Dookie Rail Trail - Trail Description

Features

Relatively short with high quality surface traversing classic Australian farming landscape

Options

• Mary St to Treacy Rd along the rail trail (5.5km)
• Treacy Rd to Mary St via Chateau Rd (8.7km)
• Treacy Rd to Mary St via McCormack Rd, Wrens Quarry Dookie Rd and McDonald Rd (14.7km)

Description

The start of the trail is not hard to find in the small but active town of Dookie;  its just to the east of the large grain silos.

From here the trail traverses open farmland with rolling hills in the distant.  There are no facilities along or at the end of the rail trail.

With a wide sealed surface it is well worth a visit if in the Shepparton area and accessible to all members of the public..

The rail trail fits in with a system of tracks being constructed in the area.

Background Information

The branch line to Katamatite was constructed by the Yarrawonga Shire in 1890 and taken over by the Victorian Railways in 1892. The railway was closed in 1986 and the rails removed shortly after. The branch line from Shepparton to Dookie is still used by grain trains.

Local residents formed the Friends of Dookie Rail Trail group to encourage the City of Greater Shepparton to take out a lease on this section of the rail corridor and the rail trail was completed in early 2010.

The remainder of the former branch line basically follows a quiet road all the way to Katamatite and there are no plans for this section at the moment.

However wheels are in motion for planning Stage 2 of the Dookie Rail Trail … from Dookie 7km south west to Cosgrove alongside the active rail line.

Links

The trail is managed by the City of Creater Shepparton. Refer to their website below to report issues.

• City of Greater Shepparton website
• Dookie Rail Trail brochure (PDF) (City of Greater Shepparton)

June 2012