Northern Rivers Rail Trail on track for completion
Two North Coast councils have joined forces to fast-track the completion of the long-awaited Northern Rivers Rail Trail.
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Lismore City Council and Byron Shire Council have joined forces to fast-track the completion of the long-awaited Northern Rivers Rail Trail.
The neighbouring shires completed an application together in a bid to secure $38 million in funding from the The Australian Government’s regional Precincts and Partnerships Program.
The funding will go towards completing two sections in the Byron Shire, the first being Mullumbimby to Tweed and the second being Bangalow to Binna Burra, along with a final section in the Richmond Valley – Lismore to Eltham.
The Byron Shire will house the forth section of the trail which travels from Yelgun to Eltham, running a distance of 62.8km.
Byron Shire Mayor Michael Lyon said the rail trail will be a “game changer” for the Northern Rivers, especially for transport.
“Riding a bike from Bangalow to Byron is pretty fraught if you’re going by road,” he said.
Bangalow Rd is notorious for its sharp bends, narrow road and sometimes difficult visibility making the journey for cyclists dangerous.
“The rail trail has already been a great success for Tweed and I think it will be an even bigger success in Byron and Lismore,” Mr Lyon said.
Section one of the rail trail, The Tweed: Murwillumbah to Crabbes Creek (24 km), opened March 1 last year and has seen a whooping 146,000 users so far.
The trail begins at the Murwillumbah Railway Station through to the Tweed Regional Art Gallery & Margaret Olley Centre and between Burringbar and Mooball stations.
Connecting small villages with the larger hub of Murwillumbah, the trail passes 18 railway bridges and two railway tunnels.
It also provides an alternate transport route for residents and visitors.
Construction of the Tweed section was joint-funded with $7.8 million from the NSW Government’s Regional Tourism Infrastructure Fund and $6.5 million from the Australian Government’s Regional Jobs and Investment Packages Fund.
In addition, the NSW Government also handed over $600,000 to cover operating and maintenance costs for the first three years.
A Tweed Shire Council spokesperson said the Tweed section of the Northern River Rail Trail was having a positive impact on tourism and the visitor economy.
“We know 80 percent of visitors used a service on the Rail Trail during their visit such as a cafe, restaurant, bike hire or shuttle service,” the spokesperson said.
“While 82 percent of visitors are using a bike or e-bike (on the trail), and 18 percent of people are walking.”
The second section, Richmond Valley: Bentley to Casino (13.4 km), opened in March and features a bridle pathway allowing horse riders to experience the trail.
Beginning at the heritage-listed Old Casino Station and connecting with the Spring Grove Rd and Naughtons Gap car parks, the trail passes over a tunnel housing a mixed colony of bent-winged bats and finishes at the historic Bentley Bridge.
In total the section includes nine bridges.
Construction of the Richmond Valley section was given a funding boost of $7.5 million through the Australian Government’s National Tourism Icons Program.
Works are being divided for section three of the trail, Lismore: Eltham to Bentley (31.8km).
Lismore City Council commenced construction of the 16.3km South Lismore to Bentley section, which is set for completion late this year.
Construction is underway to secure funds for the 15.5 km section between Eltham and South Lismore.
Tourism expert Cameron Arnold said the Northern Rivers rail trail line has been “an incredible success to date”.
However Mr Arnold said the full impacts - which he anticipates the Lismore section will benefit the most, won’t be seen until all sections are complete.
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