About Us - Cairns Mountain Bike Club

The Cairns Mountain Bike Club or the Great Northern Hill Tribe was formed in the late 1980’s. It has been a breeding ground of mountain biking fanatics and produced a number of elite level national and world cup riders in the cross country and downhill disciplines.

Cairns was the first to bring World Cup events into Australia with 2 World Cup Rounds and the World Championships in the 1990’s. More recently the club has hosted the World Cup 2014-2016 and World Champs in 2017, as well as a National round of the MTBA series. CMBC also continues to provide great quality club level events along with social rides on a well established and extensive network of trails. With mountains, lush rainforest and hundreds of km’s of quality riding trails, Cairns remains a popular destination for mountain biking in Australia.

The Cairns Mountain Bike Club is a volunteer based organisation run by enthusiasts, for the benefit of promoting and supporting mountain biking across the region. The club has strong ties with neighbouring mountain bike communities in Mareeba (The Mareeba Mountain Goats), Atherton (Tableland Cycling Sports) and the Townsville Rockwheelers. The Cairns Mountain Bike Club’s vision is to provide quality and sustainable trails and great events for all those who enjoy mountain biking.

The Smithfield mountain bike park is the club’s official base and has an area consisting of 30-40km of cross country trails and a world cup level downhill course. These are all used during events throughout the year and are also available for social rides anytime.

Check out the website for more information on events, news, and for places to ride.

See you on the trails

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Read about Minjin – The Legend

1892 – A Local bullock drive called Stan McGregor, was forging a trail from Smithfield to Kuranda during the monsoonal rains, when he became stranded on a peak known as Saddle Mountain. He was near dead when found by a local Aboriginal tribe and nurtured back to health. Despite their warning of the dangers involved, Stan left the tribe and forged onto Kuranda, never to be seen again.
1927 – A local timber cutter was felling timber on the high peaks behind Smithfield when he discovered a hideous sight, an old saddle with a scrambled message carved roughly into the leather wedged high in a rainforest tree. The message read “Something is here, something is stalking me” – there was also a strange paw like symbol alongside the words.
1962 – A surveyor working in the misty rainforest peak behind Smithfield, came across the remains he believed to be bullock bones and harnesses, scattered underneath a rocky ledge. Not far from this evil lair, he noticed a panther like animal stalking him from the slopes above. He quickly made it to a trail that lead to a waterfall, where he dived into the water and made it to safety. Since that day all attempts to find evidence of this illusive creature have failed.
1992 – While cutting trails through the Smithfield hills, Glen Jacobs president of the local mountain bike club, discovered a strange sabre toothed skull which he believed belongs to the conspicuous legend. Aboriginal legend talks of a sabre-toothed rainforest cat named the minjin, which means “Mountain Devil”
Now – The legend of the minjin lives on, and many who dare to ride alone return with stories of noises strange shadows, and the feeling of being followed, in the rainforests of the Smithfield trails.

“To the spirit of the minjin who feeds on the souls of those who graze to late”