an endless amount of ear-to-ear grins!’ he said.
Currently, the club uses a hand-carved track on private land in Comet. Although this has been great for getting the club off the ground, Barry hopes to secure land closer to Springsure for easier access for members.
‘Our region is amazing and we want to attract more visitors and keep them coming back,’ he continued.
‘We want locals to use the track, but we also want to attract people to come and spend the day, and explore all that the town has to offer.’
Having a trail that begins close to a larger town creates opportunities for many local businesses to offer services and products that would boost tourism in the area.
To achieve this, Barry and his executive team have been active in the Emerald CRG. Through their advocacy work, their hope is to get other CRG’s on board, apply for state grants and liaise with Traditional Owners until an appropriate parcel of land is identified.
Stay tuned for exciting updates from CHMTB! If you have an idea for a community project, consider attending your local CRG to discuss it, head here to find out how to get involved.
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