Name: Woodend to Daylesford (incl Domino) Rail Trail
Rating: 3.9

Rail Trail
On Road
Potential RT
Other Trail
Former Railway

Why visit the Woodend to Daylesford (incl Domino) Rail Trail?

View Map

Part of the former Woodend to Daylesford Line has been turned into the short but sweet Domino Trail, which goes from the picturesque town of Trentham through peaceful bushland to Lyonville.

Signs along the trail provide you with plenty of history of the area
Trentham still has an impressive railway station
Lyonville’s station is now a private residence, but the kitsch local hotel makes up for that
You might see the odd swamp wallaby or grey kangaroo
Bullarto Railway Station is the highest operational one in Victoria

Nearby Attractions

Hepburn Bathhouse and Spa
Trentham Falls
Daylesford Spa Country Railway
Goldfields Track
Mt Macedon
Hanging Rock

Trail Guide

Last updated: 27 September 2024

Access Points

The Trentham trailhead is at the former railway station on Victoria St, now the tourist information centre
At Lyonville, the trail starts at the southern end of Main St, south of the Radio Springs Hotel. The trail sign is missing, so look for the yellow “Fire Access Only” post in the gravel area nearby

Section Guides

Trentham to Lyonville (6km)

Trentham is a small town with many accommodation options and cafes for you to try before you hit the trail
For the first 500m from the railway station in Victoria St, the tracks are still in place and the grass-covered trail runs between them
On the left, the remains of the Sunnyside Foundry become visible
After Falls Rd, the trail enters bushland featuring manna gum, peppermint and mountain gum trees. Watch for swamp wallabies and grey kangaroos
There is a short detour around the heritage Coliban River Railway Bridge, where a low-level bypass bridge is planned
Take care on this loop. It is clearly marked but the surface can be slippery
The trail ends near Main St, Lyonville, south of the Radio Springs Hotel and north of Railway Ave
Lyonville has a few accommodation options and the quaint pub, which sometimes shows films
A possible 3km extension of the trail to Bullarto would allow users to catch the tourist train to Daylesford, when it is running

CONNECTING TRAIL

A sign about 4km along the rail trail from Trentham indicates a short loop to take you down to Domino Creek. Here you will see a brick-lined culvert that carries the creek under the railway embankment. The loop continues along Miller Cutting Tk before returning to the rail corridor

Photo Gallery

The beautifully maintained Trentham railway station is the rail trail head [2024]

After Falls Rd, the surface is more normal [2013)

Mates walking the trail from Trentham [2024]

Further along the trail to Lyonville [2013]

Interpretive signs provide lots of information [2024]

Picturesque cutting before Lyonville (2013)

The Lyonville end of the rail trail [2024]

Lyonville's famous Radio Springs Hotel. Poorly marked trail entrance in background [2024]

Lyonville Station is a private home but part of the platform remains [2024]

A 4km extension of the trail from Bullarto would get you a railmotor ride to Daylesford [2019]

Daylesford Railway Station is a relatively simple affair, despite being the terminus of two lines [2019]

Get Around

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Reviews

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11 reviews of “Woodend to Daylesford (incl Domino) Rail Trail”

Rode this trail in both directions this week. The trail was boggy in a few places, as expected at this time of year. One section (detouring around the broken Coliban River rail bridge) urgently needs work. It involves a low-level bridge over a water course which has been pushed out of place (probably by water) and branches thrown down to walk on. Difficult to get across. Also, came across two trees down over the trail but both were easy to get over or around. The start at Lyonville is also a little difficult to find (see comment below) as it also is at Trentham (walk to the left between the station and a residential property and then onto the trail).

Rode the Domino Trail from Lyonville to Trentham and enjoyed the forest views. Track was slightly muddy in places and the bridge detour was a little wet to cross (I have reported it via Snap Send Solve). The track itself is a little rough but clear. Lots of markers to tell you where the trail is.The sign to the start at Lyonville is faded and hidden behind bushes so look for the yellow "Fire Access Only' post in the gravel area nearby.The Trentham Railway Station was fun to look around, and there is plenty of parking.

Last weekend we walked the Domino Rail Trail starting from the old Trentham railway station. This short track is really easy to follow and it is quite scenic, especially during Autumn. There are several quaint places to see and visit in Trentham.

Great to see the old train station still here. Track still very wet and muddy. Recommend wearing boots, need them for the mud. At the end of the section toward Lyonville, track is underwater. Need to takeoff boots to get across. Trail is flat all the way, easy trail to complete. Hotel In Lyonsville for lunch if needed. Trail was semi busy for weekend. Passed a tour with llamas which was quite cool.

Rode the Domino Trail from Lyonville to Trentham on hybrid bikes with loaded panniers today…bit rough but fun! Well done to the team clearing it up after the massive storm. Signposts faded both ends, in Lyonville the trail starts behind the Radio Springs Hotel.

This trail is not rideable following the wild storm that knocked many trees down in mid June 2021. We attempted to ride it today from Trentham, and left the bikes after 1km, attempted then to walk the trail to Lyonville. There were many large trees across the trail and we gave up at 4.5km along the trail, after struggling under, over and around so many fallen trees….and walked back.

