Great Southern Rail Trail
- Great Southern Rail Trail
MelbourneBikePath
DESCRIPTION=Great Southern Rail Trail Logo
NAME=Great Southern Rail Trail
LENGTH=49 km
DIFFICULTY=Easy to medium
HILLS=TBA
HAZARDS=Some travel on, and crossings of, major highways
WATER=Available in most towns
PATH=Compacted gravel
BUS=Available at Leongatha
TRAIN=No regular passenger service; tourist train at Leongatha
TRAM=The Great Southern Rail Trail is a Rail trail from Leongatha to Foster in South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. [ [http://www.bigyak.net.au/gmaps/vicbiketrailsgmap.html Melbourne and Geelong's shared paths in Google Maps] ] The trail is 49km long and travels through open farmland, before passing through the Hoddle range to Foster. As of 2008, there is a 3 kilometre section between Koonwarra and Meeniyan where trail users are diverted onto the nearby South Gippsland Highway. This section, containing three dilapidated trestle bridges, will remain incomplete until at least 2009.
There is also discussion about extending the rail trail 43 km to Yarram.
The trail is well maintained with a surface of compacted gravel. Koalas and wallabies can often be seen from the trail particularly in the early mornings and evenings.
The original South Gippsland line opened in 1892, joining Dandenong to Port Albert, with a later extension to Woodside and branch lines to Strzelecki, Outtrim and Wonthaggi. The railway was important for settlement and development of the area, providing transport for forestry and dairy products to Melbourne. The line was closed to trains in 1992.
Route
*Leongatha
*Koonwarra (8km)
*Minns Rd (3km) - section not open
*Meeniyan (6km)
*Stony Creek (3.5km)
*Buffalo (8km)
*Fish Creek (8km)
*Lowrys Rd (5km)
*Foster (7.5km)
*Charity Lane (1km)
References
* [http://www.railtrails.org.au/states/trails.php3?action=trail&trail=11 Rail Trails of Australia description]
* [http://www.promcountry.com.au/railtrail/ Great Southern Rail Trail] - Description and photos
* "Bike Paths Victoria" sixth edition, 2004. Edited and published by Sabey & Associates Pty Ltd. pp149. ISBN 0957959117
See also
* Bicycle Trails in Victoria
Wikimedia Foundation.
2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
Nashua River Rail Trail — The Nashua River Rail Trail at the Groton School Pond in Groton, MA The Nashua River Rail Trail is a 12.5 mile (20.1 km) paved mixed use rail trail in northern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire under control of the Massachusetts… … Wikipedia
Pine Creek Rail Trail — The Pine Creek Rail Trail is a rail trail in the Appalachian Mountains of north central Pennsylvania.The trail begins just north of Wellsboro, runs south through the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania (also known as Pine Creek Gorge), and ends in… … Wikipedia
O'Keefe Rail Trail — The O Keefe Rail Trail is a 19 kilometre rail trail connecting Bendigo with Axedale. The sandy gravel trail runs along a former branch line on the Melbourne Sydney rail line. As of August 2007, work was underway to extend it to Heathcote. This… … Wikipedia
Grand Ridge Rail Trail — The Grand Ridge Rail Trail The Grand Ridge Rail Trail or Mirboo North to Boolarra Rail Trail is a 13 kilometre rail trail in the Strzelecki Ranges of west central Gippsland, connecting the towns of Mirboo North and Boolarra. The route follows the … Wikipedia
Old Beechy Rail Trail — The Old Beechy Rail Trail is a 45–kilometre rail trail running from Colac to Beech Forest along to the route of the disused Crowes railway line. The historic Beechy train ran on this line from 1902 to 1962.[citation needed] The trail includes… … Wikipedia
Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail — The Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail (also known as the Warburton Trail) is a walking and cycling track in eastern Victoria, Australia. It runs a distance of 38 km between Lilydale and Warburton, along the former Warburton Railway Line. A section … Wikipedia
Crater to Coast Rail Trail — The Crater to Coast Rail Trail or Camperdown Timboon Rail Trail is a rail trail running from Camperdown to Timboon in Victoria s southwest. As of March 2009, the 22 km section to Timboon is complete, and eventual completion to Port Campbell is… … Wikipedia
Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail — Length 95 km Difficulty Easy to medium Hills Small undulating hills; Beechworth branch involves extended climb Hazards Uncontrolled crossings of major highways Path … Wikipedia
Moondarra Rail Trail — The Moondarra Rail Trail is a little maintained, 7 km section of the former Walhalla Railway in Gippsland, Victoria.[1] Located entirely within the Moondarra State Park, the surface is entirely dirt and partially overgrown. References ^… … Wikipedia
List of rail trails — This is a list of rail trails around the world. Rail trails are former railway lines that have been converted to paths designed for pedestrian, bicycle, skating, equestrian, and/or light motorized traffic. Most are multiuse trails offering at… … Wikipedia
