started working for a landscaper and
picked up a digger sponsorship and that’s
when we started building the newer stuff.”
By 2006 the brothers had shaped in
several dirt hits on the rolling FMX course
and built three small table tops that the
original Farm Jam in 2007 was held on.
These tables still exist near Dan’s house,
but they’ve been all but forgotten as
the brothers turned their attention to
developing the two newer lines up the hill.
DIRT PLAYGROUNDS
The FMX course consists of just one 75ft
ramp and a jaw-dropping 14 different dirt
jump options between 30 and 85ft. The
entire circuit is draped across a sprawling
ridgeline and course guardian Dan has
worked hard to ensure each jump flows
effortlessly into the next with minimal
flat-bottoms.
“I think the flow of the course is what I
enjoy the most,” Dan says. “It’s inspired
by BMX style jumps and they’re basically
dirt trails for motos. There’re hardly any
long, flat lead-ins to the jumps and every
rider rides the course differently. There’re
some big transfer lines on the main
natural down-ramp that’s so wide you
never have to worry about the edges of
the landing.”
As well as the famous FMX course, Dan’s
also carved out an entirely new freeride
location on the other side of the sweeping
valley, with natural jumps ranging from
poppy 40ft hips to burly 150ft senders.
There’s also a natural dirt quarter-pipe
carefully carved out of an old riverbank
with a large hip jump that boosts riders
over the top of it. All told, the Frew Farm
is a freeriding paradise, without even
considering the eye-watering array of
natural rolling hills that litter the farm.
And then there’re the two BMX/mountain
bike lines that Brett looks after as if they
were additional children.
The two lines split at the top – the
left-hand trail has been carved into a
hillside and is continually being chopped,
changed and tweaked. The series of
offset jumps and hips lead into a perfectly
shaped 11ft quarter-pipe.
The right-hand trail is a fast, flowy hip line
that leads into two big trick jumps, the
final one of which has already seen plenty
of world firsts thrown on it.
“We’ve been gifted with some primo
dirt to work with on the farm – it really
is perfect for jump-building. I’ve tried to
focus on making each jump a different
shape and not having the same style of
jumps back-to-back,” Brett explains.
“I try and make it so you have to ride
them creatively, and even the two final
straight jumps are unique because they’re
so tall and poppy. All in all though, both
lines are flowy, bloody fast and a lot of
fun.”
One of the best aspects of the Frew
Farm courses is that they’re constantly
changing and evolving; while the
skeletons might stay largely the same,
there’re always new features, lines,
options and angles being shaped and
created.
“Because we don’t need to build the
courses from scratch every year, we can
just add features as we maintain the
existing setup,” reveals Dan. “That’s one
of the things that motivates us as well,
to try and step Farm Jam up each time.
We’re always trying to think outside the
box and do what hasn’t been done in
the past - such as the McGazza boner
log and natural dirt quarter in the FM X
contests. One of the things we strive to
do is blur the lines between dirt bike and
pushbike disciplines.”
THE FARM JAM
While Dan, a former Crusty Demons rider,
has naturally stepped into focusing on
the moto side of the courses and Brett
on the pushy lines, both brothers like all
disciplines equally and struggle to pick
a favourite. Perhaps it’s that passion for
all things involving dirt and two wheels
that’s helped Farm Jam become such a
hugely popular event on an increasingly
international scale. In fact, the growth of
their home-grown event from a bunch
of mates having a low-key jam in 2007
to what it is today has taken them by
surprise.
Brett says: “I thought the weather and
conditions down here would be the
limiting factor, and the first few were
plagued with wind and rain. I think it
was the 2009 event that blew everyone’s
minds – we struck perfect weather and
Unit Clothing put a chopper in the sky
and brought Dane Searls and a heap of
athletes over for it. All the ingredients
came together and made a cake that was
better than we could’ve ever imagined.”
Since that breakthrough year it seems
every Farm Jam has continued to
explode in popularity, rider quality and
international attention. This year’s event
set the bar at the highest level yet, but it
was the passing of the Frews’ close friend
and long-time supporter of Farm Jam,
Kelly McGarry, just four days beforehand
that gave it even more meaning. u