Explore I MOUNTAIN BIKING
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ention mountain biking and most people think of – well
– mountains. Typically, they picture ranges in famous locations such as Whistler in British Columbia and Chamonix in the French Alps; iconic destinations where biking disciples congregate in search of the Holy Grail of trails. Australia might not have the mammoth peaks of other continents, but what it lacks in
jagged ice-crowned pointy parts, this country makes up for with deep gorges, seemingly bottomless ravines and escarpments left over from when the continent was still attached to Antarctica. For a complete change of scenery, mountain bikers should head to Tropical North Queensland – a paradise of lush rainforests, fantastical creatures and kangaroofur nipple warmers. The latter being proof that even in the tropics, it gets chilly in the winter months. There, you’ll ride through a scenic time warp – a rainforest tens
of millions of years older than the Amazon, chock-a-block with giant fig trees, ancient carpet ferns and sky-scraping waterfalls tumbling into pristine pools. Among flora that dinosaurs once munched on, you might catch a glimpse of some of the region’s rare and curious creatures, such as the prehistoric cassowary. If it sounds like fantasy, you’re right. Anyone who’s seen the movie Avatar will know of Pandora; an earth-like moon of floating mountains, alien wildlife and bioluminescent plants. And it’s