Update: click here to read about how the Northern Rivers Rail Trail proves a smash hit.
Bike riders and walkers in NSW are celebrating a major milestone this week, with the first section of the long-awaited Northern Rivers Rail Trail now open to the public.
The newly opened Tweed Section takes visitors along a disused rail corridor between Murwillumbah Railway Station and Crabbes Creek, offering 24 km of scenic and peaceful pedalling with gentle gradients and beautiful countryside.
Attractions along the route include the heritage-listed Murwillumbah Railway Station, two tunnels and no less than 18 historic railway bridges.
The Tweed Section of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail consists of compacted gravel as it winds through the countryside, but turns to smoother asphalt as it passes through the region's towns and villages.
These include the starting point of Murwillumbah home to museums and galleries, the farming township of Dunbible, the village of Stokers Sliding with its thriving arts community, Burringbar with its roadside fruit stalls and the finish point of Crabbes Creek with vibrant community of 300 residents.
"The opening of the Tweed section of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail is indeed a milestone, being NSW’s second rail trail on a former government railway and the first section of what will be one of Australia’s premier rail trails," said President of Rail Trails Australia, Damian McCrohan.
"Even this first section will link more than four communities together to provide safe off road walking and cycling, and when complete will link dozens more.
"These villages and the wonderful scenery along the rail trail will be a major drawcard for cycling tourism, benefiting the local communities further. Already some businesses are gearing up for the influx of visitors."
In time, the Northern Rivers Rail trail will continue on through Crabbes Creek, pass through Mullumbimby and Byron Bay, and then take visitors inland through Lismore before ending in Casino.
This 132-km rail trail is being constructed in four stages, with a 13-km section at the western end between Bentley and Casino currently under construction and scheduled to open in mid-2023.
A 32-km section between Eltham and Bentley has been partially funded and is in the planning phase, while a feasibility study is underway on a 63-km section between Yelgun and Eltham.
The Northern Rivers rail corridor has been non-operation since 2004 and was formally closed in 2020, with funding commitments coming soon after from both state and federal levels.
This proved enough for preliminary works and a tender process to be undertaken in 2021 for the Tweed section of the rail trail, setting the wheels in motion for this month's opening, on March 1.
"This rail trail is the result of over 10 years of extraordinary effort by the local community and organisations such as Rail Trails Australia, and made possibly by the great cooperation of all three levels of government," said McCrohan.
Government inaction and opposition from local landholders have proved stubborn obstacles for rail trail development in NSW. The state is home to many disused and unmaintained rail corridors that could be converted into popular trails that boost tourism and local economies.
Bicycle Netwok has been campaigning for many years to turn this untapped resource into a world-class collection of routes for recreation and physical activity. It has joined Rail Trails for NSW and Rail Trails Australia in asking for a permanent funding program for the development of rail trails in the state.
To celebrate the opening of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail's Tweed Section, Rail Trails Australia is planning a conference in Murwillumbah on 24 March, with more information available here.
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