Derby

Derby was built on tin from the 1870s, and after the mine closed and a dam burst catastrophically in 1929 the village declined to a few hundred people with boarded shopfronts. In 2015 the first mountain bike trails opened in the surrounding forest, built to international standards through wet eucalypt and rainforest, and the transformation was rapid: the Blue Derby network now runs to over a hundred kilometres, has hosted Enduro World Series rounds, and the village has filled with cafés, bike shops, breweries and accommodation. Trails range from flowing green routes to steep technical descents, with shuttles to the top of Blue Tier for a long point-to-point run.

History

The area is the land of the Trawlwoolway people of the North East nation, and settlement began in 1874, when George Renison Bell found tin in a creek bed; the camp, Brother's Home, grew when the Krushka brothers from Prussia found a rich lode and opened The Brothers' Mine, sold in 1893 to a London company as the Briseis. Renamed Derby in 1885, probably after the Earl of Derby, the town passed 3,000 people, including many Chinese miners, before the Briseis Dam on the Cascade River burst on 4 April 1929, killing 14 people and halting the mine; it reopened in 1934 but closed for good in 1948 (Wikipedia, Derby, Tasmania).

What you'll find

• The Blue Derby trails - over a hundred kilometres of purpose-built singletrack.
• The Blue Tier descent - the long shuttled point-to-point ride.
• The rebuilt village - cafés, breweries and bike shops in old mining buildings.
• The forest - wet eucalypt and rainforest the trails run through.

When to go

October to April for the driest riding; northeast Tasmania is wet and trails get muddy but stay rideable. Race weekends fill the village entirely. Winter riding is possible but cold and slick.

Things to know

This is a mountain biking town first; non-riders will find limited alternatives. Accommodation is tight and books out on event weekends. Trails include genuinely difficult descents, and rider injuries are common. Rain is frequent.

Nearby

Bridestowe lavender is west; St Columba Falls and the east coast lie southeast.

Key facts