City to reconnect iconic mountain bike track

Published on 03 July 2018

The City of Hobart will start work reconnecting the iconic North-South mountain bike track on kunanyi / Mount Wellington just months after it was damaged in May’s devastating floods.

The extreme weather event on 10 May sent a deluge of water and rocks down the New Town Rivulet, carving out a dangerous, four-metre crater around the Clapper Bridge on the popular mountain biking track. 

While much of the original Clapper Bridge withstood the flood, the banks around it collapsed and for safety reasons the area remains off-limits to mountain bike riders.

City of Hobart track builders and architects plan to build a new crossing 10 metres upstream, rerouting and reconnecting the North-South Track in time for summer’s peak mountain bike season.  

Work on the new rivulet crossing is scheduled to begin in July. Visitors are asked to avoid the area. The large crater continues to pose a significant public safety risk, and has been fenced off to protect visitors.  

The rest of the North-South Track between The Springs and Clapper Bridge withstood the May floods, and continues to offer riders a great experience.

Originally built as part of the North-South Track, the Clapper Bridge was based on a method dating back to medieval England where large slabs of flat stone were placed across rivers. 

The Clapper Bridge quickly became a signature feature of the award-winning North-South Track, with its design reflecting the surrounding natural environment.

Image: The 4 metre crater surrounding Clapper Bridge following May's floods