Derby

Derby’s transformation from former tin-mining town to mountain-biking hub has been remarkable. 

The historic town, located among rugged hills and forest in the north-east, is still lined with miners’ cottages, but these days it’s pumping with mountain bikers keen to explore the Blue Derby network of world-class single-track trails. 

This influx of mad-keen mountain bikers means the main street is lined with spots to service your bike, hire a bike, and order good food and coffee. Flop into a chesterfield at The Hub and enjoy wood-fired pizza and beer. 

As mountain biking has boomed, experience and accommodation options in Derby have become increasingly sophisticated. Blue Derby Pods Ride, for instance, offers guided rides by day with overnight stays in architectural pods hidden within the network of trails. 

Recuperate from your mountain-biking adventures at Floating Sauna Lake Derby, Australia’s only floating wood-fired sauna. Heat up in the sauna, then jump in the lake outside - repeat for an hour.

Where

Derby is a 90min drive (95km) north-east of Launceston.

Insider tips

• Steer your bike into the Derby Tunnel, ducking beneath the low ceiling as you ride through a hole dug by a miner to move tailings under the lease of another miner. 
• Between Derby and Gladstone is Little Blue Lake, a former mining pit that glows a vivid aqua colour due to the minerals that remain in the soil. The dark side of the bright colour is that these minerals make the spectacular lake unsafe for swimming.