Friends groups inspire their community to get behind the planning, development and construction of Rail Trails. Here is a team of people who are passionately working to establish a rail trail between Castlemaine and Maryborough in Central Victoria.
As a new member of the Rail Trails Australia volunteer team, I’m privileged to meet some of the people who inspire their community to get behind the planning, development and construction of Rail Trails. Here is a team of people who are passionately working to establish a rail trail between Castlemaine and Maryborough in Central Victoria.
When it’s built, the Castlemaine–Maryborough Rail Trail will be 55 km long and will follow the historic rail corridor from Castlemaine to Campbell’s Creek, Guildford, Newstead, Carisbrook and Maryborough. Trail users will be able to begin their journeys from both ends via trains from Melbourne, Bendigo or Ballarat. The last passenger service along this line was 43 years ago, and freight services ceased 18 years ago.
The enthusiastic team is working to gather the support of their communities and local government (Mount Alexander Shire and Central Goldfields Shire) to initiate a feasibility study. Their research indicate the rail trail could support up to 150 jobs during construction, and attract 65,000 to 100,000 visitors a year – bringing $2 to 4million in additional spending to these communities.
Lou Citroen is a retired engineer who moved to the Castlemaine area in 2017. The vibrancy of Castlemaine and Mt Alexander Shire, and its cycling opportunities, rekindled Lou’s lifelong interest in recreational cycling. He’s ridden parts of several Victorian rail trails and the sight of a disused rail easement to Maryborough sparked his imagination. Keen to see the easement transformed into a community rail trail, Lou began lobbying through the local newspaper and it didn’t take before a group of like-minded souls gathered to pool their skills. The group has become an incorporated body and Lou has taken on the secretarial role.
Castlemaine-Maryborough Rail Trail group president John Carruthers says his passion for the trail stems from his love of road cycling, the outdoors and seeing others flourish. John also has a love of art, story-telling and ecology, all integral to the trail’s potential. He is rehabilitating a former grazing property near Guildford, close to the trail’s path. John is a former CEO and management consultant with an earlier career in the media.
Bob Forde is a retired civil engineer who lives on a small sheep farm on the outskirts of Guildford. He’s interested in the positive uses the disused rail corridor can be put to, and believes the trail will be a tremendous attraction for riders.
Christine Christie is a teacher who enjoys many versions of active recreation. In 2012 she began the challenge to ride every rail trail in Victoria. While riding from Castlemaine to Guildford along the shoulder of a busy road, she naturally thought about the many advantages a rail trail along this route would offer – so when she saw Lou’s article in the local paper, she responded quickly.
Mick Evans is an enthusiastic recreational cyclist who enjoys cycling on rail trails as a wonderful and safe way of seeing the countryside and of making a holiday an adventure. He was excited to see an article in the Castlemaine Mail about repurposing the rail corridor from Castlemaine to Maryborough into a Rail Trail, and to discover an enthusiastic group of people who were keen to make this vision a reality.
Mark Brown is a retired fitter and turner, who has also built 2 mudbrick houses and has run a hydraulics business. Mark is a keen bike rider, riding with his wife several times a week.
This group is dynamic and passionate; its members have created a long-term community infrastructure project that while it doesn’t yet have financial support or official plans, has already established a Facebook Group and an online petition (featured on the RTA website on 28 November last year) with more than 1660 names collected in only two months.
The Castlemaine-Maryborough Rail Trail group pops up at community events with their banner, brochures and petitions. They have already garnered impressive momentum, and it will be fascinating to watch their progress over the next couple of years.
The Autumn edition of the Rail Trails Connections magazine for paid members will feature some of our passionate Friends groups.
(This news item was written by Julie Flynn, RTA Regional Rep for Central Victoria)
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Register for news updatesThe 2024 Rail Trail Conference brought together 110 delegates (RTA’s biggest conference yet!) in Melbourne to lear...
You are looking longingly at one of Australia’s longer rail trails and dreaming of a multi-day ride with local meals a...
In the Spring 2024 edition of Connections, Jeff Nolan, RTA Southeast Queensland Representative, explores the developme...
Missed out on a seat at the 2024 Rail Trails Conference? You can still join us for a walk or ride on the Warby Rail Trai...
The vagaries of Melbourne’s weather continue to hamper progress on the massive Yarra Valley Trail project, but the loc...
The Ringwood to Belgrave Trail has made it tantalizing close to the Melbourne suburb’s bustling railway station after ...
We’re inviting you to attend what may be the largest gathering ever of rail trail volunteers and supporters at our...
The East Gippsland Rail Trail from Bairnsdale to Orbost formally ends at Burn Rd, Newmerella, just 2km short of the old ...
The Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority (GORCAPA) released its draft Great Ocean Road Regional Trail Strategy 202...
In March 2024 Rail Trails Australia reported that the City of Greater Bendigo (COGB) Council had put out the draft O’K...
The Adelaide Hills Council is interested in hearing from the Adelaide Hills Community and those who use the bike infrast...
On the 3 September 2024 the Detailed Design and costing for the Bethania to Logan Village Rail Trail (part of the Bethan...
Campaspe Shire Council recently awarded Northern Construction Group the contract to build approximately 10km of gravel c...
On 2 September, a very excited and proud Castlemaine Maryborough Rail Trail (CMRT) group celebrated the exciting announc...
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