Blaze a trail with us!
We’re building overwhelming support for a new world-class recreational trail for all in Central Victoria.
CAMPAIGNS
Celebrating our region
We’ve always envisaged our trail as something more than a gravel path linking two points. Celebrating our region’s many attractions is a primary aim for our trail. Our region is studded with natural and other attractions. That’s why we developed our regional “Guide” to help tell our region’s stories of people and place.
Feasibility study advocacy
Is the rail trail a good idea? Sure, but how good? What are the tourism opportunities? What’s the economic and social impacts can it bring? How will it impact communities? How much will it cost? How should it be built? We’ve recently raised $150,000 for a study to thoroughly answer these questions and more.
Community Ambassadors
Welcome to our new community ambassadors! These special volunteers are already having a big impact: from Maryborough to Yapeen, from Castlemaine to Newstead. They are working to connect communities to bring us closer together. The best voice for our trail will be local.
NEWS
Feasibility study our biggest milestone yet
It’s a new dawn for Central Victoria. Today we released the expert report into your trail. It confirms the 60km disused rail corridor can be profitably repurposed as a world-class recreational trail that attracts tens of thousands of visitors a year and brings jobs and prosperity to our local communities.
Avant gardener: keeping up with Jennie Stewart
For CMRT volunteer, avant gardener and visual artist, Jennie Stewart, growing things is just what she does every day. John Carruthers managed to catch up with our energetic rep just long enough for a quick chat about her eclectic interests and CMRT’s fundraising challenge in 2024.
Community survey brings trail study tail wind
An overwhelming community response is providing a strong push to the feasibility study into a rail trail between Castlemaine and Maryborough as the study enters its final weeks. Complete the survey before it closes in late June. The survey and the study will help propel the trail’s next stage.
EVENTS
Walk – Exploring Campbells Creek and the Southern Fringes of Castlemaine
Exploring Campbells Creek and the Southern Fringes of Castlemaine Wednesday 12 June 2024, 10 km easy walk, 9.30am to 1.00pm This ten kilometre loop walk is offered by Great Dividing Trail Association in collaboration with Castlemaine Maryborough Rail Trail Inc. It...
Book today: Walking the past, glimpsing the future
Walk the path of our future rail trail. Experience the rich history and natural beauty of Maryborough to Carisbrook. This March 24, join us to walk the historic rail line from Maryborough to Carisbrook on Dja Dja Wurrung country. Lunch provided. Book your place today!
Feasibility study our biggest milestone yet
It’s a new dawn for Central Victoria. Today we released the expert report into your trail. It confirms the 60km disused rail corridor can be profitably repurposed as a world-class recreational trail that attracts tens of thousands of visitors a year and brings jobs and prosperity to our local communities.
Watch our video… “What if we made a rail Trail?”
The Rail Trail Project
The proposed 55km Castlemaine Maryborough Rail Trail is a $35m, multi-year project. It has been instigated and driven by the Committee, members and supporters of the Castlemaine Maryborough Rail Trail Inc in association with the Mount Alexander Shire Council, Central Goldfields Shire Council, State Government of Victoria and the Australian Federal Government. The Project has been planned to proceed in three well designed Stages and currently is in Stage Two of its development. The Victorian Government has recently announced that CMRT has been sucessful in its grant application for the funding for Stage Two.
Stage one
Stage One was completed in August 2023 with the publication of the Feasibility Study. —-
Stage Two
We are currently in Stage Two; The Pre-Construction Phase. —–
Stage Three
Stage Three is the Construction Phase.——–
The Trail Experience
One of the wonderful things about our trail is that it’ll be equally enjoyable no matter which end you start from!
Start at Maryborough and you can alight from one of Australia’s grandest old railway stations. Start at Castlemaine station and you will be right where the story of the goldfields began.
A powerful and unique feature of the trail is that it has a train line to Melbourne at both ends. Easy for local commuters; a magnet for eco-tourists.
If you start in Castlemaine, you can easily find good food and coffee and any last-minute necessities, then you’ll be off along the Campbells Creek Trail to Winters Flat where the disused part of the old train line begins and the Goldfields Steam Train blows it’s whistle and turns off towards Maldon.
Then the creek, the road, and the rail trail rolls down the valley past farms and houses to Guildford. You’ll be able to look down on the cars passing by as you are safe on the trail and can enjoy the view.
At Guildford, the line crosses the highway on a high bridge and leaves the road for a while, past the place where Campbells Creek joins the Loddon River, over another bridge, and now you’ll follow the Loddon River through bush and farmland, all the way to the old Newstead Station which is now an arts hub.
Soon after Newstead, you will ride across the spectacular Joyce’s Creek bridge, the longest of the trail, at the south end of Lake Cairn Curran Reservoir. Then it’s a short climb up onto the volcanic Moolort Plains, with big skies, and world-recognised wetlands.
The rollicking downhill run past the Moolort Silos and into Carisbrook is a blast before heading into Maryborough and the truly magnificent Maryborough Station where you can enjoy a well-deserved milkshake (or other age-appropriate refreshing treats).
We’ve always envisaged our trail as something more than a sealed path linking two points. Our region is studded with natural and other attractions. That’s why we developed our Guide to the Trail to highlight some of our region’s many attractions, and help better tell our stories of people and place.
P.S. Take a peek at some of views you’ll get along the trail in the Views Along The Trail gallery. Click on the button below (photographs by Mick Evans and Ken Stewart)..
Towns Along the Trail
History
Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge the Dja Dja Wurrung and the Jaara Jaara people, the custodians and caretakers of this land through which the trail will pass.
We thank them for the care they have taken of the country: the rivers, mountains, trees, and animals. We could like to honour this Country, the Elders of the past and present and most importantly the young, proud Aboriginal people, as they are our leaders for tomorrow.
we’d love to hear from you!
email us at:
Address:
Unit 6, 167-171 Railway St, Maryborough, VIC 3465
Contact CMRT
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