Anyone who’s competed in the annual Otway Odyssey Marathon races will agree it’s hard to get the kms under the tyres at Forrest, but it is well worth the effort.

While it’s been around a while, trails and facilities were upgraded and new trails added in 2023. 

Across the network there’s a mix of green, blue and black trails. The rating on the six black trails must be due to the climbing involved though as there are no major technical challenges on any of them. Some of the biggest jumps/features are actually on blue trails, so ride them like you see them.

The centre comprises two trailheads: Yaugher which is about 5km out of town, and the Southern Trailhead in the Forrest township. The Forrest Tiger Rail Trail links Yaugher with the township and Southern Trailhead.

Yaugher is the pick for natural hand-cut XC singletrack in mixed terrain, with some short, sharp, climbs, swooping natural berms, and fun descents. The trails all split off and return to the central loop track (Yaugher Super Loop (7)) and have everything from rooty sections, natural rock/tree features, sandy pinches and small jumps. Basic facilities at the Trailhead are parking, map, a drop toilet and tool station. 

The Southern Trailhead is the hub for the refreshed Southern Trail network and includes pump tracks and a skills practice area as well as the XC and flow trails. Most trails here are adaptive friendly. The choice of material used for resurfacing on the Southern Trails has made them robust, but has been criticised for being too slippery and dumbing down the trails. That being said, there’s still a lot of fun to be had here, especially on the signature Red Carpet trail once you’ve made the big climb up the hill (or got your Mum to drop you off at the top).

Facilities at the Southern Trailhead include toilets and a tool station. It’s a short ride to the Brewery or the Forrest General Store for locally brewed trail ales and yummy pies respectively.