Great Southern Rail Trail
Encyclopedia
The Great Southern Rail Trail is a Rail trail
from Leongatha
to Foster
in South Gippsland
, Victoria
, Australia
. The trail is 49 km long and travels through open farmland, before passing through the Hoddle range to Foster. , there is a 3 km 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. Koala
s 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, a century
(100 years) after opening.
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
from Leongatha
Leongatha, Victoria
Leongatha is a town in the foothills of the Strzelecki Ranges, South Gippsland Shire, Victoria, Australia, located south-east of Melbourne. The town is the commercial, religious, educational and civic centre of the region. At the 2006 census, Leongatha had a population of 4,504.The Murray...
to Foster
Foster, Victoria
Foster is a dairying and grazing town south-east of Melbourne on the South Gippsland Highway in Victoria, Australia. It is about north of the Gippsland coastline which includes Shallow Inlet, Corner Inlet, Waratah Bay, Yanakie and Wilsons Promontory...
in South Gippsland
Gippsland
Gippsland is a large rural region in Victoria, Australia. It begins immediately east of the suburbs of Melbourne and stretches to the New South Wales border, lying between the Great Dividing Range to the north and Bass Strait to the south...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The trail is 49 km long and travels through open farmland, before passing through the Hoddle range to Foster. , there is a 3 km section between Koonwarra
Koonwarra, Victoria
Koonwarra is a town in the South Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. At the 2006 census, Koonwarra had a population of 754....
and Meeniyan
Meeniyan, Victoria
Meeniyan is a small country town on the South Gippsland Highway between Leongatha and Foster.-History:The Post Office opened on 16 August 1890 shortly before the railway arrived.-The Town today:...
where trail users are diverted onto the nearby South Gippsland Highway
South Gippsland Highway
The South Gippsland Highway is a partially divided highway in Victoria, Australia which connects the city of Melbourne with the South Gippsland region of Victoria, ending in the town of Sale...
. This section, containing three dilapidated trestle
Trestle
A trestle is a rigid frame used as a support, especially referring to a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by such frames. In the context of trestle bridges, each supporting frame is generally referred to as a bent...
bridges, will remain incomplete until at least 2009.
There is also discussion about extending the rail trail 43 km to Yarram
Yarram, Victoria
Yarram , is an isolated town in Victoria, Australia, in the Shire of Wellington, located in the southeast of Gippsland. The term 'Yarraam Yarraam' is thought to be an aboriginal phrase meaning 'plenty of water,' however it is not known which language group the name is taken from...
.
The trail is well maintained with a surface of compacted gravel. Koala
Koala
The koala is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae....
s and wallabies
Wallaby
A wallaby is any of about thirty species of macropod . It is an informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or wallaroo that has not been given some other name.-Overview:...
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
Port Albert, Victoria
Port Albert is a coastal town in Victoria, Australia, on the coast of Corner Inlet on the Yarram - Port Albert Road, kilometres south-east of Morwell, kilometres south-east of Melbourne, in the Shire of Wellington. At the 2006 census, Port Albert had a population of 248.Port Albert was one of the...
, with a later extension to Woodside
Woodside, Victoria
Woodside is a village in Victoria, Australia. At the 2006 census, Woodside and the surrounding area had a population of 267. Near Woodside there is the tallest construction of the southern hemisphere, the aerial mast of the VLF Transmitter 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, a century
Century
A century is one hundred consecutive years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages .-Start and end in the Gregorian Calendar:...
(100 years) after opening.
Route
- LeongathaLeongatha, VictoriaLeongatha is a town in the foothills of the Strzelecki Ranges, South Gippsland Shire, Victoria, Australia, located south-east of Melbourne. The town is the commercial, religious, educational and civic centre of the region. At the 2006 census, Leongatha had a population of 4,504.The Murray...
- KoonwarraKoonwarra, VictoriaKoonwarra is a town in the South Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. At the 2006 census, Koonwarra had a population of 754....
(8 km) - Minns Rd (3 km) - section not open
- MeeniyanMeeniyan, VictoriaMeeniyan is a small country town on the South Gippsland Highway between Leongatha and Foster.-History:The Post Office opened on 16 August 1890 shortly before the railway arrived.-The Town today:...
(6 km) - Stony CreekStony Creek, VictoriaStony Creek is a small township in South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, located roughly between Meeniyan and Foster.-History:The post office opened on 23 May 1892 after a settlement was established on the arrival of the railway.-The town today:...
(3.5 km) - BuffaloBuffalo, VictoriaBuffalo is a town in the South Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia....
(8 km) - Fish CreekFish Creek, VictoriaFish Creek is a small township in Victoria, Australia. At the 2006 census, Fish Creek and the surrounding area had a population of 675.-History:...
(8 km) - Lowrys Rd (5 km)
- FosterFoster, VictoriaFoster is a dairying and grazing town south-east of Melbourne on the South Gippsland Highway in Victoria, Australia. It is about north of the Gippsland coastline which includes Shallow Inlet, Corner Inlet, Waratah Bay, Yanakie and Wilsons Promontory...
(7.5 km) - Charity Lane (1 km)
See also
- Bicycle Trails in Victoria