FREYA Clark yesterday became the Tasmanian equivalent of New South Wales horseman Francis de Groot who, in 1932, slashed the ribbon to open the Sydney Harbour Bridge before Premier Jack Lang was able to do so.
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The eight-year-old, of Lilydale, was yesterday the first rider on the Blue Derby Mountain Bike Track section of the $2.5 million, 80-kilometre trail development, after its official opening by Dorset Mayor Barry Jarvis, Break O’Day Mayor Mick Tucker and Bass Liberal MHR Andrew Nikolic.
Cr Jarvis said that he was delighted that both major parties had recognised the project’s potential with bipartisan support.
‘‘From Dorset’s point of view, we’ll see growth in recreational tourism and people staying in the region rather than just driving through, and that’s great news for our economy because 80 per cent of the tourist dollar is spent after dark,’’ Cr Jarvis said.
Mr Nikolic said that he had brought the project up as a priority with the Liberal Party three years ago and was pleased that it had got up.
‘‘Both sides supported it and that tells you what its economic value is and how strong support for it was,’’ he said.
‘‘Whichever party won the last election would have done this.’’
The track will in May host the 2015-16 Marathon Mountain Bike Championships, which are part of the world mountain bike series.
The full development, which includes trails around Blue Tier, is scheduled for completion in 2016.
