Total funding of $670,000 has been provided, with $300,000 from Regional Development Australia Fund, and $370,000 being leveraged from other sources. This project will see five heritage station sites along the iconic 40 kilometre Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail transformed into visitor nodes—places that will attract users and the local community to gather socially, recreate, relax and picnic. The nodes will include seating, shade, access to water, landscaping, bike racks and interpretive and way-finding signage. The Lilydale and Warburton nodes at the entry and exit points for the trail will be further enhanced with gateway signage and iconic art installations.
The Rail Trail is a prominent recreational and cultural tourist attraction in the Yarra Ranges region, preserving the cultural heritage and environmental values of the old railway reserve and attracting over 200,000 walkers, cyclists and horse riders each year. It is a primary shared-use trail connecting the local townships and visitors to nature-based recreation activities in the Upper Yarra. Each node will take advantage of the unique environments which surrounds them. Art installations featured at the nodes will bring them to life by incorporating people statues, harking back to the days when the railway line was thriving.
The development of the trail with much improved features will attract higher numbers of visitors to the Yarra Ranges region and diversify the tourist product of the area.
This project will attract a wide range of tourists and community members to the region, and will target special interests including history and rail enthusiasts, cyclists, walkers and horse riders. Academic research findings accessed by the Shire Council demonstrate that ‘walking and cycle tourists are a high yield and high spending market’, and that the average spend per person per day in 2009 was $244. This is a market the Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail seeks to accommodate and attract. The project will generate 30 construction jobs and five ongoing positions on completion.
For further information on this project click Project PDF
To see the Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail click HERE
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Register for news updatesPaul Baker has cycled over 2,400 kilometers since the start of January. The 47-year-old set himself the goal of riding a...
Plans for a rail trail in the NSW regional city of Goulburn are a step closer, after the Goulburn Mulwaree Council voted...
Wellington Shire Council, in conjunction with South Gippsland Shire Council, is constructing 21km of the Great Southern ...
After the recent Rail Trails Australia annual general meeting, attendees were treated to discussion from legendary cycli...
The Queensland Government has just released its third action plan under the 10-year Queensland Cycling Strategy for 2023...
The restoration of the 770m long iconic Snowy River trestle bridge on the East Gippsland Rail Trail has not been immune ...
The plan to link the Great Southern Rail Trail and Bass Coast Rail Trail at Nyora has taken a further step as tenders fo...
The extension of the Mary Valley Rail Trail (MVRT) in south-east Queensland has taken some crucial steps forward in rece...
In 2020 the Adelaide Hills Council was successful in securing $2.6m in funding from the Federal Government to complete s...
An enjoyable morning was had by nearly 350 people who attended the official opening of a new 11k section of the Mary to ...
A motion for supporting a rail trail through Byron Shire was passed by Byron Bay Council — it is a wonderful outco...
An expert study just released affirms the transformative effect a rail trail will have on the Central Victoria. The 9-...
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