Piggy-backing off the success of its sister town Derby, St Helens is following suit with two major mountain bike developments to be constructed.

The Bay of Fires Descent and the St Helens Stacked Loop network will be constructed in the region after applications were passed at a special council meeting held on Monday.

Mountain biking is a sport suited to Tasmania – some of our most rugged and beautiful wilderness areas are best seen on foot. It is only a short leap to seeing that beautiful scenery from the back of a two-wheeled mountain bike.

A bike is much smaller than a car, and will be able to access some stunning locations and connect the bush with the coastal town of St Helens. Tourism is becoming more and more important to the tapestry of Tasmania’s economy, and with offerings like the incredible Bay of Fires, it is not hard to see why. Mountain biking through tourist traps like the Bay of Fires will allow another way to see Tasmania up close and personal, which is what most people come here to see.

Our wilderness is up there with the most beautiful in the world, and it’s natural that people will gravitate to it.

However, it’s important to note any development in our natural world must have consideration for the environment.

It will be an important discussion that will need to be had as the development application for the two mountain bike trails comes to fruition.

In a world that is becoming increasingly aware of the impact we have on the environment, any such development should be sympathetic to that awareness.

But, if the appropriate environmental concerns are considered, the East Coast and the North-East of Tasmania will have found its niche. Mountain bike enthusiasts from across the world will have access to some of Tasmania’s most stunning outlooks, and will flock to the state to experience it.

Tasmania is well on its way to adding another string to its tourist bow, in a similar vein to our establishment in the golf world as a luxury golf Mecca.