Utju School Holidays Program

Utju (Areyonga) School Holiday Bike Program

From 20–22 January, the Bikes Mwerre team delivered a school holiday bike building and maintenance program in Utju (Areyonga), located around 200 km west of Alice Springs. Over three days, the team worked alongside kids and community members to build bikes, carry out repairs and explore the town and surrounding areas on two wheels.

A total of 36 participants, ranging in age from 3 to 17, took part in the program. Bikes Mwerre delivered 20 new bikes to the community and repaired more than 10 additional bikes sourced from around town and recovered from the local dump, returning them to safe riding condition.

Utju sits in a hilly, rocky valley, and while the terrain can be challenging, kids and community members were keen to jump on bikes and show the team around — including some of the more remote places they regularly visit by bike.

As with many summer programs, the heat was a constant factor. Alongside riding, kids made the most of opportunities to cool off around town while enjoying time together on their newly fixed bikes.

Community members also shared stories about the value of past bike programs such as Deadly Treadlies, speaking fondly about their own experiences learning bike maintenance and riding skills when they were younger.

The Utju School Holiday Bike Program was an initiative of the MacDonnell Ranges Regional Council and was strongly supported by Bikes Mwerre partners Revolve ReCycling and Outback Cycling.