Murchison to Rushworth Rail Trail

Trail

Murchison to Rushworth Rail Trail

Type:	Rail trail
Location:	Northern Victoria
Start/end:	Murchison to Rushworth
Status:	Partially open
Length open:	10km
Surface:	Fine gravel
Terrain:	Flat
Public transport:	Train, Bus
Contact Region:	Northern Victoria

The restored timber bridge across the Stuart Murray Channel. (2012)

Typical scenery on the rail trail. (2015)

The Rushworth 'Comfort Station' (2012)

Details

Features

This trail is partially open - it is still being developed.

Will be 19km long when complete.
This is old goldmining and cropping country, with a signifcant feature being the Waranga Basin.
8 kilometres from Murchison to Channel Inlet Road opened in March 2015.
2 kilometres at Rushworth open.

Description

Murchison to Channel Inlet Rd (8 kilometres)

Gravel surface
Straight and flat but surrounded by bushland including the unique ecosystem of Doctor's Swamp wetlands with easy access to the Parks Victoria picnic area on the western boundary of the swamp.
Includes the refurbished historically significant bridge over the Stuart Murray Canal
Gives easy access to Waranga Basin along Channel Inlet Road.

Murchison is a small regional town with a bakery and general store situated on a picturesque section of the Goulburn River.

Rushworth (2km)

At Rushworth landscaping has been done and an ashphalt trail laid from the main street to the end of the yard.

It is a great reminder of how a Victorian country branchline station looked, now that nearly all of them have disappeared. At either end of the sealed trail the surface is gravel to the town's limits.

Rushworth is an historic regional town with several options for food and drink.

Girgarre (2km)

The local communty have developed a gravel surface trail south to Mason Rd with lots of revegetation taking place. Refer separate description here.

Background Information

A line from Murchison East on the Shepparton railway was constructed to the gold minig town of Rushworth in 1890 and extended to Colbinabbin in 1914. Rushworth became a junction when a line was constructed to Girgarre in 1917. A diversion of the line was necessary when the Waranga Basin was constructed. The lines were all closed by 1987.

At Rushworth the community purchased the land and infrastructure around the station to retain it for posterity.

The Greater Shepparton City Council opened the Murchison to Channel Inlet Rd section in 2015.

Future Developments

The Shire of Campaspe has obtained a lease from Victrack to develop the rest of the corridor from the Waranga Basin to Rushworth. Campaspe Shire is seeking funding to construct this as part of the Heathcote to Murchison Trail (outline brochure here) to link to the O'Keefe Rail Trail at Heathcote.

Extending the trail on to the Melbourne Shepparton railway line at Murchison East would allow better access from public transport. However making the large bridge across the Goulburn River safe to cross will be a significant undertaking.

The Girgarre community are planning to extend their section to Stanhope in 2019 and have longer term plans to extend it all the way back to Rushworth.