Ironbark Gully and Walkabout Creek Skills Parks
We needed some photos and examples for the grant application so Ben and I grabbed the camera and tape measure and went down to check out some recommended skills parks and pump tracks in Brisbane.
First stop was Ironbark Gully (https://goo.gl/maps/ZNRMyKjdX6v). This place was great and I could see a lot of similarities with the space that Parklands has.
There was a small skills area up near the carpark with rock obstacles, logs and a little berm which was all perfect for kids and rookies to get their balance and bike handling skills leveled up. There was then a beautiful bermed shute which shot you down to a lower level with two well-planned pump track loops with a few rock gardens and logs scattered about. There was also another small but fun track that went up the hill then back down to a large central grassy area great for mum and dad to watch the kids or just to lay down the bike and sit in the shade after hammering the trails.
We then went to the Walkabout Creek Discovery Centre (https://goo.gl/maps/5x1sqGKLk5z). After some coffee and some banana bread we went down to the new skills park. This place has had a lot of money spent on it and has distinct sections and good landscaping. It has a small pump track for the kids on one side and the advanced skills “bowl” and flow trails on the other. In the centre was a covered area (with a bike workstand so you can fix your bike which was a nice touch). The skills bowl had big berms around the edges with carefully placed logs and rock gardens throughout. There was also two beautifully formed flow trails which snaked their way through the trees and cleverly used the small space.
We had a bit of pedal and took lots of photos so it was a productive trip and until today I always assumed skills areas were just a bit of dirt with some logs and rocks laying around but now I have to say that if we can have anything like these areas in Parklands it would be amazing.
Peace out,
Michael Johns