New bike tracks planned for Fairy Meadow and northern suburbs

Our community has told us that they want to see more cycling facilities for families and young people to enjoy. That’s why we’re talking to local families and young bike riders to get a better idea of how we can create bike tracks that are great to use, without damaging the surrounding natural environment.

We’re calling for feedback on two online engagements on the Our Wollongong website — one for concept designs for a bike track in Anama Street, Fairy Meadow and another that looks at three possible locations for a new bike track in either Bulli or Woonona.

Each bike track will look different depending on the chosen location, but they all have some similarities. These new tracks will be dirt tracks and will be designed to have features for both beginner and advanced bike riders.

“What we’ve learnt from our previous project in Figtree is that local knowledge is an invaluable resource. We want to hear from the families and young bike riders who know the area and can spot any potential problems before we start building the tracks,” Wollongong City Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery AM said.

“This also means taking into consideration the impact bike tracks have on our natural environment. We live in a truly beautiful part of the world and our community values our natural spaces, parks and coastline.

“Illegal or homemade bike tracks can often cause a lot of damage to important ecosystems as people can accidently destroy native plants and cause erosion in the process of building the track. We’re seeing this taking place in natural areas like creek corridors and in bushland settings across the city and we don’t want our waterways silted up which then impacts aquatic creatures and bird life.

“By working together, we aim to legitimatise bike tracks by choosing locations that are suitable for all members of our community and do not negatively impact our environment. It’s a work in progress, and we value the input and support from our community as we work to expand this program to our other suburbs.”

Here's a snapshot of the work Council is doing to create new bike tracks for our community:

Fairy Meadow

Where will it go?

Anama Street Reserve, Fairy Meadow.

What are we asking?

We’re planning to build a new bike track on the existing reserve on Anama Street, Fairy Meadow. Right now, we’re calling for feedback on our concept design which includes two tracks for the site — beginner and advanced tracks. Once we’ve heard from our community, we’ll use this feedback to finalise the design.

Find out more

We’ll host an online workshop where families and young people can attend virtually to ask questions on Thursday 7 October 2021. Register to attend by visiting the Our Wollongong website.

Feedback for the Anama Street Reserve Bike Track closes Wednesday 20 October 2021.

Northern Suburbs

Where will it go?

We’ve looked at lots of open spaces and have found three potential locations that we think are great for a bike track.

• Mailbag Hollow, Bulli – north eastern area towards Slacky Creek section of the park. The bike track would be built around existing trees in the area where bike activity currently occurs.
• Bulli Park, Bulli – area in western section of park. The bike track would be constructed amongst existing trees in the park.
• Ocean Park Reserve, Woonona – area south of Ocean Park. The bike track would be located south of Collins Creek between Carrington Street and the shared path.

What are we asking?

We’re asking our community to help us decide between the three locations. The final design for the bike track will depend on the site we choose, but the track will be a dirt track and will be designed for different skill levels.

Find out more

Feedback closes Friday 15 October 2021. Visit the Our Wollongong website to learn more.

Figtree

Where is it?

Harry Graham Park, Figtree.

Where is this project up to?

Good news! We’ve given the green light for Harry Graham to remain the permanent home for the popular trial bike track.

Council first designed and built this bike track at the end of 2020 with the help of our community, in particular local children, young people and families. Last month, we made minor adjustments to the track and built a new fence to ensure everyone’s safety. The track has re-opened and is ready to be enjoyed these school holidays!

Dapto

Where will it go?

Dimond Brothers Reserve, Dapto. Near the existing skate park.

Where is this project up to?

Recently, we called for feedback from our community on the concept design for the two new tracks in Dimond Bros Reserve. The public exhibition of the designs has now closed, and we thank everyone for their feedback and support.

Now that we’ve received our community’s feedback, we’ll be reviewing what you said about the concept design and to create a final design for the new track. The next steps will be to build the track, and like what we did in Figtree, we’ll be calling for residents, children and young people to help us build the track.

We’re planning to start building the new track in the next few months, and we’ll share the final design and call for help to start building then.