There are too many trails on the escarpment, writes Helen Wilson
Like everyone else, I've changed my exercise habits since the lockdown. I've walked more in the escarpment foothills as a change from the crowded coastal cycleway. A regular walk I take with my dog is up the service trail to the telecomms tower at the old Bulli mine detention basin.
The land is now owned by Transport NSW. I see lots of men and boys riding their mountain bikes up this road but I never see them going down. There are several well used trail entrances off the road but I don't take the dog into the bush so hadn't been on them for many years.
You'd be forgiven for not realising that there are many different owners of land on the escarpment. Some sections, like the land adjoining this road to the north, are part of the Illawarra Escarpment State Conservation Area (SCA), though this isn't signposted. Use of conservation land is very restricted.
Recently a friend and I decided to explore where the trails into this area go. We were in for a shock. As the slope increases the trails get wider and frequently fork. There are extensive areas of erosion, with deep rutting and exposed tree roots. Many corners have stone walls, presumably made by heaving rocks around, thus exposing more bare earth. There is also a massive boardwalk and some very high jump structures.
I realised that all those friendly guys I'd greeted on the road were off into this hidden mountain bike playground. They're obviously not aware that this is conservation land and that mountain biking is not allowed here except on service trails.
What's the problem with people using their ingenuity to create healthy recreation opportunities like this? It's the amount of damage caused already and the fact that such nonprofessional trails will cause increasing damage into the future.
Of course, the original walking tracks were illegal too. Initially the effects of walking and bike tracks may be similar, but more damage can accumulate from bike tracks over time due to the higher speeds and greater weight on them. This causes more compacting and erosion, and the trails widen and proliferate through use over time.
NPWS is going through a long process to develop a formal trail network on the escarpment. There are many many environmental and cultural factors they must consider. They would never approve the trails on these steep slopes or those that have sprung up in many other areas along the escarpment.
We've all been forced to rely more on our own resources when in lockdown, and how lucky are we to have our dramatic coast and escarpment to help keep us healthy and sane. But it's a tragedy if this means destroying the very things we love.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Helen Wilson is a bushwalker who particularly loves our local rainforest. She is secretary of the Illawarra branch of the National Parks Association and a member of the Illawarra Escarpment Alliance. Both organisations participate in the NPWS Advisory Group on Mountain Biking. Contact info@illawarraescarpment.org
