Funds for new Derby trail
• Fish brothers Django and Archie give the thumbs up to news of a new family friendly trail at Derby.
By Tony Scott,
July 28, 2021
Federal funding for a new relatively easy mountain bike trail at Derby has been confirmed.
Dorset Council had already included the $250,000 Blue Derby Green Flow Trail in its estimates for this financial year.
Planning for the new trail is still in early stages, but it’s likely to be close to the township and not too adventurous to meet the market for newcomers to the sport and family group riders.
The Federal Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Dan Tehan, confirmed the funding as part of $5.14 million to fund new tourist attractions in Tasmania, including mountain bike trails, rock climbing and farm experiences, to attract more visitors to the island and support local jobs and business opportunities.
Eight tourism projects account for $2.34 million and another $2.8 million is to encourage agricultural businesses to develop unique tourism experiences, such as interactive farm tours, on-farm accommodations and meals, paddock to plate experiences and cooking schools.
“Our investment will support the Tasmanian community to further improve their tourist offering by developing new and unique attractions that draw even more visitors to the state.”
Tourism Tasmania CEO John Fitzgerald said commended the Australian Government for backing regional operators in Tasmania.
“There’s a real focus on product innovation and new visitor experiences designed to increase yield and length of stay, which we know is so important for industry recovery, particularly in regional areas.
“These projects will align with the work Tourism Tasmania is doing with its current Off Season winter marketing campaign and our ongoing Come Down for Air program focussed on generating interest and visitor demand for Tasmania.”
Along with the Blue Derby Green Flow Trail there is money for other mountain bike initiatives in Hobart, the Bay of Fires and the Mersey Trail in the North West.
The funding is provided through the Recovery for Regional Tourism (RRT) Program.
The existing Blue Derby Trails are closed due to the persistent wet weather.
Trail managers hope they get time to recover after being closed on Monday for up to three weeks.