Beautiful scenery. Started in Lyonville with two hybrid bikes and 4yo on a tag-a-long. Very rocky and bumpy. Agree with previous comment, trail is best suited to walking to appreciate surroundings.

9/27 Next Railtrail on my journey to ride every trail in Victoria in my 60th year to promote organ donation. This one ends in the pretty town of Trentham. Starting at Lyonsville was a little problematic as the Railtrails booklet let us to the wrong side of the track and we couldn’t gain access. Signage is there but very faded – I cannot understand why these regions don’t look after the assets at their disposal. It was quite warm but the trail is very shady, so it was a pleasant ride. The surface was a little rough so it’s not a great cycling track. At the Trentham end, the sleepers are still in place, which looks cool but hard to ride on – it would be better for walkers. Also, as you ride on the track through Trentham it is very overgrown with blackberries and other weeds, it really needs to be cleaned up.as it spoiled the end. It is an interesting ride through beautiful forest, but probably better tackled on foot. 6.5km.

You can follow all my railtrail rides on FB Warwick Duncan – The 2nd Chance Man or Insta @warwick_rides

I rode the 6km Domino rail trail on Sat 18/8/18, with 7 others on a rainy cold winters day (6.5 deg at 2pm). We rode 22km from Woodend to Trentham on-road, and lunched at Red Beard Bakery Trentham. Nice warm food and coffee after a cold and sometimes uphill ride. I had 32mm tyres on a rigid flatbar and managed to travel quite quickly on the rail trail. One lass on a road bike with 23mm tyres was struggling a bit with a layer of wet leaves and occasional mud patches, and rode back on-road. One lass on a hybrid said she absolutely loved the trail, and it was fun for me too. Sawn logs indicated that the trail was being maintained. A highlight was spending an hour at the Radio Springs Hotel (west end of trail), which had fireplaces lit in 3 rooms, live acoustic country/blues music, movie memorabilia (it has a small cinema) and generally convivial atmosphere. After chillin with an apple cider, we rode back to Trentham and then on-road to Woodend. Despite snow and hail mixed in with intermitant rain at Trentham (800m alt), it was a terrific day out in the saddle. A 4pm coffee in Woodend finished a good ride, which was faster returning with downhill and tailwind conditions. Trail is well sheltered in amongst forest for its length, and has the easy 2-3% max gradient of a rail route.

Completed this walk yesterday. It was lovely and a very easy walk, though we did find signage at the Lyonville end a little scarce, but found our way out and around to the pub and back in the official connection point. Nice and easy walk, little or no gradient.

I’m very impressed with this trail, which I rode today (29th December 2014) – the trail is in excellent condition (hybrid bikes would be fine), and passes through outstanding regrowth forest. There is plenty of signage about the trail and markers to follow – the only deviation is around the old bridge near Lyonville – which is clearly marked. I thought the best part was the creaking of the tall pines in the wind. Will definitely be back – especially if they extend the track. The only problem is the end in Lyonville is a bit anticlimactic – though the train station in Trentham is well restored – that appears to be a thing with towns that have rail trails – they all have beautifully restored their historic train stations. Well done to the management team of this rail trail.

Further Information

Information and Links

The trail is managed by Hepburn Shire.

To report any issues or problems please contact Hepburn Shire (03) 5321 6123

To contact the Trentham Tourist Information Centre at the railway station, Ph: (03) 5424 1178

Daylesford Spa Country Railway

Contact Rail Trails Australia

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

Background Information

Traditional owners

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

Development and future of the rail trail

There is interest in extending the trail in both directions, possibly from Daylesford to Woodend (44km). The Trentham to Lyonville section of the proposed Daylesford-Macedon Ranges Rail Trail has now been developed, and a feasibility study is being conducted with a view to developing more of the trail.

The Daylesford Spa Country Railway runs tourist trains from Daylesford to Bullarto. These trains carry bikes.

Daylesford had the distinction of being served by two railways, one from Woodend and one from Creswick.

The railway from Carlsruhe to Daylesford via Trentham was opened in 1880.

By the 1970s, traffic on the line had reduced considerably, and despite local lobbying, it was closed in 1978.

The Crossing Borders Tracks and Trails Feasibility Report for the proposed Daylesford Rail Trail can be viewed here.

News

Local community pitches in to deliver Domino Rail Trail improvements

Posted: 14/08/24

In 2021 a severe storm impacted the Trentham area, including the much loved Domino Rail Trail ...

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Daylesford to Hanging Rock Rail Trail Revived

Posted: 06/11/18

Bicycle Network reports that the Hepburn and Daylesford Shire Councils are again pushing for completion ...

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Opening of Domino Rail Trail

Posted: 23/04/13

Trentham is holding the annual Spudfest on Saturday May 18th and the rail trail committee ...

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Daylesford-Woodend Rail Trail (Vic) one step closer

Posted: 04/04/12

The Daylesford-Woodend Rail Trail, in the central highlands north of Melbourne, is today one step ...

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