Insurance complications put a halt to mountain bike track

It was supposed to be Narrogin’s first privately owned mountain bike track but insurance difficulties have brought public access to a halt at Angus Armstrong’s farm. Headlined by the Eagles Nest track, plans included a 500m grass tree track, a rock run and 10.2km main track at the farm on Kilpatrick Road in Nomans Lake. Winding through pristine farmland vistas, the trails would offer cycling enthusiasts a chance to enjoy the thrills of mountain biking near Narrogin. But while 18km of track is finished, relatively few people have been allowed to ride it. To overcome insurance difficulties and improve safety, Mr Armstrong originally partnered with Michael Chin of the Wheatbelt Cycling Collective about two years ago. Then, in another step forward, Shire of Narrogin council granted planning approval in mid-2020. At this time last year, the track was shaping as a likely drawcard for the region but insurance requirements have continued to hamper public access. Originally, it was thought that if riders were members of the Wheatbelt Cycling Collective and with Mountain Biking Australia, they would be covered. But Mr Armstrong said insurers were not willing to financially back the project. “My accountant was saying ‘it’s still not worth the risk’ because when anyone gets sued, it’s whoever’s got the assets,” he said. “Because I've made the trail it ultimately comes down to me. “It just became all these little things where if it’s never an issue, it’s never an issue, but if it becomes an issue then people will find any little catch. “I've got some old pallets and things like that which I’ve used and they were saying if you have them in there you’ve got to have hardwood, it’s got to be screws. “I would love to be able to get more work done to lift the trail maybe to those specs, but I’m still unsure about the issue with private land and actually getting an insurer. I would love to, if I get time, investigate and see if there are other options.”