Port Fairy to Warrnambool Rail Trail
Encyclopedia
The Port Fairy - Warrnambool Rail Trail is a 37 kilometre rail trail
nearing completion in southwestern Victoria
, Australia. At present the path is open for travel between Port Fairy and Illowa. The remaining link to Warrnambool is nearing completion mid 2011. The trail begins in Port Fairy
, running north then east through Koroit
where it turns back southeast to Warrnambool
. About two thirds is within Moyne Shire
and one third within Warrnambool City. The overall cost of the project is put at $2.2 million of which the committee must find $200,000 in cash and kind.
The trail follows the path of a former branch line which ran from Port Fairy to Warrnambool and connected with the Melbourne-Ararat line, via Hamilton. This branch line was commissioned in 1884, completed in 1890. It served primarily to connect the ports of Warrnambool and Port Fairy with destinations inland. With declining port usage, the line closed in 1977. The rail trail is incomplete as of July 2011; however, it is possible to join the trail at Illowa on the outskirts of Warrnambool and proceed some 24 kilometres westward from there..
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...
nearing completion in southwestern 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. At present the path is open for travel between Port Fairy and Illowa. The remaining link to Warrnambool is nearing completion mid 2011. The trail begins in Port Fairy
Port Fairy, Victoria
Port Fairy is a coastal town in south-western Victoria, Australia. It lies on the Princes Highway in the Shire of Moyne, west of Warrnambool and 290 km west of Melbourne, at the point where the Moyne River enters the Southern Ocean.-History:...
, running north then east through Koroit
Koroit, Victoria
Koroit is a small rural town in western Victoria, Australia a few kilometres north of the Princes Highway, north-west of Warrnambool and west of Melbourne. It is in the Shire of Moyne local government area located amidst rolling green pastures on the North rim of Tower Hill. At the 2006 census,...
where it turns back southeast to Warrnambool
Warrnambool, Victoria
-Cityscape:The original City of Warrnambool was a 4x8 grid, with boundaries of Lava Street , Japan Street , Merri Street and Henna Street . In the nineteenth century, it was intended that Fairy Street – with its proximity to the Warrnambool Railway Station – would be the main street of...
. About two thirds is within Moyne Shire
Moyne Shire
The Moyne Shire Council is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the south-western part of the state. It includes the townships of Port Fairy , Koroit , Mortlake , Macarthur , Peterborough , Caramut, Ellerslie, Framlingham, Garvoc, Hawkesdale, Kirkstall, Panmure, Mailors...
and one third within Warrnambool City. The overall cost of the project is put at $2.2 million of which the committee must find $200,000 in cash and kind.
The trail follows the path of a former branch line which ran from Port Fairy to Warrnambool and connected with the Melbourne-Ararat line, via Hamilton. This branch line was commissioned in 1884, completed in 1890. It served primarily to connect the ports of Warrnambool and Port Fairy with destinations inland. With declining port usage, the line closed in 1977. The rail trail is incomplete as of July 2011; however, it is possible to join the trail at Illowa on the outskirts of Warrnambool and proceed some 24 kilometres westward from there..