Following the announcement by Alpine Community Plantation (ACP) that a new Pay-To-Play Membership Model has been introduced for Mystic MTB Park, the Alpine Cycling Club has the following statement for members:
When news broke in July that Mystic MTB Park was in danger of closure, the Alpine Cycling Club and its members were, understandably, distressed by the news, and the possible loss of this vital community asset.
Mystic Park is hugely valuable to Bright and surrounds, and to our club. It is a place of enjoyment and recreation for our members and the wider community, and we are very fortunate to have this world-class park right on our doorstep.
The Alpine Cycling Club and its members have been instrumental in the creation and development of Mystic Park over many years. The popularity of the park is largely due to the trail-building and maintenance work of ACC volunteers.
ACC members deeply value the mountain bike park, and the contribution it provides to our local community. The club is hugely appreciative of ACP and the land manager, HVP, for giving us access to this invaluable asset.
Club volunteers have spent hundreds of hours in the weeks since July working with ACP and the Alpine Shire to find a way to keep Mystic Park open and secure its future.
The best way to do that, at the current time, is via a user-pays system, as announced this week by ACP.
However, we understand that, after years of free access, paying to ride your local trails may be difficult for some club members to accept. Unfortunately, the situation is very clear – if riders do not support Mystic Park financially now, it will not survive into the future.
Therefore, ACC strongly encourages our members to get behind Mystic Park, take out a Mystic Membership, and to encourage friends, family members, and visitors to do the same.
We are pleased to have secured discounted Mystic Memberships for ACC members, in recognition of the contribution that our club and our members have made to Mystic over the years, and the work we will all continue to do in the future.
Member discounts
– All adult ACC members will receive $20 off the full price of an Annual Mystic Membership for the first year – $75 down from $95. Head here to download the HivePass app and buy your Adult Annual membership: https://go.hivepass.app/JCTB
Please note, this will only work on a mobile device, and all memberships must be purchased through a mobile device.
– Additionally, the club will pay the whole membership fee for all junior members under the age of 18 this year, so they will receive a free annual Youth membership (worth $65). Head here to download the HivePass app and buy your Youth Annual membership: https://mysticpark.info/youth-membership
Please note, this will only work on a mobile device, and all memberships must be purchased through a mobile device.
– Club members (adults and juniors) are required to purchase their Mystic memberships at full price, and contact the club directly for reimbursement*.
ACC members are also eligible for additional Mystic benefits, including:
– A free annual Mystic Membership** for those who complete 10 hours of trail maintenance*** in a year.
– Free after-hours vehicle shuttles**** for a month, for those who complete 3 hours of trail maintenance per month***
– Club members are required to have a Mystic Membership to participate in club events within Mystic Park, however, ACP will waive any additional event fees for the club.
The future
It is important to note that the new Mystic Membership model is required to secure the immediate future of Mystic MTB Park. The Alpine Shire and ACP are continuing to explore future management options for the park. Throughout this process, the Alpine Cycling Club has worked – and will continue to work – with ACP to ensure Mystic remains a world-class venue, vital community asset, and valuable tourism driver for Bright.
We’d like to remind our members that, if you ride in the park without a Mystic Membership after October 24, not only are you are putting the future of the park at risk and not contributing to its operation, you are using the park and trails without the land manager’s permission, which may affect your personal insurance.
Notes
* Club members should email treasurer@alpinecyclingclub.com.au (quoting your Mystic member number) to obtain reimbursement. Please note, this will be a manual (not automated) process and will take up to 4 weeks to process.
** Free annual membership will be granted the following year
*** Trail maintenance must be sanctioned, logged and verified in TrailForks
**** Drivers must be inducted by ACC