Adventure awaits in Arklow

Mountain biking enthusiasts now have additional trails to explore in the South West with the completion of the Arklow trail network, north of Collie.

With the most recently completed 12km of new single track, the Arklow trail network totals 36km, 26km of which is new or upgraded trail. This includes the 9.5km Arklow adaptive trail, with six kilometres of the newest trail also built to accommodate hand cycles, allowing mountain bike riders with disability the opportunity to enjoy even more of the area. 

The new expanded trail network is part of the McGowan Government’s $10 million initiative to create and maintain more than 180km of high-quality mountain bike and bushwalking trails in and around Collie. Premier Mark McGowan, Environment Minister Stephen Dawson, Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTeirnan, Tourism Minister Paul Papalia and Collie-Preston MLA Mick Murray were among official guests who opened the Arklow mountain bike trail network on Sunday, 28th June.

With the completion of the Arklow trails and other trail projects well underway, Collie is fast becoming a nature-based recreation hub. Developing the town as a premium mountain bike destination will not just drive regional tourism, but it will also bring more jobs to the region.

The Collie Adventure Trails project will now shift focus to new mountain bike networks in Westralia Conservation Park and Wellington National Park, where works include expanded facilities at the Wellington Dam precinct and completing the Wiilman Bilya walking trail.

An additional $4.4 million has been invested in tourism initiatives to ready Collie for the opening of several tourism attractions in and around the town including the Collie Mural Trail. Queenslander Guido van Helten has just been announced as the lead artist for the Wellington Dam mural, which will be the centrepiece of the mural trail. 

Guido is renowned throughout the world for his photorealistic large scale murals, which have turned structures into icons in Portugal, Canada, the United States of America, Poland, Italy, Iran and more. He is also a pioneer of the Australian silo mural trend, having been nominated for the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ Sir John Sulman prize for his silo murals in Brim, Victoria. This will be his first-ever work in Western Australia.

When combined with the recently completed Arklow mountain bike trail network and other major tourism projects, Collie will be a must-see destination this summer.