SEQwater – Hinze Dam & Mt Joyce Trail Networks
SEQwater manages some of South East Queensland’s most popular recreation trail networks, including Hinze Dam and Mt Joyce. These venues high volumes of mountain bikers year-round and are set in steep, and stunning terrain. Each year the trails are exposed to severe weather events, including heavy rainfall, flooding, and storms. Historically, even a single weather event could cause significant damage, forcing lengthy closures and requiring reactive, high-cost interventions.
Over the last four years, Blue Sky Trails has partnered with SEQwater to deliver ongoing, scheduled trail audits and post-event assessments. The result has been a transformation in how these trail networks are understood, maintained and managed shifting SEQwater from reactive recovery to proactive planning, predictable resourcing, and long-term resilience.
What We Delivered
1. Long-Term, Consistent Trail Audits
Using the Trail Vision platform, we have carried out regular, structured audits across the Hinze Dam and Mt Joyce networks. Each audit documents condition data, safety hazards, drainage performance, wear patterns and environmental sensitivities. The digital workflow means SEQwater receives comprehensive reports almost immediately, creating a level of accuracy, consistency and transparency not previously possible.
2. Data-Led Prioritisation
Audit insights have allowed SEQwater to reliably prioritise maintenance tasks based on impact, risk and cost-effectiveness. Instead of spreading limited budgets thinly, works are directed toward the issues that provide the greatest benefit, realigning away from erosion issues, improving safety, reducing environmental damage and enhancing user experience.
3. Post-Weather Event Assessments
After storms, flooding, or major rainfall, rapid-response audits allow SEQwater to quickly identify hazards, verify structural integrity and confidently reopen trails. This has strengthened their duty-of-care processes, reduced closure periods and ensured that safety decisions are grounded in evidence, not guesswork.
4. Supporting Sustainable Maintenance Models
The long-term data set tells a clear story: sustained, targeted maintenance creates more resilient trails. Over the four-year partnership, SEQwater has seen a dramatic reduction in large repair bills, replaced by smaller, predictable and budget-friendly interventions. Trail surfaces, drainage, structures and touchpoints now hold up far better.
The Outcomes
The shift to a structured audit and inspection program has delivered benefits well beyond maintenance:
- Greater resilience: trails now withstand high usage, storms and rainfall with significantly less damage.
- Reduced risk: hazards are identified early, and safety issues addressed before they escalate.
- Improved user experience: predictable trail surfaces, clearer sightlines, and better drainage mean more reliable riding conditions.
- Lower long-term costs: predictable maintenance reduces reactive spending and major repair cycles.
- Operational confidence: staff have the data, tools and clarity to manage the network effectively.
SEQwater now manages its trails as true assets, using evidence, not assumptions, to make decisions. This long-term, data-informed approach has strengthened safety, sustainability and the user experience, setting a benchmark for proactive trail management across the region.
