THE roar of motorbikes echo through the Canyonleigh valley; to one man it’s the sound of new life being breathed into his business, but to local residents it’s the sound of their tranquil Highlands backwater being ruined.
Late last year Tugalong Station at Canyonleigh, a well-known tourist destination for horse riding and camping, re-branded itself as a dirt bike trail bike and motocross park.
No permission was sought from Wingecarribee Council for this new venture and, following a campaign by Canyonleigh residents, Council ordered the station to cease all motorbike activity on June 4.
Director of planning and environment, Scott Lee said the station had no development application to run motor and quad bikes and a subsequent investigation revealed there was no DA for the property at all.
But Mr Lee said the station did have approval for tourism-related activities, just not two or four-wheel driving.
Canyonleigh residents were up in arms over the noise the bikes made on the 5340-acre property but their chief gripe was the flood of traffic the new venture had brought to Tugalong and Canyonleigh Roads, as well as the litter the riders brought with them.
Tugalong Station operator Danny Pearson admitted he should have approached Council earlier about what permission he needed to run the bikes but said the operation had exceeded all expectations.
Mr Pearson did complain that he received no response from Council to an April 16 letter until he was sent a cease order.
At last week’s meeting Councillor David Stranger asked if the operation could continue at a reduced volume while a DA was processed, but Mr Lee said it wasn’t that simple.
Mr Lee cited a raft of issues the bikes had created for a DA from the noise levels to environment impacts, including erosion, that may have to go through the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change.
Mr Pearson swapped horse riding for bike riding and, with all his eggs in this basket, he claims he will go broke if the issue can’t be resolved soon.
Mr Lee said Council would process the DA as quickly as possible. Mr Pearson was given permission to address the legal committee on July 8.
He said a 1998 fire which wiped out half the accommodation facilities at the station, the SARS epidemic, the drought and equine influenza had crippled his business, and turning the station into a family oriented bike park was its only salvation.
Chief advocate against the bike park, Canyonleigh resident Terry Bisco said residents started complaining to Council earlier this year about the station.
“The northern end of Canyonleigh is now home to a business venture that is proving to be a detrimental asset to the Southern Highlands,” Mr Bisco said.
Mr Biscoe said the noise of up to 100 motorbikes at a time could be heard up to four kilometres away and was accentuated by the deep valleys that surround the area.
“In addition to the noise, there is a constant stream of vehicles to the site, many pulling trailers, further degrading the unsealed section of Tugalong Road,” he said.
Mr Pearson said the business had been flooded with emails from customers disappointed the park had been shut down, some of who travel from as far as the Central Coast to ride at the picturesque site.
“We have been told what a great family environment we have going to ride bikes. It is better than having kids sit around playing the X-Box,” he said.
One of the issues raised by opponents of the bike park was safety following a series of motorbike accidents at the station this year.
Ambulances have been out to the station five times since March, including three requiring the Care Flight helicopter and two incidents this month. A nine-year was airlifted to Sydney with suspected spinal injuries on June 8 and a 39-year-old woman was airlifted to Wollongong Hospital with a fractured leg on May 9.
The station was once the winner’s prize for the 1970s TV show Perfect Match but is now dividing the community on its use.
Mr Pearson said he told his neighbours of his plans to run dirt bikes at the station at a Christmas barbecue and got no objections.
But this verbal agreement didn’t last long and Mr Bisco said the noise of the bikes could be heard 6-7 kilometres away.
There is also disagreement on how many bikes are being ridden at the station.
Mr Bisco said 300 bikes ran on the last long weekend, but Mr Pearson said the number was closer to 170.
The unsealed Tugalong Road could not accommodate the traffic Tugalong Station had created, Mr Bisco said.
“There has been a build up of roadside litter as well as dangerous driving. I am sick and tired of picking up rubbish outside my house,” he said.
Mr Pearson said Mr Bisco’s claims were exaggerated and he wanted to try and work out the issue with residents and Council so he can get up and running again.
“It was out of desperation we went down this road,” he said.
“We had no intention of avoiding the checks and balances but believed were able to do it because of prior use.”
Mr Pearson said motorbike riding had been conducted at the station in the 1990s and in 2006 without any fuss.
With no revenue coming in, Mr Pearson said he will soon go broke and doesn’t have adequate funds to seek legal advice.
Cr Stranger said he didn’t like to see any business shut down and wanted Mr Pearson to be given a fair go by Council.
The station got dirt bike riders out of forests and national parks and into a legal riding environment, said Mr Pearson, who had planned to finance a DA from the revenues made from motorbike riding activities.
Now he isn’t sure when he will be able to open his gates again.
But Canyonleigh residents just want the bike riding to stop.
Lisa Romano said she wrote to Council to complain about the operation and phoned them on Easter Friday to complain about the noise only to be asked if her windows were rattling.
“I did not buy our small farm in 2003 to live next door to a very noisy motor sport operation. If I did I would be living next to Eastern Creek,” she said.
Mr Pearson said motorbike riding was now the lifeblood of the station.
“If we close we will not survive,” he said.
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