Great Victorian Rail Trail
| Great Victorian Rail Trail | |
|---|---|
| The GVRT crossing Lake Eildon, near Bonnie Doon. | |
 |
|
| Length | 134 km |
| Difficulty | Low |
| Hills | Gentle (except Alexandra branch) |
| Water | Available in towns |
| Path | Gravel |
| Connecting Transport | |
| Trains | Regular services to Seymour Station near start of route |
The Great Victorian Rail Trail (formerly Goulburn River High Country Rail Trail) is the longest rail trail in Australia, following the route of the former railway line from Tallarook, the Mansfield Railway and Alexandra Railway in north central Victoria, Australia, about 100 kilometres (62 mi) north-east of Melbourne. The trail surface is partially granitic sand and partly chert (a kind of gravel), [1]
Officially opened in June 2012, it stretches for 134 km (83 mi) from Tallarook near Seymour, through Trawool, Yea and Bonnie Doon to Mansfield, with an offshoot to Alexandra from Cathkin.[1] Its highlights include the 200-metre (220 yd) Cheviot Tunnel near Yea, views of the Goulburn River, the Heritage Listed Trawool Valley and a former rail bridge over Lake Eildon near Bonnie Doon. [1]
The towns passed through by the main rail trail are: Tallarook, Trawool, Kerrisdale, Homewood, Yea, Molesworth, Yarck, Kanumbra, Merton, Bonnie Doon, Maindample, Mansfield. The trail forks near Molesworth, leading to Alexandra.
History
On 29 April 2009, the Federal Government announced that it would contribute A$13.2 million from its community infrastructure program out of the estimated total cost of A$14.2 million needed for the completion of the trail as an economic stimulus and as part of the recovery effort in the wake of the 2009 Victorian bushfires. The money was spent to repair and build bridges, road crossings, car parking, rest stops and amenities.[2]
References
External links
- www.greatvictorianrailtrails.com.au - Official site
- Rail Trails of Australia
- Trail Services
- Goulburn River High Country Rail Trail map at Railtrails Australia
- Bikely map
Geographic data related to Great Victorian Rail Trail at OpenStreetMap
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