The ups and downs of Derby
October 4, 2023
Visitor numbers were picking up in Derby as a result of school holidays but forward bookings for accommodation and shuttle services are slightly down on previous seasons, Blue Derby Foundation Chair Chris Caffe said.
The impact of high interest rates was seen as the reason for the slight reduction in activity at the mountain bike town, which suffered through another bleak winter, he said.
“The forward bookings are solid and very positive but not quite as strong as last year and I think that is because of the interest rate rises and people don’t have as much money as they had before,” Mr Caffe said.
“A lot of interstate families are here which is encouraging because we have introduced more green trails for families,” he said.
“The trail crew has done a great job during the winter, sometimes working in appalling conditions to get everything refurbished – I think they are the best in the world.
“We have recently opened Dam Busters and they are still working on Blue Tier but that should be ready in late October, early November.”
With the increase in extra activity comes an increase in potential danger, with Tasmania Police responding to three serious crashes in the last week.
The first occurred on Friday where a man riding on ‘Air Ya Garn’ trail reported receiving chest injuries from his crash and needed to be flown out by rescue helicopter.
Two separate calls for assistance were made within an hour on Saturday, with Police, five SES volunteers and two paramedics responding to calls from riders on the ‘Flickity Sticks Upper’ trail (a 56-year-old West Australian man) and then a 12-year-old Southern Tasmanian boy on ‘Kumma-Gutza’.
Police issued a reminder for riders to have a plan in the event that they are injured from a crash, to ensure someone knows where they are riding and when due back, to take a personal locator beacon or mobile phone and, if injured, to provide emergency services with an accurate location of where they are on the trail to expedite assistance.
“At the end of the day, mountain biking is inherently risky but it’s commonsense stuff that people should be doing, including riding within your ability, wearing a full helmet, gloves, knee pads and elbow pads,” Mr Caffe said.
“Most crashes are caused by fatigue when people come here and try to ride for three days straight which they don’t normally do.
“The emergency services and the local volunteers who have trained in emergency first aid look after everyone and do an amazing job.
“People should also know that there are a number of guides who can take you out and show you the pinch points.”