WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY CARMEN FREEMAN-REY
Two seismic events have affected the small town of Derby in the north-east of Tasmania. The first was in 1929 when a dam burst and released a torrent of water that rapidly sluiced through the town, washing away houses and lives. The second colossal event was, and continues to be mountain biking.
Who would have thought that a small mining town decimated by tragedy and then deserted by big business could have a renaissance of such magnitude? This rebirth did not come by accident though, but by progressive thought, sheer dogged determination, planning, and genius trail builders.