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Fyansford Rail Trail

Victoria - Melbourne region

Location: North Geelong, 5km from town centre
Length: 4.4 km
Surface: Asphalt
Start / End: North Geelong to Fyansford
Public Transport: Train
Suitable for:
  • Cycling – Touring and Hybrid BikesCycling – Touring and Hybrid Bikes
  • PramsPrams
  • Scooters and Inline SkatesScooters and Inline Skates
  • WalkingWalking

  • Rail Trail
  • On Road
  • Potential Rail Trail
  • Other Trail
  • Former Railway
  • Rail Trail
  • On Road
  • Potential RT
  • Other Trail
  • Former Railway
View Map
  • A safe and convenient way to walk and ride in the northern area of Geelong
  • Brilliant views of the Moorabool River valley from the Fyansford end of the trail
  • A great excuse to explore the many highlights of the Geelong region

Nearby Attractions

  • Geelong Waterfront with its colourful, carved bollards
  • National Wool Museum
  • Buckley Falls
  • Bellarine Rail Trail
  • Corio Bay
  • Green Spine project along Malop St

Last updated: 20 August 2023

The trail appears to be the original asphalt from when it was first sealed and is lumpy in places, but the shared path offers a range of parkland and urban settings as it heads up to Fyansford. It’s also possible to link this shared path to the Bellarine Rail Trail by following the Barwon River Trail.

 

Section Guides

  • The rail trail starts from Douro St, opposite Roseneath St, where there is limited parking.
  • The trailhead is near North Geelong Station, which has a sizeable car park. From there take Victoria St west to Roseneath St, turn right and travel north until it meets Douro St, where the trail is signed as Tom McKean Linear Park
  • The asphalt path runs through various urban settings linking small and large parks. There are facilities at Hamlyn Park
  • When you reach the end of the trail at McCurdy St, Fyansford, only the despatch area and switch yard of the cement works remains. The tall silos high on the bluff were a focal point for locals and visitors, especially after they were painted with artwork that was visible for kilometres. They were demolished in 2020
  • The site of the nearby cement plant itself, beside the Hyland St hill, has been remediated

EXPLORER ROUTE (13km)

  • If the Fyansford Rail Trail was just a warm-up for you, why not link it up with the Bellarine Rail Trail? From McCurdy Rd, walk down the zig-zag path or ride down Hyland St with care and cross Deviation Rd to the Barwon River Trail. Head south-east, passing The Hill MTB Park on Marnock Rd to the left and the impressive array of rowing sheds. Due to level-crossing removal works, it’s currently not advisable to ride directly to the trailhead at South Geelong Station, so turn left after a railway bridge and take Tucker St and the shared path along Breakwater Rd north to reach the Bellarine Rail Trail before Carr St. There is car parking here and camping at the show grounds.

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Background Information

The line was conceived by the Australian Portland Cement Company, which approached the state government in 1915-16 requesting a rail link from its plant on Hyland St, Fyansford, to the North Geelong yards to cope with increased production and reduce road traffic. The company bought the land for it and transferred the titles to Victoria Railways. The broad-gauge line opened in 1918, with a conveyor system carrying the cement up the hill from the APC plant to the despatch area on McCurdy Rd.

A shared path and linear park were established beside the tracks in the early 1980s but use of the line itself declined as road haulage took over. The cement plant closed in 2000 and was demolished, with the silos being decorated with artwork and becoming a local landmarked until they were removed in 2020.

Coincidentally, after initially using a ropeway, in 1926 the company opened its own 3’6″-gauge (1067mm) line from the Fyansford plant to its quarries further up the Moorabool River. This was replaced with a conveyor system in 1966, the remains of which are visible north of the Geelong Bypass, and most of the locomotives are now with the Bellarine Railway.

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