Rail Trails

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martinjs
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Rail Trails

Postby martinjs » Tue Jan 20, 2015 8:23 am

Hey peoples, around My birth town of Bendigo they have a few rail trails but I have never used them.
In the Riverina they have had trouble trying to get them set up but are making progress.
People who use the country ones, can you post them here so others can find and enjoy them?

Martin
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity!

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find_bruce
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Re: Rail Trails

Postby find_bruce » Tue Jan 20, 2015 8:26 am

I have used and enjoyed the rail trails out of Beechworth - ride as long as you like, no traffic, lots of wildlife - wallabies, echidnas all manner of birds, you can get a nice rhythm up & ride at whatever pace suits you.

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martinjs
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Re: Rail Trails

Postby martinjs » Tue Jan 20, 2015 8:48 am

http://www.railtrails.org.au/ra-nsw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

NSW has had trouble getting Rail Trails up, people thinking the old rail lines belong to them rather than the truth which is most are still owned by the Goverment!

For those who are interested:
https://www.facebook.com/railtrailsnsw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Martin
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity!

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WarrenH
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Re: Rail Trails

Postby WarrenH » Tue Feb 24, 2015 11:16 pm

The most pictorial rail trail that I've done (a few times now over the past 25 years) is the Wolgan Valley Rail Trail, in the Western Blue Mountains of NSW. I have over 600 photos from the Wolgan Valley trips that I still haven't looked at, yet. This thread could be a good reason to stop being lazy and sort a few of them out and post a few shots.

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... and through the forests East of Nowa Nowa towards Cann River one Autumn some time ago. The old trestle bridge spun me out ... although it could have been some Gold Tops that I mistook for health food.

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I had a bit of a look at the old Bungendore/ Captains Flat line, in early January. Steve Whan the Member for Monaro is keen to make things happen and turn this old line into a regional asset, in his electorate.

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Warren.
"But on steep descending...Larson TT have bad effect on the mind of a rider" - MadRider from Suji, Korea 2001.

"Paved roads ... another fine example of wasteful government spending." - a bumper sticker.

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open roader
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Re: Rail Trails

Postby open roader » Thu Feb 26, 2015 9:41 pm

Excellent pictorial Warren - hope this comes to fruition (Capt. Flat Line)
3rd class cycling is always better than 1st class walking

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WarrenH
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Re: Rail Trails

Postby WarrenH » Sun Mar 22, 2015 6:27 am

open roader, thank you Mate. I'm glad that you like the shots.

In the second week of March, I went and checked out the High Country Rail Trail, between Wodonga and Tallangatta in Victoria. I'd been looking forward to seeing the spectacular Sandy Creek Rail Bridge, for a while. Sandy Creek is an arm of the Mitta Mitta River. There wasn't any water beneath the bridge, this time, unlike this amazing footage ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1grpd3VWej8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It was a smoky week here in the South East, which made the atmospherics "very nice" ... to quote Borat. I camped out on the way down. The nights were surprisingly warm (even at 1600m ASL near Manjar) and heavily tinged with an acrid smell of smoke.

A shot from the Bicentennial National Trail, as I made my way South. Bourkes Creek in the Yaouk Valley with the Scabby Range on the ACT's southern Border. The smoke on the left horizon was from the Doctors Flat fire.

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The passage of a gust, at 3 Mile Creek near Kiandra ... here comes the smoke, probably from the Talbingo/Journama fire.

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... and a smoke inhalated sleeping lion aka Mount Jagungal, from near Manjar. This is a spectacular section of the BNT, for mountain goats. I think the smoke here is from the Tunnel Road fire, NE of Albury.

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The Sandy Creek Rail Bridge. These two shots were taken only half an hour apart, although they look several seasons apart. On the rail trail the rest spots have been well designed as pseudo station platforms, and well located at places like Huon and Ebden. The surface of the trail was good. From tarmac, but mostly a sandy top decomposed granite (like Stromlo's hardpack) and at times rougher gravels.

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The smoke from the Tunnel Road Fire and the fire at Byadbo, and several others relatively close by, flattened the views ... I couldn't see didly squat. Near Corryong the Main Range was totally obscured by smoke and at times I couldn't see across Lake Hume from the rail trail. Otherwise it was excellent.

Warren.

PS, Shots from the BNT and from Kosciuszko National Park, I'll post on the Weather in the Country thread ... over the next couple of days.
"But on steep descending...Larson TT have bad effect on the mind of a rider" - MadRider from Suji, Korea 2001.

"Paved roads ... another fine example of wasteful government spending." - a bumper sticker.

