Need a place to ride your dirt bike near Mackay? Well, we actually found 5 spots that you can take your trail or dirt bike for a spin in the bush!
Best Places to Ride a Dirt Bike near Mackay
In writing this guide, we recommend that you do your research regarding necessary permits and licensing. If you have an unregistered dirt bike then you might be riding illegally.
Also, wear your dirt bike protection gear and bring your hydration pack. You take a hard crash on your trail bike, then you’ll be able to get yourself out of a sticky situation much easier.
The best places to ride are:
1. Cathu State Forest
Drive an hour north of Mackay and you’ll come across Cathu State Forest. This is a great place for dirt bikes and you’ll need to stay on formed tracks.
You can also go camping inside the state forest as well. Use this map for a reference of where to base yourself for a day of riding on the trails.
The tracks here are forest fire trails and tight technical sections. Not so beginner friendly but you’ll find some flat areas for sure.
2. Mia Mia State Forest
Instead of driving north, you could instead go west! If you’re looking for more open plains and fast flowing gravel tracks, then you’ve found it!
Mia Mia State Forest is an open forest mostly comprising of eucalptys. Houses out this way are limited and you’re less likely to come across mountain bikers, hikers or tourists in general.
The tracks here are more open country where you might see triple digits on the speedo. Just like Cathu, you can certainly go camping here.
3. Drummonds Run
If you’re OK to shell out a few dollars then go along to Drummonds Run. This Enduro and Moto X Park is seriously well setup covering a diverse range of conditions.
Unfortunately, given the wet season, it appears that this place is temporarily closed. The owners are hinting that this place is permanently closed and never to re-open.
This sucks as Mackay already has so few good places to ride a trail bike in general, and if your dirt bike was unregistered as is the case for many people, then this really was your only choice.
4. Gum Valley Veterans Natural Terrain MX Track
Head 45 minutes south of Mackay and you’ll come across this MX track and club. The track is a bit more unique as it runs on natural terrain and has a longer run than most other tracks.
The club runs regular events and new members are welcome at any time. The club also runs some social events, group rides and beach runs.
They welcome dirt bikes of any size whether unregistered or not. Worth checking out!
5. Mackay Junior MX track
Yep – you probably knew about this one, but if you didn’t, the Mackay junior MX track is perfect for kids needing to improve their dirt bike riding skills but adults are welcome to go riding here too, even if you don’t have kids.
There are now around 2,500 members in the Mackay Junior Motocross public group. This is the perfect place to find someone for which to explore new tracks with on weekends in the Mackay region.
The club itself charges affordable membership fees and meets weekly.
6. Pioneer Valley Enduro Club
Join the Pioneer Valley Enduro Club and you’ll get some seriously fast-flowing sections worth of fun. They run races every few weeks in good community spirit as well as casual trail bike riding days.
Races aren’t for you? Not to worry! You can put yourself in the rear of the group and just follow along in the fun. There is a strong sense of community here and everyone really gets along.
They’re only 30 minutes outside of the Mackay CBD making this one of the closest dirt bike riding experiences available. Some people even ride their road-registered dirt bike straight in and out!
The terrain here is sandy and open savanna country. Nothing too technical.
Pro Mackay region riding tips
Before you load up your dirt bike on the trailer, here are some tips and pointers:
- Don’t go on to private property. If the gate is closed with a sign, then there is a good reason.
- If an area says no dirt bikes, then it means no dirt bikes. Don’t close areas for other people.
- Get inside Facebook groups. They are a wealth of information for riders.
- Check your permits! Rangers patrol these areas often and will issue tickets for unregistered dirt bike riding anywhere near Mackay.
- Always ride with a buddy or two. Even better – join an enduro club and go trail riding, meet some new friends and have a laugh!
It’s always good to plan a ride and ensure your trail bike or dirt bike is up to the task.
Getting started
That’s it for this list! Where have you ridden before? Any issues with coppers or rangers? Let us know in the comments below.
