Glendale to Wallsend Cycleway - Trail Description

Features

• This is a new high quality rail trail featuring a variety of landscapes from suburbia to dense bushland.
• The trail links to other cycleways that give mainly traffic free access to the city and other suburbs.
• The rail trail is gently graded.
• Preserved railway memoriabilia at Wallsend Station site

Description

 Access Points

The following are major access points

• Glendale – Fredrick St North (Parking at TAFE)
• Wallsend - Cowper St car park
• Jesmond - Illora St
• Lambton – Howe St West

Glendale to Wallsend (3km)

The trail climbs on a slight gradient passing through bushland. It then runs through rural grassland behind retirement villages.

• From the north end of Frederick St head north from Glendale TAFE car park to start of the trail.
• Follow the trail as it winds over gentle hills and through the tunnel under Newcastle link Rd..

Wallsend to Jesmond (3.5km)

This section is basically flat and passes two suburban shopping centres. It following the line of both disused colliery rail lines and the tramway. It runs along a suburban St before crossing busy Newcastle Rd at Traffic lights

• Take care crossing roads at Wallsend and again at Jesmond.
• Note the restored railway shed and old coal wagon at Wallsend.

Jesmond to Lambton (2km)

After crossing a busy road you enter the quiet leafy Jesmond park following a long embankment before climbing over a low section of Lambton hill and Howe St lights.

• Take care crossing Robinson Ave - especially if approaching it down hill.
• This ride can be extended picking up cycle ways that pass though Broadmeadow parks, and Islington to Carrington thence along the waterfront to Newcastle's Nobby's lighthouse.

Background Information

This trail follows an old tram route that went from Newcastle to Wallsend between 1910 to 1930.

The tramway opened in the 1910. It was the longest line of the extensive Newcastle tramways. Featuring steam driven trams that passed down suburban streets and miles into bushland. The terminus was at West Wallsend a coal mining village some 20 kms from Newcastle. A branch line also reached Spears Point on Lake Macquarie . Spears point park was popular venue for work and community picnics for the residents of Newcastle. The electrification of the Newcastle tram system reached Wallsend in 1926. The steam powered trams were uneconomic and lines beyond Wallsend closed late in 1930 .Place names such as Plattsburg and Young Wallsend have disappeared along with most of the evidence of this line.

Links

To report damage or problems contact the Newcastle City council click on link below

Newcastle Council

For further information, including maps, on walking and cycling trails in tis area click on link below

Newcastle trails

May 2012

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Contact Us About This Trail

Email or click here: nsw@railtrails.org.au.