The Angry Bull-led recovery in Tenterfield
Tenterfield, a small Northern NSW town, recently hosted Gravel n Granite, which attracted over 800 mountain bike riders. The event, organized by the local mountain bike club, was a springboard for announcing the development of a 174km trail. Possibly the largest of its kind in Australia! Angry Bull Trails, a non-profit organization, is spearheading the project, with the aim of reinvigorating Tenterfield through adventure tourism.
174 glorious kilometres of gravel and granite (Image credit: Flow Mountain Bike)
Tenterfield can be reimagined as a prime tourist destination
The town has been hit by fires and floods in recent years. It has an ageing population and a declining workforce. Tenterfield youth do it particularly tough, especially young Bundjalung Mob who struggle to find employment and stay out of trouble. Combined with the experience of alienation in their own Country, some give up. With tragic consequences.
Juxtaposed against the hardship, are the varied ecosystems ancient granite hills that feature heavily in Bundjalung lore. There are also the brooding ghosts of bushrangers past who stalk a dozen local national parks and state forests. Then there’s the ubiquitous, flamboyant spirit of Peter Allen whose 80s hit Tenterfield Saddler brought the town international celebrity.
Angry Bulls trails is making Tenterfield an international destination for mountain bike tourism (Image credit: Angry Bull Trails; photography by Tales & Tones)
And did I mention the abundance of granite?
A solid foundation for recovery
Angry Bull Trails aims to build the best adventure tourism destination in the country. And what could be a better foundation for this than the physical properties of granite? Not only is it solid, fertile and drains well (very important for bike riders). It’s also beautiful and the paths and monoliths catch and refract the light.
Ride em roll em out! The famous 153-year-old Tenterfield Saddlery welcomes new visitors
(Image credit: The Saddlers Mountain Bike Club, Tenterfield)
Angry Bulls Trails has a three-pronged approach: 1. social enterprise, 2. the business collective, and 3. riders and supporters. The organization has won $4.1 million from the Department of Regional NSW to finance the build and has secured principal support from the land managers. ABT is partnering with BackTrack Works, an organization that helps troubled youth. The revenue generated from the trail network will fund the social enterprise aspect of the project.
Partnering with BackTrack to transform young lives
BackTrack’s primary purpose is to keep kids alive, keep them out of gaol and enable them to fulfill their dreams. So, in a town like Tenterfield, the synergies with Back Track’s youth development goals and Angry Bull Trails’ need for a trained adventure-based tourism workforce abound.
Angry Bulls has partnered with Back Track Youth Works to offer kids and the community an amazing future (Image credit: Back Track Youth Works)
The organisation is developing the trail to provide job training and education opportunities for Tenterfield’s youth and bring tourists to the area to share its natural assets with the world. ABT is also attracting corporate sponsorship and private philanthropy to maintain the trails as part of its business case.
Getting regional NSW active is everyone’s priority
Places like Tenterfield have faced considerable challenges, grappling with the devastating effects of climate disasters, the mounting cost of living, inequitable access to transport and poor mental and physical health. Aboriginal communities have borne the brunt of these hardships.
But we have also witnessed the remarkable power of projects like the Northern Rivers Rail Trail. Bike infrastructure can breathe new life into communities. It allows healthy, active lifestyles and attracts adventure tourism. Angry Bulls Trails’ work in Tenterfield holds great potential to revive this incredible area and transform lives.
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