Traditional owners

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

Development and future of the rail trail

Baw Baw Shire is planning to extend the trail to include the Noojee trestle bridge to Noojee Station Museum rail trail.

Railway history

The Noojee line was opened in sections from 1890 to 1919 and closed between 1954 and 1958. Many sections have since been sold off.

The railway was built in 1890-91 as part of a Victorian Government plan to open access to regional Victoria. It was a branch line from Warragul to Neerim south for passengers, timber and agricultural equipment and produce. In 1917-19 the railway line was extended to Noojee, but in 1926 bushfires around Noojee burned out bridges and a large amount of line. The railway also sustained huge losses in the 1939 Black Friday bushfires,. By the 1950s the railway was finding it hard to compete with road transport and began closing in stages, until it finally closed in 1958.

Since the rail closure, the Crossover bridge has been in gentle decline due to neglect and lack of maintenance. Many of the decking timbers are rotting, yet many of the uprights appear strong and stable. The bridge has considerable artistic, engineering and tourist merit. One fascinating aspect is the picket style safety railing. There is also the depth of the fern lined, steep cutting below, along which the trains laboured.

This old timber bridge at Crossover was reportedly constructed in 1892 as part of the Warragul to Noojee rail link. In 1958 that rail line closed after decades of transporting timber, farm produce, local passengers and occasional tourists. This bridge is supported by six tall trestles and spans about forty metres of ferny cuttings.