Posted 24 October 2025
Dorset Council are excited to be announced as the winner of the Excellence in Destination Management (promotion and maintenance) category at the 2025 Land Managers Awards night held as part of the Sea Otter Australia Summit, held in Batemans Bay on Thursday night.
Nominations for the award were open to the public, with Dorset Council receiving votes from a range of user groups and in multiple categories and were nominated alongside large mainland councils such as the City of Gold Coast. The scope of the award received was to recognise exemplary work in both promoting and maintaining outdoor destinations.
The Blue Derby Trail Maintenance Crew set the gold standard in trail maintenance across Australia. Six full-time staff oversee a comprehensive, year-round preventative and corrective maintenance program covering 132 kilometres of singletrack within the Blue Derby network. Between 10 and 20 per cent of the network is fully rebuilt each year on a rotational basis, with most work delivered internally.
Accepting the award on behalf of Dorset Council was Trail Operations Manager, Peter Coleborn who acknowledged that the Blue Derby trail network is something both Council and the whole Dorset community can be proud of. “The Blue Derby Trail Maintenance Crew thanks Dorset Council for the employment opportunity and for such strong past and ongoing support for this amazing community asset. It is through this support that the North East enjoys collective ownership of Australia’s premier mountain bike destination.”
Recent major works include a full refurbishment of the Blue Tier trail, completion of a hand-cut technical Blue Trail in partnership with Shimano, and several key infrastructure projects — including two new bridges across the Cascade River to enhance safety and connectivity, the reinstallation of lighting in the 350 metre historic mining tunnel, and the design and delivery of a new navigational-style network map.
Dorset Mayor Rhys Beattie says this award is a celebration of collaboration, engagement, and shared purpose. “Dorset Council wishes to acknowledge the many partners who have shared in this journey — from the early support of the Northern Tasmania Development Corporation, whose studies and economic assessments helped shape the business case, to the Federal and Tasmanian Governments, whose funding turned that vision into reality.”
“We also thank the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service and Sustainable Timber Tasmania for their foresight in allowing Council, through World Trail, to build and maintain the network on Crown land — and for sharing our vision of creating a world-class mountain bike destination. Our partnership with Break O’Day Council on the Blue Tier trail is another example of how shared commitment strengthens regional recreation. Dorset Council also recognises the Blue Derby Foundation for supporting the community and ensuring the ongoing growth and sustainability of Australia’s leading mountain bike destination.”
“Together, these partnerships have supported the outstanding work of the Dorset Council Trail Crew, whose dedication and expertise keep Blue Derby at the forefront of trail management and rider experience”, Mayor Beattie said.
Chair of the Blue Derby Foundation, Steve Howell said, “world-class trails require world-class maintenance and promotion. We're so lucky to have all three here in North East Tasmania.”
Looking ahead, Dorset Council has initiated “Derby – Future Ready”, a master planning project to guide the next chapter for Derby and its surrounds. The vision remains clear — to keep Derby as the world’s number one mountain bike town, underpinned by a trail network maintained to a world-class standard.