Name: Grand Ridge Rail Trail
Rating: 4.4

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Why visit the Grand Ridge Rail Trail?

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A very pleasant trip through hilly forest in the heart of Gippsland – along the route of a branch line from Morwell, with a gentle climb from Boolarra to Mirboo North
A good rail trail for walkers – three hours up to Mirboo North, lunch, and three hours back
Amazing number of facilities like information boards, marker posts, picnic tables, seats, shelters, bike racks and exercise stations are a testament to the dedication of the Friends of Grand Ridge Rail Trail, Wednesday Warriors volunteer group and the local council.

Nearby Attractions

Flora reserves, plus a rich variety of birds and animals
Famous pub brewery and colourful murals in Mirboo North
Bakery and other shops in Mirboo North, general store/bakery in Boolarra
Railway Park in Boolarra has a picnic area and playground with BBQ, shelter, and toilets
Elaborate brick culverts and aqueducts made using local bricks
The Big Tree in Darlimurla
Ian Sargant Shelter built by volunteers
Lyrebird Forest Walk
Great Southern Rail Trail

Trail Guide

Last updated: 24 March 2024

This shared path is a pleasant introduction to the delights of rail trail travel, especially if you start at Mirboo North and ride down to Boolarra!

ESTA Emergency Markers are installed along the trail. In an emergency, call 000 and quote the alphanumeric code on the marker post closest to you, eg GRT12

Access points

Boolarra’s Railway Park has a large carpark in Christian St
Darlimurla station site off Darlimurla Rd
The Mirboo North trailhead is in Thorpdale Rd behind the Grand Ridge Brewery, where there is a small carpark at the scout hall. The trail continues into Baromi Park, where there are more facilities and better parking

Section Guides

Boolarra to Darlimurla (7km)

From Boolarra, the trail begins a 240m ascent up the Little Morwell River valley. Look for the historic brick culverts under the trail.
The two steel through-arch bridges are a feature; they replace the trail’s original low-level bridges and steps destroyed in the 2009 bushfires.
The trail surface between the two bridges is rougher than the rest.
Midway between Boolarra and Mirboo North is the site of the Darlimurla station with a shelter, interpretive signage and – if you are still feeling energetic – an exercise station. Nearby is the Big Tree, an example of the exceptionally large eucalypts that used to be in the area. It was 61 m tall until it was decapitated in the fires.

Darlimurla to Mirboo North (6km)

The trail continues its steady climb. This area has rebounded magnificently from the damage caused by the fires, and adjoins lush farmland.
The trail finishes behind the Grand Ridge Brewery after passing over some towering embankments.
The township, with cafes and shops, is a few hundred metres along through Baromi Park.
The railway station is now a playgroup centre. Close by is a playground where younger trail users can entertain themselves.

Photo Gallery

The people of Yinnar have kept their railway precinct in good condition. The trail may be extended north to here from Boolarra [2021]

Plenty of room for cars at the trailhead in Boolarra's Railway Park off Christian St [2022]

Cruising the rail trail near Boolarra [2012]

The Neil Trease Bridge over Murray Creek near Boolarra [2019]

Taking a break between Boolarra and Darlimurla [2019]

Cartwrights Bridge over Bair Ck near Darlimurla [2019]

The Big Tree near Darlimurla Rd was decapitated in the 2009 bushfires [2022]

Darlimurla station area [2019]

The trail has recovered dramatically from the 2009 bush fires [2019]

Information board at Last Train Picnic Area near Mirboo North [2019]

Picnic grounds near Mirboo North alongside one of the large embankments constructed by hand [2019]

The trailhead at Mirboo North behind the Grand Ridge Brewery. These walkers have just enjoyed the walk up from Darlimurla [2012]

The Mirboo North Railway Station is still serving the community [2019]

Get Around

AllTrails Bicycle Tours

AllTrails Bicycle Tours have been running multi-day cycle tours around Victoria and across the country for 25 years and once again we return to Gippsland as part of our Gippsland Rail Trails ‘Six-Pack’ tour. This group tour takes in six of the best trails in Victoria (East Gippsland, Lakes Discovery Trail, Gippsland Plains, Grand Ridge, Great Southern, Bass Coast) – a wonderful way to see multiple trails with full support and great accommodation, all with minimal effort and organisation on your part.

Do you know of a bike hire or transportation service on this rail trail that should appear here? If so, let us know at admin@railtrails.org.au.

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Reviews

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22 reviews of “Grand Ridge Rail Trail”

Rode this from Boolarra to Mirboo North and return two days ago. Excellent track, easy to ride (especially on the return route which is primarily downhill). Despite it raining earlier and all the time I rode, no evidence at all of boggy sections. It is well drained and very well maintained. Good information panels at each end, particularly at Boolarra. And, as a bonus, you can buy postcards of the track at the Boolarra post office.

