From tech-enhanced thrills to breathtaking new trails, mountain biking tourism is hitting its stride. We jump on two wheels to investigate what’s driving the boom.

I would like to stress, before anyone imagines otherwise, that fear is an entirely rational response to straddling an aluminium contraption while careening down a craggy slope at a swift, some may say alarming, speed. Sweat beads. Dignity wobbles. Quads ache. Hearts race.

It’s a humid morning on Hamilton Island, and we’ve decided to take on the destination’s most exhilarating new adventure – a nine-kilometre e-mountain biking loop tracing the island’s eastern arm. The self-guided experience, which launched at the newly minted HI Trails HQ in October, is already gaining traction among visitors with an appetite for adrenaline. Hamilton Island’s content production manager Dean Marchini, who has called the island home for 10 years, says the activity has been a major highlight. I’ve come to sniff out the appeal.

I’m a mountain biking novice, and it shows; I grind laboriously uphill, reef-blue Whitsundays flashing through the foliage. Any residual embarrassment about my cardiovascular theatrics fades once I mercifully learn I’ve been using the wrong gears. As the electric assist kicks in and I crest a hill that would otherwise have defeated me, fear gives way to pure thrill.

But the real reward comes when the trees part and we hug the downhill segment from Cabbage Tree Junction to South East Head, the trail opening onto a spectacular panorama of glinting aquamarine and undeveloped bushland. I feel like a kid who’s stumbled upon a hidden kingdom. And so begins my education in why people willingly subject themselves to uphill clatters and downhill jolts – and keep coming back for more.

The rise of mountain biking tourism in Australia

Hamilton Island is far from the only destination riding the mountain bike (MTB) wave. Across the country, trail developments are springing up with momentum, reshaping regional tourism in the process. Australian Sports Commission data shows mountain biking participation has more than doubled since 2018, and Tourism Research Australia estimated MTB tourism contributed $1.5 billion to the visitor economy in 2024.

“Mountain biking offers something rare in today’s world: an easy, accessible way to experience the outdoors with a genuine sense of freedom," general manager of Destination Southern NSW Richard Everson tells Australian Traveller. “Add to that the rise of e-MTBs, social riding culture and the appeal of regional road-trip adventures, and you have a sport that is welcoming, social and endlessly discoverable."

New mountain biking trails in Australia

In October, NSW tapped into that appeal with the launch of the Great Southern Trails, a seamless 1000-kilometre touring route linking 10 diverse and expert-built mountain biking networks. The NSW South Coast is one of the few regions where riders can both skirt coastline and carve alpine singletrack. “Great Southern Trails is designed as Australia’s ultimate MTB road trip," Everson elaborates. “Riders can plan multi-day adventures with clear information on ride times, travel distances, shuttle options, and where to eat, stay and refuel."

Elsewhere, emerging regional hubs are seeing similar transformations. Western Australia’s Dwellingup Mountain Bike Trail Network, completed in November, delivers 68 kilometres of riding just over an hour from Perth/Boorloo. Set among towering jarrah forests and winding rivers, Dwellingup is now one of only two accredited Trail Towns in the state.

Victoria’s Creswick opened a 60-kilometre trail network in late 2024 across goldfields and the cultural lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung people. The Tumbarumba Mountain Bike Park has transformed the Snowy Valleys from a bushfire-affected region into a must-visit adventure destination. And Tasmania/Lutruwita’s Derby, once a struggling logging town, now hums with riders, its revival driven largely by sustained investment in MTB trails.

Why is mountain biking growing in popularity?

What makes mountain biking’s rise particularly interesting is its demographic elasticity. This is no longer an activity reserved for adrenaline maximalists. Families, wellness travellers and curious first-timers like myself are all getting involved. Why? It’s exercise disguised as fun, complete with nature and a measurable sense of personal achievement. Importantly, it’s scalable – riders can choose gentle riverside loops or heart-pounding forest descents depending on mood and ability.

Technology has helped too. The upswing of electric bikes has lowered the entry barrier, allowing more people to tackle challenging terrain without elite fitness. On Hamilton Island, the e-MTB certainly doesn’t erase the effort – my legs can attest to that – but it makes the experience much less intimidating.

Mountain biking trails opening soon

The pipeline suggests the movement hasn’t yet reached its peak. In NSW’s Wollongong area, phase two of the Illawarra Escarpment Mountain Bike Network is readying for construction. Meanwhile, Thredbo is continuing to refine Australia’s only lift-accessed mountain bike park, and Victoria’s Mount Buller is expecting 10 kilometres of new tracks by April – proving there’s room in this boom for both grassroots trail towns and established alpine icons.

Our verdict

Back on Hamilton Island, I find myself grinning all the way through the final stretch. I dismount muddy but intact, buoyed by a genuine sense of accomplishment and the smugness of having seen the island from corners few visitors reach.

“If you’ve done the hikes and you’re up for a new challenge, the juice is absolutely worth the squeeze. But you’ve got to be adventurous," says Hamilton Island activities manager Ben Norman. “I’m blown away. I’ve ridden trails all around the world and that was world-class," a fellow rider confirms back at HI Trails HQ. Mountain biking in Australia really is having a moment – and, sweat and all, I’m glad to be along for the ride.