Mountain Bike Trails within 3hrs of Canberra - Mogo/Batemans Bay
Just a hop, skip and jump from Canberra, Mogo is set to become another iconic MTB destination, with 155km of singletrack planned for opening in mid-2024. For those who love a beach getaway, but also love riding, this is already a great place to take your bike, but it’s going to really get a place on the map once the new trails are open. The mild year-round temperature, plus the proximity to Canberra and Sydney will no doubt make this place a super popular mtb destination.
At present, they already have an 8.5km ‘dam loop’ which has been there for years, as well as another trail network called ‘Maulbrooks’ just a short drive from Mogo.
The Deep Creek Dam loop lies between the Princess Highway and Malua Bay and is a one way loop, following contours beautifully and trending downhill towards the dam near the botanical gardens. The trail is relatively easy, however it is narrow and drops away on one side for much of the trail. There are no bermed corners, so this is a great trail to practice riding flat corners! The trail is beautiful and shady for most of the way, traversing through wet sclerophyll forests, entering into small sections of ferns and beautiful grasses. The trail itself is dry and rocky, with no difficult trail features. It isn’t a ‘flow trail’ as such, but as far as cross country trails go, this trail flows really nicely, and doesn’t have any horrible climbs or gnarly descents. It’s perfect for women who have done our Beginner Skills Series or Next Level Clinics!
Narrow trails and flat corners, but no technical features makes for a great beginner friendly loop!
Getting there: Head out of Canberra through Queanbeyan, then via Bungendore, Braidwood and down the Clyde Mountain into Batemans Bay. Make sure to stop at the clean and quirky Phil’s Emporium Op Shop for good coffee and a browse and say hi to Chloe who is an old high school friend and one of the sweetest people I know :) Chloe’s husband Mike is the owner of Village Coffee Roastery, and the coffee passes my snobbery with flying colours! You can also grab a bag of beans at the local IGA or at the local farmers markets which are on Saturdays from 9-12 on the corner of Butmaroo and Gibralter Streets.
The Trailhead: The trailhead for the Dam Loop itself is at the intersection of The Ridge Rd and Dog Trap Road. The best way to access the trailhead is to come off George Bass Drive, onto Tallgums Way, then onto the Ridge Road. It’s not super obvious, but there is a little spot to park on the right hand side of The Ridge Road, just after the intersection, and the trail drops in just off The Ridge Road on the opposite side to the carpark/pullout.
Good coffee: We tried Three66 at Malua Bay which was great. Then The Boat Shed at Mossy Point boat ramp was also fantastic. This was recommended to us as there are often sting rays that come in to feed as the fisherman fillet their fish. We got lucky and the kids absolutely loved this. We saw octopus, lots of fish, and a massive pelican too.
Other great coffee places that have come recommended (but we haven’t tried because there’s only so much caffeine one can consume in a weekend trip!) include: Surf Beach Cafe and Takeaway, The River Mouth Cafe in Tomakin, Mossy on Gardens at the Botanic Gardens, and Crumb Cafe at Corrigans Beach.
A beautiful cafe and a great spot for the kids to see some sea creatures!
Food: We only eat out or get takeaway if there is a recommended place that serves coeliac safe gluten free food. So we got fish and chips from Stingrays in Batemans Bay. The chips were fantastic, the calamari were good, but next time we’ll pass on the fish!
Accommodation: For those with pets, the Abode at Malua Bay is pet friendly! We stayed here (as non-pet owners) and had no idea until another visitor told us, and then we saw some dogs. It was super clean, right on the beach, and we had our own little kitchen in the apartment to make our own food .
We were only down for a short trip this time, but there is so much to explore around the Eurobodalla region. It’s great for kids too, with the Mogo Zoo and the beach, and next time we’ll duck into the Botanic Gardens as well. With the new trail network coming soon, I just know this will become a favourite weekend getaway option!
Some interesting trail deco along the way :)
If you follow The Ridge Road down the hill, it takes you pretty much right down to Malua Bay. This is a beautiful beach, with a nice grassy park and playground, with a patrolled beach.
You never know what you might find at the beach!
This quaint little coffee shop was recommended to us by a friend and it delivered!
Saying hello to the stingrays (and grabbing a coffee) at Mossy Point.
