Traditional owners

Rail Trails Australia acknowledges the Wiilman people of the Noongar Nation, the traditional custodians of the land and waterways on which the trail is built.

Development and future of the rail trail 

In 2020 the Peel Alliance (comprising the Mandurah, Murray, Serpentine-Jarrahdale, Waroona and Boddington Councils) released a State funding submission that focused on a variety of infrastructure, jobs and tourism initiatives.  The document identified several rail trail opportunities within a short drive of Perth, including the proposed Hotham Valley Rail Trail, which would involve upgrading/combining the Tullis Bridge and Ranfrod Pool Walk Trails, and extending them west to Dwellingup.

Rail line history 

The Pinjarra to Narrogin railway was a 153 km line built between Pinjarra and Narrogin. The line opened in stages between 1910 and 1927 to serve the timber industry as well as rural and fruit-growing industries. Pinjarra and Narrogin are on the South Western and Great Southern main lines, so the Pinjarra to Narrogin line provided an important link with towns and mills such as Dwellingup and Boddington. The closing of many of local timber mills led to a decline in traffic on the line and services were withdrawn until last service ended in 1984. The Hotham Valley Railway operates a heritage railway over 32 km between Pinjarra and Etmilyn, near Dwellingup.