The federal government has provided a massive funding boost to complete the Kororoit Creek Trail all the way to the coast.
The $5 million announcement by the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Catherine King, will go towards the final two stages of the project to build a trail along the full length of the lower Kororoit Creek between Brooklyn and Altona Bay.
“From Melbourne to the Yarra Ranges, we’re investing in active transport options right across Victoria to shape the way locals and visitors move around our great towns,” she said.
“Whether you’re on a motor scooter, pushing a pram, walking or cycling, we’re making it easier for people to get to school, work or local services, without having to jump in the car.
“This is about so much more than bike lanes and footpaths, it’s about reshaping our cities and regional centres, connecting our everyday places, and making our towns better to live in and easier to visit.”
Currently the trail goes as far south as Barnes Road. The stage from Blackshaws Road to Geelong Road was recently completed as part of the West Gate Tunnel Project.
The City of Hobsons Bay has been nursing the project forward for more than a decade with strong guidance and input from community organisations, in particular the Friends of the Lower Kororoit Creek, supported by Bicycle Network.
Hobsons Bay has already designed the final stages of the trail around the reedy marshlands on the lower reaches of the creek and has been waiting for the final top-up of funding.
The creek travels much further north to Caroline Springs and beyond, and there is a trail along much, but not all, of the route.
When the missing gaps are completed many people in Melbourne’s west and north-west will have a great recreational trail to walk and ride to the sea.
This announcement was one of 19 investments in Victoria from the Active Transport Fund, totalling $21 million for projects across Melbourne and regional Victoria.
Bicycle Network will provide more details on these projects in the coming months.
Funding for other states will be announced soon.
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