28 September 2009

Hotel, Pool, Luge Track, Gondola, and Hanging Gardens for Stromlo

| Kramer
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[First filed: August 11, 2009 @ 09:30]

OK, maybe I exaggerated a little, but we won’t be far off the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, if all the details in the new Stromlo Forest Park master plan come to fruition. Incredibly the plans do propose an aquatic complex, a hotel (as well as cabins and camping), sports fields (yes, more grass to turn to dust), a luge track, a velodrome, and the hotly debated gondola.

I’ll admit that I’m a bit biased towards the mountain bike side of things, but they can ditch the pool, playing fields, luge track, wetlands, and probably the hotel too, in favour of keeping the focus on cycling and mountain bikes.

Why take a purpose built facility and attempt to make it all things to all people?

I’ll even admit that the gondola is a bit of a stretch, even though it would make running large downhill races much easier, and reduce the weekend shuttle traffic on Mt Stromlo Road.

So tell the ACT Govt to keep doing what they are doing well (MTB & cycling), and give them a big smack on the back of the head about these pie-in-the-sky ideas for Stromlo.

Mount Stromlo development

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Im interested in the addition of camping in the area, however I feel it will be more a prepared piece of soil out the back of the motel, more than a rustic camping experience, as you used to get in the numerous camping grounds that were burnt out in the fires. These days, seems the only options for ‘camping’ around the ACT are to go pay $40/night for a family at the cotter, or go camp illegally in parkland.

We need more areas like Laurel Camp and Pierces Creek area rejuvenated.

enrique said :

What is stopping you going out there yourself and doing a bit of patching up? Get in touch with local MTB groups and set up a working bee.

If you think that the track needs repairing, there are more productive ways of getting it fixed then simply complaining about it on a web site.

Probably best you hook up with Canberra Off-Road Cyclists (CORC) who run all of the trail working bees at Stromlo. If you’re keen there’s a working bee on Saturday to put the final touches on the XC course for the MTB World Champs. You’ll get to hook up with the CORC trails team, and be in the loop for future working bees. Otherwise keep an eye on the CORC site for future trail work events – and I might see you there!

Holden Caulfield said :

Surely that is just a management issue though?…
Thredbo and Perisher seem to cater to varying skills…
…is it simply a bunch of l337 riders that don’t want to share a patch of dirt they covet?

The big difference is that all the trails are singletrack, whereas in the snow you can often simply ski around the slower people or pick another line. Many people are aware of their surroundings and politely make way when you come up behind them, but some people just refuse to yield.

I’d say the elite riders are definitely in the minority, particularly on sunny weekends! Most of the people I see are somewhere between “enthusiast” and “amateur racer.”

I don’t think the luge would be anything like the bobsled ride at Corin.

Luge is that winter olympic sport where you go down the hill feet first, lying down.

Up The Duffy11:40 am 12 Aug 09

I wasn’t talking about the DH bikers.

I mean the lazy tourists who will use the lift and luge, and wonder onto the sporting facilities getting in the way of people using them.

Can you imagined the “Today tonight” coverage of a 5 year old getting hit by a Down Hill or 4 cross Mountain Biker. Don,t risk the clash.

Holden Caulfield11:16 am 12 Aug 09

Limp Jimmy said :

…Holden, you mean Kowen Forest…

Nope. I meant Corin Forest, as in the luge and “fun park” type stuff would be more accessible if it were closer to town.

niftydog said :

I’m sure that makes the people struggling to keep Corin Forest going really happy.

Perhaps their location is the reason for their struggles? Just a guess, haha.

niftydog said :

It will be affected. A lot of that stuff is overlaid on the existing trails. For instance, the only flat-ish trails area suitable for complete beginners is underneath the potential playing fields (no. 15). The main trunk trail goes through the area marked for the luge.

Yeah, that’s fair enough then. I can see why that could suck balls.

niftydog said :

There’s some difficulties just within the riding community let alone other users. It’s only a matter of time before some non-helmeted, training-wheel-equipped 5 year old is gonna come a-cropper on the 4X track or get smacked into next week by a speeding rider…

Surely that is just a management issue though? Not being a MTBer I wouldn’t know of course, and while it is a somewhat different context, Thredbo and Perisher seem to cater to varying skills without too much fuss. Is that simply because they are larger venues, or is there more to it?

I guess my line of questioning stems from this, as an outsider I see it as a good thing if a wider audience is attracted to the venue. Seems like a good way to up the ROI to me. I do understand that a wider audience may/will bring with it some other issues, but I’m asking can they be managed, or is it simply a bunch of l337 riders that don’t want to share a patch of dirt they covet?

c9 said :

The cross country track is looking very patchy these days, not at all well maintained.

What is stopping you going out there yourself and doing a bit of patching up? Get in touch with local MTB groups and set up a working bee.

If you think that the track needs repairing, there are more productive ways of getting it fixed then simply complaining about it on a web site.

Yeah, all those DH riders who chairlift to the top are fat b@$+@rds, like Sam Hill.

Up The Duffy11:26 pm 11 Aug 09

Bugger the other crap! Build some more XC trails I am sick of riding over the same ones!

I don,t have time to go to Sparrow or Mujura that’s why I moved to Duffy.

My concern is inactive people will clash with the active people. I thought that it was a park for the promotion of outdoor fitness activities, not for lazy people to get carried up the hill, and ride back down again on their fat butts.

