After Cyclone Jasper event in Cairns in December of 2023 Cairns MTB Club the custodians of Smithfield MTB park were tasked with a huge cleanup bill.  

The club obtained a comprehensive Trail Audit post Tropical Cyclone Jasper to determine the impact the weather system and extreme

rainfall event had on the trail networks condition. 

The trail damage associated with erosion and drainage failures due to the excessive amount of rain over a short period of time.

In auditing our trail system we needed to address whether a trail still meets the desired difficulty rating, (green, blue. black) whether work is required to rectify the issue, trail condition, trail feature type,

repair work required, extent of repair works & repair method and urgency.  

A large extent of repair works is by hand or with machinery and Total Rebuild would require a significant amount of earthworks to reinstate effective drainage and trail surfacing on the existing trail alignment.

Priority of works to be undertaken is generally high priority however with our current funding has been impossible to get done in the immediate wet season window. 

We have addressed the areas in the network, areas that have suffered significant drainage issues are the green and blue trails that mostly traverse the flatter terrain.

Also a large landslide affected Pipeline, which is the hero trail of the network and gets significant traffic throughout the year. The large amount of traffic and dry conditions on the lead up to this recent weather event meant that it has suffered considerable damage. Access for maintenance is also challenging for this trail due to its length.

Throughout the entire trail network, Cyclone Jasper weather event has had a significant impact on trail conditions. Considering this happened at the beginning of the wet season unfortunately further damage has been ongoing, despite our super volunteer and trail builders efforts.

Cost estimate for complete works - just for the trail refurbishment has been a substantial $171,000. This would allow the best case scenario of sufficient rebuild works to future proof the trail network for years to come. Unfortunately a lot of this work will be slow and done with volunteer labour unless we raise significant funds. 

If you loved riding at Smithfield - or you want to enjoy it in future years to come - this is your chance to secure its future. The Cairns MTB Club Inc is a not for profit sporting club and are the custodians of the land on the National Park land tenure and we maintain the park with volunteer hours, funds raised by donations and grants.    

Every cent counts - If you ride here often consider making a regular monthly donation to the trail.