Name: Fassifern to Toronto Greenway Track
Rating: 3.3

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Former Railway

Why visit the Fassifern to Toronto Greenway Track?

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A high quality rail trail featuring a variety of landscapes from suburbia to bushland
Connects Fassifern railway station on the Central Coast and Newcastle line with the suburb of Toronto and the Lake Macquarie shore
Gently graded: a comfortable flat ride or walk with bay views
Old railway tracks still in place next to trail
Accessed from Fassifern railway station
Rail museum at Toronto railway station

Nearby Attractions

Newcastle, with Fort Scratchley and beaches
Lake Macquarie, with lakeside cycle paths

Trail Guide

Last updated: 18 August 2024

This is a short railside trail next to a disused government railway line. The line branched off from Fassifern Railway Station and has not been used since 1990.

Access points

Fassifern Railway Station
Blackalls Reserve
Toronto Railway station site
Regular local bus service between Toronto and Fassifern Railway stations for those who wish to walk the trail one way.

Fassifern to Toronto (4km)

comfortable, flat ride or walk from Fassifern Railway Station to Edward Gain Park in Toronto on the western foreshore of Lake Macquarie
well signposted with several road crossings
managed by Lake Macquarie Council
Lake Macquarie and District Historical Society uses the renovated Toronto Railway Station building as its base

Photo Gallery

The start of the rail trail at Fassifern railway station with the main line trains in the background and the old platform to Toronto on the left. [2024]

Heading off from Fassifern station [2024]

Bridge near Fassifern is a little narrow [2024]

Heading away from Fassifern [2024]

The remains of the Blackalls Park station [2012]

The old railway bridge across Stoney Creek can't be crossed but there is a bridge to the left which provides good views of the creek [2012]

Approaching Toronto, trail and railway line converge [2024]

Toronto Railway Station [2024]

Great views from the platform of the old Toronto railway station [2024]

Classic Victoria Hotel is the place to be in Toronto [2024]

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Reviews

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4 reviews of “Fassifern to Toronto Greenway Track”

Another of my local trails, nice short trail that follows the old train route. There are some nice glimpses of Lake Macquarie and if you know where to look, the site of the remnants of a petrified forest.

Re-rode this rail-side trail yesterday and was pleasantly surprised. There are views of the old rails and Lake Macquarie much of the way. Toronto is surely underrated, with lots of eating and shopping options and great views of the Lake. Well worth jumping off the train at Fassifern and riding or walking the trail. It’s short enough for the very young and very old, and predominantly flat. The old tracks are overgrown but the cycleway is fully sealed and not overgrown. Signage is a bit limited and there are many entrances from local streets. Just keep to the ‘main’ path with the dividing centreline and keep looking for the old rails.

Railway trail/ cycle way from Fassifern train station to Toronto old train station needs a lot of maintenance, it would be nice if Blackalls Park majority of cycle way opens up the view to the lakes edge, currently the bay is hidden by mixed tree with overgrown Lantana weed.

Would be great to include Aboriginal cultural history and awareness centre on lakes edge as it states on plaque, Aboriginal Fossil land. Needs to be preserved.

I rode this trail this morning (26/3/16) with my brother, as part of doing the three main rail trails around Newcastle. This is a short trail that while sealed the whole way is clearly just a local’s path. There is a bit of confusion near the creek crossing and towards the Fassifern end where the trail crosses the rails. There is only one real hill on the trail, and the undergrowth is beginning to cover the trail in some sections. Toronto is a beautiful place, but I won’t come back to do this trail again.

Further Information

Information and Links

To report damage or problems contact Lake Macquarie City Council:

Lake Macquarie Council

For further information, including maps, on walking and cycling trails in this area:

Greenway Track Visitor Information

Lake Macquarie Walking and Cycling

City of Newcastle Walking and Cycling

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Contact Rail Trails Australia

To contact us about this rail trail, email nsw@railtrails.org.au

Background Information

Traditional Owners

We acknowledge the Awabakal people, the traditional custodians of the land and waterways on which the rail trail is built.

Railway history

The railway was built by a private company in 1891 but was taken over by the NSW Government in 1910. Operations ceased in 1990; the rails are still in place, though the railway was officially closed in 1995.

The local progress association raised the greenway concept in 1990, which led to the formation of a steering committee of Lake Macquarie City Council. The corridor was leased by the Council from the State Government, and the steering committee set about raising funds for construction and landscaping of the trail. Most funding came from the Federal and State Governments, with other funding coming from Council and the community. The trail was officially opened in June 1996, after six years of local effort to retain the disused rail corridor as a community asset.

News

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