AusLeisure

Australia’s newest and largest combined mountain bike and BMX facility at Western Sydney Parklands, known as Wylde, has been heralded a success by local community groups and families and has also been awarded Category Winner for Outstanding Sport, Recreation and Tourism at the Boomtown! Greater Western Sydney Project of the Year Awards.

The site, designed by landscape architects GroupGSA in collaboration with Dirtz, features more than 15km of purpose-built mountain bike trails, a BMX track and the largest pump track in the southern hemisphere.

The $13.5 million, 86-hectare BMX and MTB facility delivered by the NSW Government and Liverpool City Council opened in September and is expected to host national competitions and attract tens of thousands of riders annually.

Wylde is a catalyst project for the ongoing development of the Southern Parklands – a key 1500-hectare area of open space considered the green heart of Western Sydney. It forms part of the Western Sydney Parklands – one of the biggest urban parks in the world, covering 5,280 hectares and stretching 27 kilometres across three local government areas.

GroupGSA first completed the development of original Wylde MTB Trail back in 2013 and were re-engaged in 2018 to relocate the original site half a kilometre south to accommodate the new M12 Motorway.

Western Sydney Parklands Senior Manager Design and Strategy, Oriana Senese, described the new Wylde facility as an attractive destination for people of all ages and abilities, from beginners to the experienced MTB and BMX rider.

Senese advises “Wylde with its striking architectural features has design excellence as a core objective, being specifically designed to seamlessly integrate a new biking facility within the sensitive Cumberland Plain Woodland vegetation.

“The design ensures low impact to the environment and offers a genuine bushland experience for the rider in the heart of Western Sydney.”

GroupGSA Principal Steven Hammond and Landscape architect Liam Isaksen note the landscape design was elevated to meet the evolving demands for recreational activity among mountain bike and BMX riders, which previously attracted 30,000 riders each year at the former site and add Wylde has been designed to attract people for major riding events but also serve day-to-day recreational amenity for leisure riders and families. The expanded facility contributes to the growing visitation to the district and development of the wider Western Parkland City.”

17 tracks, designed for various skill levels, weave in and out of the Cumberland Plain Bushlands and are thoughtfully integrated into the landscape to honour the aesthetic of the parklands. Each purpose-built track features a mix of creative landscaping and trail markers to guide riders through the terrain.

Multi-purpose shelters were relocated from the previous site for sustainable re-use.

Dirtz Director Brett Barnes, who specialises in the design and construction of off-road cycling facilities including several Olympic level UCI BMX facilities, said Wylde had been specifically designed to promote off-road cycling for all skill levels.

“Very few facilities across Australia or the world do this for MTB, BMX and pump track,” he said.

Western Sydney’s BMX Club regularly occupy the park for track days and training nights.

GroupGSA is multi-disciplinary design practice offering architecture, interiors design, landscape architecture and urban design services. GroupGSA has five offices in Australia and Asia, as well as a national and global network of strategic alliance offices. This enables the firm to deliver projects with the benefit of local knowledge and people on the ground.

Dirtz specialises in the design and construction of off-road cycling facilities. To date they have designed and built over 230 competitive and recreational mountain bike, pumptrack and BMX facilities all over Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

Images: Credit: Simon Wood photography

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