Rode this trail on 8th August – starting from Mirboo North.
Slight downhill gradient from Mirboo North made an easy start to a thoroughly enjoyable ride on a very good surface, suitable for most bike types. Track was a good width, with effective drainage and no evidence of boggy sections. Much of the track had paddocks of pasture on the north side, and forest cover to the south – very pretty in the afternoon sun.
Entries to the 2 bridges were seamless. At 13 km it is one of Gippsland's shorter trails, but it is a real gem!

Ridden ANAZAC day, 2023 from Mirboo Nth to Boolara.

A little known fact is that the track fairies polish and replace every grain of sand each night and this can be the only reason for such a fantastic surface. Not only is the track in immaculate condition (even for a 28mm tyre), the scenery is sublime from the valley views to rain forest and streams. There are a number of really nice looking picnic areas and I found the ride via Yinnar to Morwell pretty safe on the road.

The Lasagna Pie at the Mirboo bakery is a worthy reward for the uphill slog and there is a bottle refill in the park opposite. I give it an 11 and if you do one smaller trail, then this is the one.

I ride this track regularly and it is always well maintained by an active group of volunteers who do a fantastic job. It's particularly nice because you ride through some lovely forest. I've seen Wallabies and a Koala along the track.
The gravel surface is hard packed and fairly smooth. I easily ride it on 28mm road bike tyres inflated to 90 psi.
There is now also a bike tool station at the Mirboo North end where you can access tools and pump your tyres.
It's also a nice ride along the sealed Boolarra-Mirboo North road from Mirboo North to Boolarra and then along the trail back.

great ride. I drove to Boolarra and rode to Mirboo North and then enjoyed the lovely downhill for most of way back to Boolarra. Lovely track, easy on gravel bike and could even do road bike with care but watch for sticks. lots of rest places if needed. Would dearly have loved a water fountain at Mirboo north end but I could have gone across to servo to buy some.

There is a water fountain for filling water bottles near the toilets in Baromi park in Mirboo North. Simply follow the trail into the park and look for the toilets next to the main street.

Other reviewers have provided a really good summary of what the track is like, covering both the positives and negatives. Here is something for you… ride the track and see if you can spot the TISM sticker planted on a post some 20 years back. Something to keep an eye out for.

A great ride that I drove 90min to get to. You get a good sense of history of the line as well.

I will do this again!

Thanks Darren, I loved the TISM sticker and it's twinned with a larger version on the Archies Creek sign, south of town.

This was the third of 3 trails ridden over a 3 day weekend (Moe-Yallourn and Rokeby – Neerim Sth the others). The trail from Boolarra to Mirboo Nth was my favorite – a nice start in the park at Boolarra (after staying in our van at the Community Hotel overnight – a great option). Excellent interpretative signs giving a good overview of the rail trail and historical signboards in this park.We expected the incline to be more steep than it in fact was – it was a gentle climb to Mirboo Nth with a nice stop at Darlimurla half way along and a side visit to The Big Tree just 200 metres off the trail. The surface was excellent packed gravel, two bridges were concrete and the trail was wide enough to pass other riders, walkers and horses – it was lovely to see it being well used. MIrboo Nth is a nice town with various refreshment options and a lovely old fashioned nursery. The return ride was a doddle – downhill cruising most of the way – perfect!

6/27. Grand Ridge #railtrail also completed 9/2/19. 6 trails now done for my 2019 challenge of every trail in Victoria in my 60th year. Cold and wet conditions and a sloppy surface but it was all downhill from Mirboo North to Boolara so not too bad.. The highlight was when a startled male lyrebird flew out across my path. The lowlight was when the General Store at Boolara tried to charge a cold, wet cyclist $5.00 for a long black coffee. Thanks to my brother for a lift back to Mirboo North. We enjoyed a beer at the Grand Ridge Brewery in Mirboo North after.

My daughter and I went out for a walk on the 15th of Feb. Found the trail to be user friendly with seating placed along the way and signage with distances clearly marked. The track itself was mostly good but had a few places not so good. Was pleased to get to Boolarra and have a well earned latte at the local cafe, before heading back to Mirboo North again. All in all a lovely day.

Track in fantastic condition with full credit to those doing maintenance. Steady long climb uphill but a fantastic coast on the downhill return journey. Nice change to ride through the forests rather than cleared dairy country.Plenty of facilities at both ends of the trail.

A quick ride on a foggy morning leaving Boolarra but fine on reaching Mirboo North. A great surface suitable for all bike types. It appears the committee keep the surface clean by the use of old tyres dragged behind a vehicle. Beautiful straight and tall trees and thick bush with good farming land. Up hill to Mirboo North but not too steep. Both towns were very friendly and people willing to talk. Mirboo North has more shops and Darlimurla does have a few photo’s of the local history. A little well kept secret and only hope it can be extended to Yinaar and maybe Morwell some day. Well Done.

