Development Plan Completed for Boorowa to Galong Rail Trail

The Feasibility Study for the Boorowa to Galong Rail Trail (BGRT) in south west NSW was completed in November 2022. The Rail Trail Development Plan was completed in March 2024. Both plans were prepared by Mike Halliburton and Mike Maher.

These plans were achieved  with funds raised in the local community, with over $90 000 raised locally. Major support came through  the  Hilltops Council, the Galong Progress Association, Graymont Mines and the Rotary Club of Boorowa with smaller amounts coming from a number of local businesses, landholders and individuals.

The Development Plan is essentially a construction blueprint with a comprehensive project budget. The total project cost is estimated to be $11.5 million.

On 10 April 2024 a presentation was made to a workshop of the Hilltops Council to seek their support for the next phase of the project. Jim Ryan (President of BGRT Inc), Julie Poplin

(Treasurer) and Dennis Puniard (Southern NSW representative for RTA) participated in the presentation and the following Q and A session.

The BGRT committee have begun the process to apply for a Federal grant under the Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program which covers projects between $5 million and $50 million. Under the NSW government guidelines for rail trail development, the Hilltops Council will need to take  up a lease with the NSW government for the Rail Trail corridor.  Council support is thus essential for the project to progress to funding and construction.

A Biosecurity Assessment and an Environmental Impact Study for the trail are presently being finalised, and further investigations are underway into timber bridge restoration costs. The Tarrengo Bridge over the Boorowa river,  with a 60 span,  will be an impressive feature of the trail.

The Feasibility Study concluded that the benefit of the BGRT to the local economy would be of the order of $2.9 million per annum. In view of the outstanding success of the Tumbarumba to Rosewood Rail Trail and the Northern Rivers Rail Trail, the benefit of the Boorowa Galong Rail Trail to the Hilltops region has the potential to be  significantly greater.