Nestled on the Mornington Peninsula, Arthurs Seat State Park is one of Victoria's most popular destinations for mountain biking enthusiasts.
But behind the smooth berms, flowing descents, and well-maintained jumps is a small but dedicated team of volunteers – the Red Hill Riders Trail Crew – quietly putting in the hard yards to keep the trails open, safe, and sustainable.
According to the president of the Red Hill Riders, Lachlan Wakeling, mountain biking has seen a huge surge in popularity across Victoria, especially since the pandemic.
"Everyone was looking for something active to do outdoors. We saw a huge uptake of people riding the trails around that time which is awesome, but more people means more wear and tear on the trails as well.
"That's where we come in, and our volunteer crew are involved in helping keep those trails in good shape."
Victoria boasts an extensive network of mountain biking trails catering to all skill levels, including Lysterfield Park, You Yangs Regional Park, Dandenong Ranges National Park and Great Otway National Park.
Photo: Red Hill Riders president Lachlan Wakeling riding the trails of Arthurs Seat State Park. Image supplied by Lachlan Wakeling.
The Red Hill Riders mountain biking group was formed in 2009 by passionate local riders juggling work, families, and the desire to maintain Arthurs Seat as a great spot for riding. Lachlan joined as a volunteer in 2019 before becoming president last year.
"Our volunteer trail crew have been building and maintaining trails for years in various places, including some guys who have worked professionally as trail builders overseas and others who have just been involved with riding for 20-plus years," he said.
The Red Hill Riders now have over 350 members, and they operate entirely on volunteer power. Around a dozen committed individuals turn up for weekly Tuesday maintenance sessions, and up to 50 volunteers pitch in during larger weekend working bees.
The work is varied – from clearing fallen trees and fixing drainage, to building new trail features – and it all adds up. Volunteers have contributed an estimated average of 1,250 hours each year of their time to keeping the trails on track.
Photo: The Red Hill Riders Trail Crew volunteers hard at work putting in a new feature on one of the many trails at Arthurs Seat State Park.
"Apart from the really dry parts of summer where there's no rain and you can't do maintenance because it just turns to dust, throughout the rest of the year there's a group of volunteers that meet up pretty much every Tuesday," Lachlan said.
"They give anywhere between two and four hours of their own time to keep drainage open, make sure that erosion is being contained to just the trail corridor, and that all the trails are being kept safe and in good shape."
And it's just as well.
Data collected by the Red Hill Riders using track counters shows that some trails in Arthurs Seat State Park are clocking up as many as 8,000 runs per month.
"The Wonga trail, which had some new jumps put in last year, has had a couple of months where there's been 8,000 passes on the trail counter, whereas most of the commonly ridden trails average between 3,000–4,000 runs per month," Lachlan said.
What many riders don't realise is the sheer volume of work involved in keeping trails ride-ready, a task jointly managed by volunteers and Parks Victoria rangers.
"People just see these trails as free, but what they don't think about is the hours of work put in by dedicated volunteers to constantly maintain it. And the Trail Crew do it because they love the sport, and they want people to have an enjoyable place to ride."
"Our volunteers are passionate riders and they're giving up precious hours where they could be riding themselves, but instead they are putting in the time to make something that's in great shape for everyone else who rides it."
Photo: The Red Hill Riders work closely with Parks Victoria to ensure trails are constructed in an environmentally responsible way.
Importantly, the Red Hill Riders work closely with Parks Victoria to ensure that all trail work is done in an environmentally responsible way.
"We go through really extensive environmental approvals before starting work on a new trail," Lachlan said.
"The collaboration with Parks Victoria is crucial. We know if we weren't doing it in a regulated way, people would be in there digging around unsanctioned. But because we put the effort in to do it properly and working collaboratively with Parks Victoria, it means there's less of a chance people will be damaging the park unnecessarily."
The Red Hill Riders Trail Crew exemplify the important role volunteers play in keeping Victoria's parks vibrant and accessible.
Volunteering in nature
Being a volunteer in our parks is a great way to help conserve the beauty of Victoria's landscape – while also learning more about plants and wildlife, gaining new skills, spending time in the outdoors, improving your health and wellbeing, and meeting new friends.
By volunteering with Parks Victoria, you can also experience some of Victoria's special places in a way that is not available to the public.
Click here to find out how you can volunteer in a park near you or subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest volunteering opportunities and updates straight to your inbox.