I did this trail with my 14 year old son recently on an overcast day. It was really nice and one can sense how thrilling the railway must have been. Everything was well signposted and the trail was an easy ride, mostly downhill to Boolarra. Tall mountain ash forest covers both sides of the trail for much of the route and you feel like you are in pristine wilderness in places. We did both directions which was an easy day trip. The Grand Ridge Brewery is at the Mirboo North End and there is a terrific old pub with a cosy open fireplace at the Boolarra end. Highly recommended. The Strezlecki Bakery in Mirboo North is a nice spot for lunch.

I rode this trail on 30th November 2014, and it is a little gem. Good quality surface and in excellent condition, which makes it suitable for almost everyone. The scenery is worth it – though it would be great if it was longer.

Road this Trail today from Boolara to Mirboo north and back.
Would advise you to do this way as from Boolara mainly uphill. It is a great track. Any extension plans?

Rode this track yesterday for a little after lunch exercise! Superb condition and plenty of walkers, cyclists and one horse enjoying a beautiful autumn afternoon. Only disappointment was evidence of recent trail bike activity on the path at the Mirboo end. Would be great to see this track extended further towards Morwell.

Hi All and thanks for the feedback. Since the new gates were installed by DSE as part of the bushfire recovery project we have had them cut back in size and they now provide much improved access for bike riders, horses and pedestrians. The trail is now fully open and in great condition overall.

What a complete joke these gates are!!!
On this very website it states that ” Most trails have a gravel or dirt surface suitable for walking, mountain bikes and horses. Some are sealed and are great for touring bikes too”!
Yet with these gates in place horse riders, cyclists, parents with prams and anyone in a wheel chair simply can no longer use the trail! Why spend all that time and money building new bridges is 90% of the trails users can longer gain access to it? They might as well have left the trail with no bridges at all! What a joke! I’d hate to suffer a heart attack or get bitten by a snake while using the trail as an ambulance will not be able to get to you due to these gates. DSE you have a lot to answer for!

I agree Musobird! Massive overkill – TEN gates in 13km!! Visually ugly, totally destroy the aesthetic enjoyment of the Trail, will exclude probably most horses, cyclists are already not impressed, family groups of cyclists with small children trying to negotiate these monstrosities will be frustrated, and when they’re all locked it will cause serious concerns for any required quick response from Ambulance, Fire and Police crews. DSE – BIG mistake!!!!!

On a trail that is for bicycles and horses as well as walkers, why have several monstrous double gates been erected? These are NOT safe for horses to pass through while not easy for cycless, prams, and so on to negotiate. Does anybody have the answers?

Further Information

Information and Links

The Grand Ridge Rail Trail is managed by the volunteer committee of management in association with the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP).

Please report any issues to the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) on 136 186

The committee’s website is here

Grand Ridge Rail Trail enquiries email is secretary@grandridgerailtrail.org.au

Public transport is available via VLine trains to Morwell, then a bus service to Churchill and Boolarra. (Refer PTV Website)

Contact Rail Trails Australia

To contact us about this rail trail, email vic@railtrails.org.au

Background Information

Traditional Owners

We acknowledge the Boonwurrung people, the traditional custodians of the land and waterways on which the rail trail is built.

Rail Line History

This trail follows the former branch line from Morwell to Mirboo North, which opened in 1885.

South of Boolarra, the hilly country required many large cuttings, embankments and bridges. All were constructed by hand and apparently sent the initial contractor into financial hardship.

The railway carried timber, dairy produce, and passengers in its later years. A rail motor service began after WW II and continued until the line closed in 1974.

The rail trail opened in the late 1990s and was effectively closed for some time following the Grand Ridge bushfires of February 2009. With help from the ‘Wednesday Warriors’ volunteers, the trail is now always in good condition even though almost entirely in forest.

News

Grand Ridge Rail Trail Gets New Bridges (VIC)

Posted: 02/07/11

A new bridge is installed on the Grand Ridge ...

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Works underway for Grand Ridge Rail Trail (VIC)

Posted: 06/05/11

Two local companies are constructing two bridges for the ...

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Grand Ridge Rail Trail (Vic) Closed Due to Bushfire Damage

Posted: 07/02/09

As a severe bushfire at the start of February has burnt out two major bridges ...

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Report on Mirboo North Annual Ride

Posted: 17/05/00

Around 40 cyclists took part in the annual ride between Boolarra and Mirboo North this year. ...

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Mirboo North Annual Ride

Posted: 12/04/00

The annual 28km ride along the Mirboo North Rail Trail will take place on Sunday 7 ...

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