From Sea Otter to Great Southern Trails, Eurobodalla rolls
into tourism boom
What a weekend for the Eurobodalla. The Sea Otter Australia Festival brought even larger numbers than anticipated with wrist band running out on the Saturday.
Around 1500 riders competed in the race events and around 6000 attending the village at Hanging Rock, where 170 brands were represented. Accommodation in the Bay was tight with caravan parks block booked out.
The vibe at the village was very friendly and relaxed, touched with excitement.
Produced by Rocky Trails Entertainment, Sea Otter Australia seemed a triumph of organisation, supported by a team of smiling volunteers.
Eurobodalla is now truly on the mountain biking map and Sea Otter will be back on the same weekend in 2026.
One initiative being promoted at the village by Destination Southern NSW is ‘Great Southern Trails.’
The mountain bike tourism initiative is bidding to capture some of the $1.5 billion spent by riders annually in Australia.
Destination Southern NSW (DSNSW) Great Southern Trails, aims to position Southern NSW as Australia’s premier mountain biking destination.
Great Southern Trails connects 10 mountain biking trail networks and towns, offering 550+ km of dedicated mountain bike (MTB) trails across the South Coast, Alpine Region, and the Capital.
The initiative was launched at the inaugural Sea Otter Australia MTB Festival in Batemans Bay in October 2025, marking its debut on the national stage.
“Mountain biking is one of the fastest-growing tourism segments in regional Australia.
Tourism Research Australia estimates MTB tourism contributes $1.5 billion annually to the visitor economy. Every trail network brings riders to local cafes, pubs, accommodation, visitor attractions, and tours,” said Richard Everson, General Manager of Destination Southern NSW.
“The Great Southern Trails tourism initiative aims to inspire visitors to choose Southern NSW for their next MTB trip. The initiative helps them plan, and encourages longer stays, higher visitor spend, and stronger year-round tourism visitation – delivering real economic and social benefits to our local towns and communities,” Everson added.
The Great Southern Trails brand and website have been developed by DSNSW with support from MTB Clubs, tourism industry operators, local councils and government. It provides an epic 1000 km mountain biking road trip taking in 10 locations that can easily be broken into smaller segments of 2, 3, and 4-day MTB adventures.
“Southern NSW is home to some of Australia’s best mountain biking trail networks, which is the reason we brought our business and the internationally renowned Sea Otter MTB Festival to Batemans Bay and Mogo Trails. From the iconic Stromlo Forest Park to Thredbo Resort and the recently opened Mogo Trails, Gravity Eden, Narooma MTB, and Mt Tumbarumba, nowhere else in Australia comes close to the quality and diversity of MTB riding on offer in the region,” said Juliane Wisata, Founder & Marketing Director Rocky Trail Entertainment, Australia’s leading MTB event business.
“It makes sense to collectively market the MTB trail networks in this region and ensure the MTB riders of Australia know the incredible MTB experience on offer here,” Wisata added.
Moruya Chamber of Commerce President Rob Pollock said “we’re playing the long game with Sea Otter.”
With $8 million given to develop the Eurobodalla Shire mountain bike trails, Moruya Business Chamber wants trails that link back into Moruya from Mt Wandera, eventually linking Bodalla and Narooma.
“We are fast becoming the Australian Mountain Bike place to visit Moruya want to be included not left behind” said Mr Pollock.
