Falls Creek

With so many great Alpine bike resorts in the summer, competition for mountain bike business is getting fiercer and fiercer. Proof of that can be seen at Falls Creek where they have been on a blitz of development and expansion - adding more than 45km of purpose-built trails in the past four years. They now proudly boast that they have something for every type of rider, whatever flavour of trail they prefer and whatever their level of experience and skill - although the focus is mostly on intermediate riders. And even trails that might appear straightforward at first can easily become a lot more tricky at Falls Creek given the relatively thin soil and rocky base that can become exposed if and when the weather conditions change. Flowtown is one of the newest trails at Falls Creek and marks the ‘coming of age’ of this surprisingly young MTB destination. Smile-inducing and face-contortingly awesome, the 6km descent - with 300m total elevation loss - offers fun in spades. You can then jump in a Blue Dirt shuttle or take the Packhorse trail that meanders its way back to the village. One of the beauties of Falls Creek as a MTB resort is the fact that it is set into a bowl, with a number of trails such as Vortex, Jump Start and Wishing Well bringing you out close to the central plaza and within a few pedal strokes of a welcome brew. With 19 trails on offer, long looping routes can be linked together for extended rides, or easily broken up depending on your personal fitness and level of skill. Falls Creek’s summer vibe has gone from sleepy to vibrant in just a few years, but they are refusing to rest on their laurels - highlighted by an 85 page detailed Masterplan for the whole resort being produced last year. In terms of mountain biking, expect even more developments (such as a pump track) and a push to become the leading altitude training base in the country. Planned new routes include up to Mt Nelse, Tawonga Huts and Cope Aqueducts, but a vast network of firetrails going outside the village boundaries already offer even more (lesser known) adventures.One example is the Big River Firetrail that links with the Little Bogong Firetrail that ultimately takes you about 3540km all the way over to Mt Beauty. In terms of best times to visit, Falls Creek is putting on a wide range of events over the coming summer - from the MTB de Femme (a ladies mountain bike social gathering that is one of a kind), to the Victorian MTB Championships and Vic Enduro Tour in February, before a big closing party towards the end of April.