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A detailed feasibility study into the proposed Castlemaine to Maryborough rail trail has given the project a positive tick.

The 122-page report estimates about 66,000 additional visitors to the region each year, bringing $12 million in additional visitor expenditure.

It also estimates there would be almost $25 million in additional economic output each year, creating 157 new jobs.

The trail along an abandoned rail corridor would link the two significant central Victorian towns and pass through Carisbrook and Newstead. Riders would able to travel to nearby historic Maldon along a connecting rail trail.

The projected overall cost for planning, designing, project managing and constructing an asphalt rail trail, incorporating the connections to each of the townships and including construction contingencies is estimated at $37.6 million.

The study projects that over its first 10 years the trail’s benefits will outweigh its costs by between 2.2 and 2.6 times.

The trail project is being promoted by Maryborough Rail Trail Inc (CMRT), and the shires of Central Goldfields and Mt Alexander.

CMRT President Dr Janice Simpson praised the shires of Central Goldfields and Mt Alexander for their 12-month partnership with CMRT which helped deliver the study.

“A trail can help thread the many powerful attractions this region has and knit the communities along the trail even closer together,” Dr Simpson said.

“Rail trails in other regions have shown how they can bring added prosperity to smaller communities through jobs and new businesses. This trail will too.”

The study profiled six other successful rail trails including five in Victoria and one recently opened in southern NSW. It found that rail trails had lifted tourism and increased economic activity to communities they passed through, with very little disruption to nearby landowners or agriculture.

The study found evidence that support for a trail was strong among residents and business owners. Some 95% of more than 1300 respondents to a study poll, most of them from the region, supported the trail.

The study was also welcomed by Maree Edwards MP and Martha Haylett MP. The trail traverses their two electorates.

“This is an exciting project for our region – and completing this feasibility study was the next important stage. I’m glad the Andrew’s Government provided funding to make this feasibility study happen,” Maree Edwards MP said.

“A future rail trail between Castlemaine and Maryborough would allow locals and tourists to experience the area’s beautiful landscapes even more, and support local jobs too,” Martha Haylett MP said. “I look forward to the next stage of this project and engaging with volunteers, stakeholders, and local government.”

Work for the study began in early 2022 and the study got underway in November. The study was underwritten by a $120,000 grant from the Victorian Government’s Enabling Tourism Fund, with $18,000 contributed by the community through the Castlemaine – Maryborough Rail Trail association (CMRT) and $12,000 from shires of Central Goldfields and Mount Alexander.