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biker jk
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Re: Rail Trails

Postby biker jk » Fri May 22, 2015 7:40 pm

Vote Yes for the Riverina rail trail.

http://www.dailyadvertiser.com.au/story ... ideo-poll/

stormina
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Re: Rail Trails

Postby stormina » Fri Jul 17, 2015 12:52 am

Hey,

are there alredy news about the opening of the Riverina rail trail?
I think it will be about 160km long and should be a really nice trail when they are finally finished.

Grretings :)

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thelittlebattler
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Re: Rail Trails

Postby thelittlebattler » Fri Jul 17, 2015 7:31 am

silly question: where do you ride? on the gravel just beside the sleepers or bounce up the middle of the tracks?
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celeste boy
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Re: Rail Trails

Postby celeste boy » Sat Sep 26, 2015 11:18 am

I have just done tthe High Country rail trail ffrom Hume Weir to Corryong. I have Strava maps of sections which are very detailed and were not available before the ride.
Some of it on the hwy was by car but it is still mapped.
this is in preparation for a group ride in November.

Cb
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WarrenH
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Re: Rail Trails

Postby WarrenH » Thu Jan 07, 2016 10:58 am

Last August (2015) I filled in a few more sections of the Bicentennial National Trail from Moonan Brook to Nowendoc and in Georges Creek to the Cunnawarra Trail in New England, NSW and from Killarny in Southern Qld, North to just south of Moore which is near Blackbutt.

I left the BNT about 10 klicks West of Esk and and at Esk I then followed the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail North to Ottaba and Toogoolawah. This rail trail doesn't appear to see much traffic. At times it was well grassed but good going. There were a few boggy crossings to do but luckily they can be easily skirted for the less intrepid, bypassing them on the highway which is close by.

I liked the old stations and the old railway signs that are still in place.

Mount Esk and the rail trail.

Image

Warren.
Last edited by WarrenH on Thu Jan 07, 2016 11:12 am, edited 3 times in total.
"But on steep descending...Larson TT have bad effect on the mind of a rider" - MadRider from Suji, Korea 2001.

"Paved roads ... another fine example of wasteful government spending." - a bumper sticker.

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WarrenH
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Re: Rail Trails

Postby WarrenH » Thu Jan 07, 2016 11:01 am

I've just removed a duplicate posting.
"But on steep descending...Larson TT have bad effect on the mind of a rider" - MadRider from Suji, Korea 2001.

"Paved roads ... another fine example of wasteful government spending." - a bumper sticker.

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open roader
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Re: Rail Trails

Postby open roader » Thu Jan 07, 2016 8:24 pm

Corker of an image Warren!
3rd class cycling is always better than 1st class walking

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WarrenH
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Re: Rail Trails

Postby WarrenH » Tue Feb 23, 2016 9:28 pm

open roader, thank you Mate for your rewarding comment.

I spent the last few days in Albury. A while back I'd planned to ride another of the rail trails in the region, hoping that in late February it would start to cool down. I'd left the choice of trail up to my son Geoffrey. Geoff lives in Albury but works in Wang. Geoff's choice was to ride the 'Murray to Mountains' Trail this time, but during the hottest February in the past 150 years, I bailed out of enduring any rail trail ... and opted to explore Albury and Wodonga in the shade. Geoffrey rides from Wang to Albury after work, on some days, out on the back roads.

I picked-up these brochures at the Albury Tourist Information Centre. The High Country Rail Trail, The Great Victorian Rail Trail and Murray to Mountains Rail Trail are well covered in the 127 page, Victorian High Country Cycle Guide. I also collected an assortment of Rail Trail Maps from the info centre.

Image

Warren.
"But on steep descending...Larson TT have bad effect on the mind of a rider" - MadRider from Suji, Korea 2001.

"Paved roads ... another fine example of wasteful government spending." - a bumper sticker.

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open roader
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Re: Rail Trails

Postby open roader » Sat Feb 27, 2016 9:00 am

Nice to see local and larger authorities pushing pedal joy and trails in the NE. That neck of the woods will really come into it's own in the next few weeks when the weather cools off and the autumn colour begins to turn. When I'm rich and retired from having only time to work I will pump the MTB trails slicks up and head NE.

Alas down here in the Great Ocean Road hinterland we have had no joy dealing with authorities regarding our own rail trail - 'The Tiger Rail Trail' - a proposed rail trail following the old timber rail line from Forrest to Birregurra. A Tiger Trail association was formed (of which I was a paying but inactive member) to lobby the powers that be to at least make a feasability study into the completion of the trail as it only has the first 5km or so completed from the Forrest end going to precisely nowhere (over a decade ago when work stopped) s

Short story, no study, no interest from local pollies thus no funds and still no trail........ just a scattering of 'Tiger Rail Trail' bumper stickers across the district..........
3rd class cycling is always better than 1st class walking

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