Mary to Bay (Fraser Coast) Rail Trail

Trail

Mary to Bay (Fraser Coast) Rail Trail

Type:	Rail trail
Location:	Maryborough - Hervey Bay, 288km from Brisbane
Start/end:	Maryborough to Hervey Bay
Status:	Partially open
Length open:	18km
Surface:	Fine gravel, Sealed
Terrain:	Flat
Best seasons:	All seasons
Public transport:	Coach
Features:	tourist
Contact Region:	S.E. Queensland

The rail trail at Urraween (2012)

Coffee shop along the rail trail Nikenbar

The 868m long pier and beach at Urangan is a major attraction of the area.(2007)

Details

Features

A high quality rail trail connecting the main centres of the major regional seaside town of Hervey Bay
Provides access to the beaches and the 868m long pier at Urangan
Many road crossings but all have treatment appropriate to their use.

Options

The foreshore trail along the coast from the Urangan Pier makes a very scenic loop trail back to Pialba. Along this stretch there are an increasing number of cafes and resturants opening to keep users fueled up.

Description

Access Points

Urraween - Parking on side of road (wide verges)
Pialba - Parking available at the Hervey Bay Community Centre with walk/cycle path connections to the rail trail.
Urangan - At the Pier
Nikenbah - Park on side of road (wide verges)

Urraween to Pialba to Urangan (7.5km)

Wide sealed trail surface connects the main centres of the coastal city of Hervey Bay.

Pialba to Nikenbah (7km)

Wide sealed trail surface connects the main centre to southerly suburbs.

There are no facilities near the rail trail except a cafe at Nikenbah.

Nikenbah to Stockyard Creek (3.5km)

Wide gravel trail surface through bushland with quite a bit of bird life.

Due to no formal crossing of the busy Hervey Bay to Mayrborough Rd, this section currently starts at Piggford Lane.

There are no facilities on this section except a shelter at Stockyard Creek.

Background Information

The former railway branched off the North Coast main line at Colton, just above Maryborough. It reached Pialba in 1896 and was extended to Urangan in 1913. The line carried out a lot of pineapples from local farms and goods from the Urangan Pier and brought in a lot of picnic trains from Maryborough The last section of the line closed in 1993. The rails are still in place from Colton to Takura.

The trail is managed by the Fraser Coast Regional Council, who extended the trail to the Urangan Pier, which links it up with the foreshore shared path along the Bay water front.

Discussions are currently under way to determine a suitable crossing of the busy Hervey Bay to Maryborough Rd to join the rural and urban sections together.

The Council, supported by local cycling groups such as the Fraser Coast BUG, have developed a plan for the whole of the former line to be converted to a rail trail and a connection made from Colton to Maryborough to provide a safe link between the two cities.