News
Email - news@themooraboolnews.com.au
The Moorabool News – 21 December, 2021 Page 5
Rail line perfect for trail By Lachlan Ellis A local cyclist is campaigning for a recreational trail to be established along a disused rail line, and Council has shown interest. Millbrook resident Gerard White would like to see a 13-kilometre stretch of land in Dunnstown, which had railway lines and sleepers removed earlier this year, turned into a trail for walkers, cyclists, and tourists. With more people walking and cycling during the pandemic, Mr White believes the trail could boost not just health and wellbeing, but tourism and local spending too. “It’d bring people and their money, simple as that. You could have drop-off points at Wallace, Bungaree, and Dunnstown. The Wallace Hotel would be a perfect place for people to park their cars and do the walk up to Bungaree, or from Wallace to Millbrook and back,” he told the Moorabool News. “It’d go from the old Millbrook line crossing, basically up to Dunnstown. Because it goes as far as Dunnstown, there’s a few back roads into Ballarat that are unsealed … people would be able to ride their bike from Ballarat out through the back of Dunnstown or Warrenheip, and connect up with the trail.” Mr White also believes providing a bicycle-friendly track between towns would provide a safer alternative to cycling on roads shared with cars. “It’d be so safe – a lot of people are apprehensive about cycling on bitumen, because of the speed of cars and trucks on the road. But if they ride on bike trails and gravel roads, it takes that dangerous aspect out of the equation,” he said. Mr White said he’d hate to see the line go into disrepair and become overgrown with weeds and blackberries. “But if it’s not used in the right way, that’s the way it’ll go.” Council has had several conversations with local residents interested in the project, and plans to engage VicTrack, which owns the land, to find out any plans they have for the area.
Keen cyclist and Millbrook resident, Gerard White is keen for the disused train line to become a 13km cycling and walking trail. Photo – Helen Tatchell
Don’t travel to high risk areas on Extreme Fire Danger Rating days. If you plan to travel through Victoria, during fire season, it’s important to check the Fire Danger Rating every day. If the rating is Extreme or above, avoid travelling to high risk areas, including to cities and towns.
Plan. Act. Survive. Go to emergency.vic.gov.au
Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne