The Hill will be the first site to be renewed with construction happening this financial year (2025-2026). A tender will be sought to prepare the detailed design plans and on-site works.

This renewal will include the use of more durable materials to extend the life of the jumps and include a facility maintenance plan to ensure long-term performance.

View the final Concept plans for The Hill

The concept plans will be used as a basis for upgrading each site.

Renewal works for the BMX jump facilities at Stead Park and Waurn Ponds are scheduled for staged delivery over the coming years. These works will be funded through the City's Open Space Asset Renewal program.

Concept plans can be viewed in the Concept Plan Report or in the Document Library below.

During engagement, the community also shared interest in the provision of additional improvements, such as:

• Expansion of the downhill trail network at The Hill
• Installation of public toilets at each site

These upgrades fall outside the scope of the current renewal project. However, funding for new infrastructure (above and beyond renewal of existing facilities) will be explored through future Council budget processes and external grants.

When we talked to the community about bike tracks in Geelong and The Hill in 2021, we were told that many riders did not enjoy the City’s existing mountain bike and dirt jump facilities because of their condition and the limited features available. We also heard that the community would like to be involved in the future design and renewal of these facilities.

In 2024 the Mountain Bike Facilities Renewal Project began which included three existing bike facilities in need of improvements. These sites are The Hill in Newtown, Stead Park Dirt Jumps in Corio and the Waurn Ponds Dirt Jumps in Grovedale. A consultant was engaged to prepare concept plans and in July 2024 community engagement began.

Previous input from The Hill engagement in 2021 and engagement feedback for this project in 2024 helped us prepare the new concept designs for the Stead Park Dirt Jumps, The Hill Mountain Bike Park in Newtown, and the Waurn Ponds Dirt Jumps.

The concept plans were developed using the input from the engagement and were presented back for the community for their comments in March 2025. Most of the responders supported the concept plans. These plans were then finalised and are now available on this page for public information.

Constraints –

Some of the requests for renewal upgrades to the sites could not fit into the designated budget. Items suggested that have not been shown on the concept plans have not been forgotten, they simply could not be included within the current renewal scopes. Please be assured that future upgrades and funding opportunities for the sites will utilise the engagement comments collected.

We have done our best to come up with a design that meets what we have heard from the community within budget constraints.