In October 2025, Blue Sky Trails co-hosted the inaugural Victorian Sustainable Mountain Bike Trails Summit alongside Parks & Leisure Australia (Vic/Tas) and Outdoors Victoria. The event brought together over 100 representatives from across the mountain bike and recreation community including state agencies, local councils, land managers, trail builders, consultants, clubs and peak bodies.
The Summit was convened with a bold purpose: to explore pathways toward long-term sustainability for Victoria’s MTB trail networks.
What We Learned Key Themes & Insights
Real Appetite for Honest Conversation
There is a genuine and growing desire across the sector from volunteers through to government to have open, honest conversations around the challenges and opportunities in trail management. The Summit provided a safe space for that dialogue, bringing to light shared concerns about maintenance, governance, funding, and sustainability.
Regulation Matters, And So Does Smart Compliance
Attendees recognised that while regulatory and environmental approval processes can be slow and complex, they exist for very good reasons. Cultural heritage, biodiversity protection, environmental resilience and public safety. The Summit concluded that working smarter within legislation, rather than circumventing it, is essential to future success.
Focus Shifting from New Builds to Network Stewardship
One of the clearest shifts to emerge was the industry’s growing recognition that success is no longer just about building new trails, it’s about how existing and future networks are managed, maintained, governed and funded over time. Lifecycle planning, operational funding, activation, environmental management and user experience are now central to the vision.
No Single Model Fits All: Flexibility is Key
Every part of Victoria is different. Terrain, user demand, volunteer capacity, land tenure, club structure, and funding availability all vary. The Summit reinforced that there is no one-size-fits-all model. Instead, success relies on matching the appropriate management framework and resources to each community’s needs.
Collaboration is the Only Way Forward
Underpinning every conversation was one clear truth: sustainable MTB can only happen through collaboration, between clubs, councils, land managers, industry and government. When stakeholders work together with shared understanding and respect, the potential to deliver safe, sustainable, high-quality trails grows exponentially.
Concrete Outcomes: Building Structures that Support the Future
Two important frameworks grew directly from Summit discussions:
- Victorian MTB Clubs Assembly, a proposed body to bring clubs together, streamline communication, coordinate shared learning, and support peer collaboration across the state.
- Victorian MTB Advisory Council (VMAC), designed to include representatives from LGAs, state land-managers, and elected delegates from the Clubs Assembly. VMAC will help steer broad policy, coordinate state-level strategy, and unify approaches with input from clubs, agencies, and industry.
These are powerful, practical steps toward a more coordinated, strategic, and sustainable future for MTB trails in Victoria.
Looking Ahead, What Does This Mean for Trails and Communities?
The Victorian MTB Summit proved that the community has the appetite, the expertise, and the willingness to evolve and move beyond standalone trail projects, toward network stewardship, shared governance, and data-informed outcomes.
At Blue Sky Trails, we’re proud to have played a role in convening the conversation and we remain committed to supporting these structures, helping translate ideas into real, long-term change. Because building trails is about trust, shared purpose, and a future where communities, environment and recreation grow stronger together.
