East Gippsland Rail Trail - Trail Description

Features

• A long rail trail, which passes through a variety of forest and farmland
• Ideal for multi-day tour or shorter day trips
• Lots of huge old timber bridges, railway cuttings and embankments
• Some low level diversions around bridges from Bruthen on are quite steep.
• Occasional views of the Gippsland Lakes
• Rich variety of birds and other wildlife
• Small towns and villages providing meals and accommodation options
• Option to divert onto the Mississippi Tramway to Lakes Entrance

Description

Access Points

• Bairnsdale - Howett Park on the eastern edge of town
• Nicholson - from Sarsfield Rd
• Bruthen - Access via pedestrian bridge on east side of Great Alpine Way
• Nowa Nowa - west side of Kingston St, or east side of the Boggy Ck
• Newmeralla - at Burns Rd on the edge of the Snowy River flats
• Orbost - from Forest Park

Bairnsdale to Nicholson (8km)

This section of the trail is fully sealed, and features a fully restored trestle bridge across the Nicholson River.

• A steep trail on the west side gives access to the shops and picnic areas at Nicholson.
• Take in the lake views and note the regenerated bushland beside the trail

Nicholson to Bruthen (20km)

The trail surface becomes hard packed gravel from Nicholson.  Features of the section include several large embankments after Stevensons Rd, and views of Slaughterhouse Creek Valley at Bumberrah.

• Cross Dirty Hollow Creek via low level bypass
• Take care crossing Omeo highway at Wiseleigh
• Access to Bruthen township via sidetrack to the right, before a tunnel and then use restored pedestrian bridge

Bruthen to Nowa Nowa (30km)

A long section of trail through shady forest, with a steady climb to Colquhoun.  The surface is hard packed gravel, although it maybe sandy in some sections.

• In the Colquhoun Forest, another trail, the Gippsland Lakes Discovery Trail provides a connection to Lakes Entrance.
• See the impressive Stony Creek Trestle bridge about 5km before you reach Nowa Nowa
• The trail uses a low level bypass at Stony Creek

Nowa Nowa to Orbost (38km)

This is the longest section of the trail, and there are no towns or villages between.  Please ensure you have food and water before you leave Nowa Nowa.

• The 36km Nowa Nowa to Newmerella (western side of Snowy River near Orbost) section opened in January 2006
• The surface is fine hard compacted gravel that is easy riding on a hybrid bike
• The trail is wide enough for three bikes except in a few sections where the camber seems a bit excessive
• The trail has quite a lot of shade making summer riding quite pleasant.
• There are three major wooden trestle bridges in the section which have had to have low level diversions.
• This gives a good view of the bridges but the approaches are quite steep, particularly at the largest middle bridge
• At Nowa Nowa the new trail connects to the existing section via a path onto the Princes Hwy which crosses Boggy River
• There is plenty of parking on the old station site
• Visitors should note that the Bruthen to Nowa Nowa Rd has been turned into the Princes Hwy so some major roadworks has occurred at Nowa Nowa. A new pedestrian/cycle bridge is also planned which will eliminate the diversion onto the highway.
• At Newmerella the access point is at Burn Rd
• Coming from Nowa Nowa, Burn Rd is on the left as the Princes Hwy starts to descend to the river flats
• It is about 2km short of the original terminus of the line, which never actually crossed the Snowy river into Orbost. At this stage the committee do not have any plans to reopen this section which is mostly wooden trestle bridges crossing the river flats.

For more information on this trail see the book Rail Trails of Victoria and South Australia.

Background Information

The railway came to Bairnsdale in 1888, but didn't reach Orbost until 1916, which was almost the end of Victoria's railway building period.  This railway was notable for it's many long trestle bridges.  The Mundiac Creek trestle was destroyed by bushfires in 1980.  The Stony Creek trestle was the site of a derailment in 1964, when 4 goods trucks fell into the creek.  The line was finally closed in 1987.

Links

• East Gippsland Rail Trail Official Site
• Rail trail users experience

March 2013