Media Release

Batemans Bay, 22 October 2024 – Rocky Trail Entertainment proudly announces the one-year countdown to Sea Otter Australia and shares an update on the highly anticipated cycling festival set to take place in the Eurobodalla Shire from October 22-26, 2025. The Festival will be held in Batemans Bay, NSW, a renowned tourism destination on the beautiful NSW South Coast and the home of the world-class Mogo Trails. Located in the triangle-heart between Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra, Sea Otter Australia will attract an estimated 7,000-8,000 industry professionals and cyclists from Australia, New Zealand, and the world.

As the first industry and consumer event of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, Sea Otter Australia will be established as one of the country’s premier cycling events. It is set to redefine the cycling landscape in Australia. Inspired by the iconic Sea Otter Festival in North America, this groundbreaking event will offer a comprehensive experience that deliver world-class racing on the Mogo Trails.

The activities will also include riding experiences, an industry summit and at the heart will be the first industry tradeshow of its kind in Australia and a comprehensive consumer expo. The event will foster a sense of belonging and shared passion among riders of all ages and skill levels, and provide a platform for showcasing cutting-edge products, technologies, and industry trends.

Sea Otter Australia aims to create an Australian flagship cycling event with a global legacy. It will attract riders, brands, and industry professionals from around Australia and the world. It seeks to contribute to the growth of the regional and national visitor economy and become a catalyst for growth and innovation within the Australian cycling industry.

Sea Otter Australia aims to create a unified cycling ecosystem where brands, retailers, riders, and industry professionals can converge, collaborate, and innovate. It seeks to stimulate economic growth and development within the Australian cycling industry and promote environmental sustainability and social responsibility through cycling initiatives.

In the past six months, Rocky Trail team has made significant strides toward realising the vision of Sea Otter Australia:

• The team has successfully relocated its event and tourism consulting operations to Batemans Bay, placing them at the heart of the festival’s location.
• A prime event hub venue in Batemans Bay has been confirmed – the Hanging Rock sports precinct provides the ideal setting for Sea Otter Australia.
• A strong leadership team has been assembled to support the CEO and COO, including experienced heads of events, sport, summit, sponsorship, and digital campaigns.
• Rocky Trail race delivery and event support crews from racing operations across the East Coast of Australia have been gearing up to work together at Batemans Bay in October 2025.
• Consumer engagement has been strong with over 400,000 people reached via digital campaigns since the launch in February.
• Over 100 brands have already committed to exhibiting at the industry tradeshow and consumer expo, demonstrating the growing excitement for the event.
• Thule and MTB Direct have joined as Gold and Bronze sponsors, respectively.
• Leading into the three days of racing, riding, tradeshow and expo, the Sea Otter Australia Summit will launch a mid-week a conference for industry professionals, innovators, and enthusiasts to come together and share insights, discuss trends, and shape the future of cycling and outdoor recreation in Australia.
• The local team has been driving the implementation of the brand-new Mogo Trails network in Batemans Bay, featuring 130km of world-class mountain bike trails – the project is nearing completion and the network in riding distance from the tradeshow and expo hub will be the venue for racing, riding, and demos at Sea Otter Australia.
• The local team is working on establishing strong collaborations with local businesses, chambers of commerce, community groups, and other event organisers in the region.
• The event has received endorsements and support from Mogo Trails, Eurobodalla Shire Council, Forestry Corporation NSW, and the local Batemans Bay MTB Club.

To kick off the one-year countdown, Sea Otter Australia is hosting the Mogo Mania Superflow® stage race on October 26-27, 2024. This exciting competition will showcase the Mogo Trails and provide a taste of what’s to come at Sea Otter Australia. The Event Hub for the race is based at the Botanic Garden Trailhead and racing starts at 9am each day.

Juliane Wisata, CEO of Sea Otter Australia says that the one-year countdown to the festival comes off the back of three years working in the region and marked a significant milestone for the team.

“When we started working in the Eurobodalla to implement the Mogo Trails, this project was always more than just building trails; it was about creating a destination. The project brief set out to create a trail centre, a network of trails varying in difficulty that would increase visitation. However, we took on the mission of creating an asset that would seamlessly fit into the Eurobodalla and the Mogo State Forest, transforming Mogo and Batemans Bay into trail towns.”

She adds that to contribute to this growth, the Rocky Trail Group was now based in the region and that they secured a 10-year contract to deliver the iconic Sea Otter Festival in Australia.

Martin Wisata, COO of Sea Otter Australia and Managing Director of Rocky Trail Entertainment added that the event was only possible on the Mogo Trails because of the Eurobodalla Shire Council’s commitment to restoring the region after the fires, “With Rocky Trail Destination, the team has been establishing a world-class trail network in the Mogo State Forest with our key construction partner Next Level MTB. Riders have been enjoying the first 80km of open trails since August and the full network will be live by early 2025 – right in time for Sea Otter Australia in October next year!”

An MTB fanatic himself, Eurobodalla Shire Council Mayor Mathew Hatcher said, “South-east NSW is fast becoming the premier MTB destination in the country,” he said. “We’ve got stage one of world-class riding with the Mogo Trails open already. Narooma Trails are pumping visitors, and further south there’s brilliant trails at Tathra and Eden, plus all the Snowy Mountains riding just a few hours inland.
“We’re so excited to be working with Rocky Trail Entertainment to bring Sea Otter to the NSW South Coast. I can’t think of a better way to launch Mogo Trails on the world MTB stage.”

Juliane Wisata concludes that, “It has been a thrill to experience how the entire community has embraced our builders and mountain biking and soon, these new trail-based activities will be a core part of the area’s identity and the local economy. – We’ll do our bit by delivering the Sea Otter Australia Festival in Batemans Bay and on the Mogo Trails in October 2025 and beyond.”

Ends.