Trails By Region
COVID-19
Trail Finder
Fill in one or more of the fields below to find matching rail trails.
Join Rail Trails Australia
Become a financial member of Rail Trails Australia and help develop and support Australia's Rail Trails. Click below to Join or Renew.
- You are here:
-
Home
-
Trail descriptions
-
NSW and ACT
-
Country NSW and ACT
- Batlow - Tumut Rail Trail
Trail
Batlow - Tumut Rail Trail
Type: | Rail trail |
Location: | Tumut is located 400km south-west of Sydney |
Start/end: | Batlow to Tumut |
Status: | Possible |
Length open: | 0km |
Surface: | Sealed |
Terrain: | Farmland with mountain views |
Best seasons: | Spring and Autumn |
Public transport: | Coach |
Features: | tourist |
Contact Region: | Country NSW & ACT |







Details
Features
When constructed, the rail trail between Tumut and Batlow will be 32km in length. The abandoned Batlow line branches at Gilmore and follows, roughly, the picturesque route of Gilmore Creek.
Batlow is at an altitude of 775m and the rail trail will fall 470m down to Tumut with constant picturesque views of the Gilmore Valley.
Batlow is 40km by road north of Tumbarumba, which has a 21 km fully-sealed rail trail to Rosewood.
Description
Tumut and Batlow are both situated in the Snowy Mountains lower levels, to the north-west of the main Great Dividing Range. Tumut is a major regional town on the Tumut River, on the same latitude as Canberra, and has a population of around 6000.
Batlow has a long history as an orchard-based town. There are many apple and stonefruit orchards in the area, along with fertile farmland.
This rail trail traverses fertile farmland and valleys.
The only station remaining is at Tumut, which is well maintained, near the visitor information centre.
The intention is to construct a rail trail that will be family-friendly, with a surface and facilities suitable for all types of bicycles and scooters. The trail will also be suitable for walkers, creating additional walking options in the region. It will contribute to and transform local tourism, and give a significant boost to the local economies of the region.
Background Information
The abandoned railway line between Tumut and Batlow was originally part of the longer Cootamundra to Tumut (104 km) and Kunama (an additional 35 km from Gilmore Junction) branch lines. Train services began to Batlow in 1922, and ended in 1983. The line was used mainly for fruit haulage. The whole branch line between Cootamundra and Tumut was closed in 1984 after sustaining major flood damage.
The Batlow-Tumut trail will also be part of a group of regional rail trails, encompassing Gundagai to the north and Tumbarumba to the south. Refer to the Murrumbidgee Rail Trail Proposal.
Links
For further information about the local Batlow - Tumut rail trail group, click on Batlow to Tumut Facebook page
For more information on tourism in the Tumut and Batlow regions, click on this link: Batlow-Tumut Visitor Info
For information on the Gundagai sections of the trail, see Gundagai Trail Info
September 2020
To advertise your rail trail support business on this page, please click here.
Contact Us About This Trail
Email or click here: nsw@railtrails.org.au.
Photos
Comment
News
News
Batlow businesses rally in support of the Batlow to Tumut rail trail - fresh impetus for trail development
(Posted: 11/07/20)
With the success of the nearby Tumbarumba to Rosewood rail trail in attracting tourists now clear, business owners and local stakeholders headed by the Batlow Development League gathered in Batlow on 17 June 2020 to promote the next steps in developing their long-awaited rail trail to Tumut.
More...The proposed Tumut to Batlow Rail Trail
(Posted: 23/02/16)
Rail Trails for NSW hosted the official launch of the proposed Tumut to Batlow in February 2016
More...