Accommodation could be OK there’s nowhere for visitors to stay in this area. Or its a investment that could be self funding. The MTB XC crowd is now, a well off one, especially if you have been doing MTB riding since the early 90s

I think a Gondolier is a financial risk

On second thoughts… I reckon colocating the sports fields, swimming pool, and hotel would be a good thing, but they would be close enough if they were on the other side of Uriarra Road. Leaving the entirety of Stromlo to the cyclists – both on and off road.

A swimming pool would enable junior triathlons (which is arguably cycling related), so it would need to be co-located with the criterium circuit and the running track. Is there such a space?

(The Narrabundah Velodrome was a Federal stuff up well before self government.)

The cross country track is looking very patchy these days, not at all well maintained.

Luna Park

I wanna monorail

If it becomes too big then they will start attempting to regain the cash by charging to use it. Mtn bikers won’t pay they will just dig up some new trails on some other hill and the facilities will go unused.

Clown Killer said :

I could see it being popular during the bigger events, but what about all the other times?

The hotel is the kind of thing that won’t happen for 20+ years, when Molongolo is more than just a plan on a table. When Stromlo is adjacent to a new town centre then many of these ideas won’t seem so odd.

Clown Killer3:29 pm 11 Aug 09

I have long thought that what Mt Stromlo needed was a mountain-side cafe/bar. Somewhere with a big deck that took in the view and gave a good vantage point to watch the organ-donors, sorry – I meant downhillers do their stuff.

As for accommodation – we I guess that would be a business decision. I could see it being popular during the bigger events, but what about all the other times?

Makes it much more accessible than Corin Forest.

I’m sure that makes the people struggling to keep Corin Forest going really happy.

So long as the bike stuff isn’t affected, what does it matter if the venue has a more multi-purpose feel to it?

It will be affected. A lot of that stuff is overlaid on the existing trails. For instance, the only flat-ish trails area suitable for complete beginners is underneath the potential playing fields (no. 15). The main trunk trail goes through the area marked for the luge.

Speaking of the luge, are we talking the same kind of thing that already exists out at Corin or something more exciting?

Kramer said :

…there is already some contention of resources with the MTB, road cycling, running, and horse groups…

There’s some difficulties just within the riding community let alone other users. It’s only a matter of time before some non-helmeted, training-wheel-equipped 5 year old is gonna come a-cropper on the 4X track or get smacked into next week by a speeding rider…

d’oh! wrong type of gondola…

Whatsup said :

Where is the canal system that links to the monorail ?

personally I looking forward to seeing the trebuchet that launches the gondolas over the dam wall to create the linkage between the Parly house triangle and Stromlo.

Holden Caulfield said :

Makes it much more accessible than Corin Forest. So long as the bike stuff isn’t affected, what does it matter if the venue has a more multi-purpose feel to it?

Holden, you mean Kowen Forest. Corin Forest (www.corin.com.au) is the home of the Corinbank Festival in Feb 2010 (www.corinbank.com), and while there are free MTB all-downhill tours during the festival, not much else happens there MTB-wise… but I believe Corinbank pre-sales tickets will be available in a few weeks.

And I do like the monorail idea, and that would give us a reason to build another multi-storey carpark 😉

Light rail?

Where is the canal system that links to the monorail ?

peterh said :

we need a wetlands out at stromlo, I mean, how far is it from the cotter? mozzie breeding ground. Duffy residents will be so pleased, but at least it can’t catch fire…

I think the rationale for this is more along the lines of Nationa Sequence Farming. That is restoring the water hydration of the soil back to how is was in the long, long ago.

Sweet zombie Jesus.
Why create and dedicate resources to a specialist facility, and then generalise the shit out of it?

Holden Caulfield11:22 am 11 Aug 09

Kramer said :

I guess my concern about the addition of all the new facilities/disciplines is that there is already some contention of resources with the MTB, road cycling, running, and horse groups – so adding swimming, sports fields, etc will further escalate these problems.

That’s fair enough.

Which resources are you talking about? Roads, paths etc? Or something else? For example, how would a luge or hotel affect the existing relationships between the groups you mentioned? Wouldn’t they (or couldn’t they) be entities unto themselves that would add to the existing activities, rather than taking away from them, or adding extra burden?

I can see added road use being an issue, but apart from that I can’t foresee a huge problem. But then, I’ve never used the Stromlo facility, so I understand my knowledge base on this subject is zero, haha.

I’ll be watching this one very closely from the perspective of living across the road.

Another velodrome? What, the one they built in Narrabundah and screwed up royally hasn’t wasted enough money?

I guess my concern about the addition of all the new facilities/disciplines is that there is already some contention of resources with the MTB, road cycling, running, and horse groups – so adding swimming, sports fields, etc will further escalate these problems.

masterplan pics of the cabins = tinder box

we need a wetlands out at stromlo, I mean, how far is it from the cotter? mozzie breeding ground. Duffy residents will be so pleased, but at least it can’t catch fire…

Keep the luge. I love the luge in Rotorua. So much fun!

What, no monorail?

It’s nice to share with the other kids, Kramer.

(Not sure an aquatic centre is really warranted though – the government would be better off buying out Phillip pool and skating rink and doing it up).

I imagine there’d be a bit of crossover between those into downhill MTBing and those keen to give luge a try.

I think it sounds great!

Holden Caulfield9:56 am 11 Aug 09

Makes it much more accessible than Corin Forest. So long as the bike stuff isn’t affected, what does it matter if the venue has a more multi-purpose feel to it?

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