Tourism & Rail trail funding
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Tourism rail trails are our bike paths in the bush built on old railway lines or other easements such as pipelines or along rivers
Government's $36 million tourism package could quadruple spending on Rail Trails
18 June 2010. Premier John Brumby has announced a $36 million tourism package for Victoria's regions. Importantly, $25 million of this package will be set aside for a fund "to support the development of world-class infrastructure for tourism, particularly nature-based tourism projects such as walking and rail trails."
This fund will focus on "new tourism assets and redevelopment of existing tourism assets with a focus on nature-based tourism infrastructure to develop key regional areas as world-class tourist destinations."
With this announcement, the Premier demonstrates an understanding that Rail Trails make significant contributions to tourism in Victoria's regions.
Click here to say thanks to Premier Brumby.
Many regional towns to be featured in this package also have prime Rail Trail opportunities. Some trails can either be redeveloped or expanded to improve current offerings, and a few brand new ones can be built.
Daylesford is already a well-known tourism destination, but is recently generating excitement about the proposal for a 44 km Daylesford - Woodend Rail Trail.
Port Campbell is home base to many who travel to the Great Ocean Road, and is being proposed as the eventual coast destination of the Coast to Crater Rail Trail. Refurbishing the existing surface and completing the first stage of this trail from Camperdown to Timboon, and then continuing the extension to Port Campbell will make this Trail a world-beater in its breadth and depth of nature experiences.
Trail projects in the Grampians and in Yarra Glen could benefit from this fund as well. Victoria boasts many other viable trails that will benefit from further investment.
Many now have a much greater hope of coming to life in the next four years as this significant investment in regional tourism and trail building makes its presence felt.
Provincial Pathways Program guidelines released
August 2006. Applications are now being received from local councils by Regional Development Victoria. The guidelines for the program are now available. The Warrnambool to Port Fairy, Murray to Mountains and the High Country Rail Trails are all looking to submit applications soon.
New Provincial Pathways Program to provide funds for Rail Trails
November 05. The Victorian Premier and the Minister for State and Regional Development have announced a state-wide $8 million Provincial Pathways Program. The funding will be delivered over four years and aims to promote cycling and walking trails to attract people to regional areas.
Bicycle Victoria is looking forward to working on the development of trails in regional Victoria and is pleased with Minister Brumby’s announcement that “The State Government will work with Bicycle Victoria to identify new rail trails, promote existing trails and the benefits of cycling through regional areas”.
Disused railway easements are an obvious choice for developing tourism and recreational trails in Victoria. They make perfect trails because they link regional towns, they run through spectacular areas and can be used by just about everyone.
There are over 20 rail trails in Victoria at various stages of development, a number of which are ready to be built but have been unfunded until now. We are happy that these new funds will help build a regional network of tourism and recreational trails.
For details of the Provincial Pathways Program funding announcement follow the links to the right of this page.
Tourism Rail Trails
Tourism Rail Trails are our bike paths in the bush, built on old railway lines, or other easements such as pipelines, or along rivers. They provide attractive, scenic and safe places for people to enjoy the outdoors.
They also bring business to wineries, cafes, restaurants, hotels and accommodation providers located near the trail and stimulate the development of new businesses such as bike hire, bike tours and bike transport services.
Many rail trails currently provide fantastic places to ride for a wide variety of cyclists.
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