I had completed extensive research on the historical, but unused & deteriorating, "Northern Rivers Rail Trail" which includes 132 km of rail line, tunnels, timber bridges and truss bridges between Murwillumbah and Casino. The current vision is to preserve most of the rail line, and repair the tunnels and bridges that haven't deteriorated beyond repair, in order to convert it into a modern cycling and walking trail through some of the region's most spectacular landscapes.
My plan had been to explore as much of the rail line, including tunnels and bridges, in a 50 km radius over a couple of days. However, my car broke down after the first day of exploring so we had limited time. We will definitely go back to explore more!
This is the Mooball rail bridge, high over Crabbes Road and the nearby creek.
From above...
And below...
The old Stokers Siding station house is currently being used as a post office.
This truss bridge was extremely well hidden; discovered after extensive research via Google Maps.
We will be back for more exploring of this historical area between beach visits over the summer.
I do hope that The Northern Rivers Rail Trail gets the go ahead and funding. It is not just about a walking & cycling track; it’s about eco-tourism and host communities, festivals and events, employment, and workplace training, mental and physical health, equity for the disabled, habitat and wildlife corridors and most importantly, future legacies. It would showcase the natural environment and beautiful lifestyle of the area to the world.
Linking with these memes:
18 comments:
Great photos and a really interesting part of the country. Thanks for sharing.
I do hope this trail will go ahead in the future. I looks a lovely area . I love your shots with gorgeous reflections
Don't you just hate it when the conveniences of modern life let us down, just as we are full of anticipation? The trail looks a great place to explore and enjoy. I'm sure you will go back very soon , if you've not not already done so.
The trail looks awesome, a pretty area. Gorgeous reflections and images. Have a happy week!
What a pity your car broke down as I can see this is a GREAT area to explore!
Liz, thanks for commenting on my blog. I've noticed yours a couple of times recently too, through one of those memes i think. Great pictures! We have several old rail trails around here that are very popular.
I do hope you get to go exploring this area again soon. And I do hope they restore this rail trail. It looks very interesting and I love those old rail bridges. Happy travels and thank you for stopping by my blog this week.
Great shots of the rail lines and bridges. I love it when old rail routes are restored into hiking and biking trails. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog! :)
Those old rail corridors are wonderful sites for trails and greenways. The railroads here are often refusing to give up the right of ways because of the likelihood that rail travel will once again become popular out of necessity.
Beautiful train bridges.
Thank you for sharing this part of our world - fascinating bridges with strong superstructure make for great photo opportunities; well done! (and thanks too for stopping by my blog)
I love the Northern Rivers region. I had not heard about this disused line nor of its hopefully planned future. I certainly hope it goes ahead. Well done for finding the truss bridge. Great photos too.
Hello Liz. I haven't been able to drop in for awhile but am delighted to read this blog. Myself and 4 friends walk every Wednesday and are always looking for somewhere new. We have hiked most of the Brisbane Valley Rail trail. I would love to be able walk here. Where was your starting point? It would be wonderful for the project to get the funding and go ahead quickly.
What a fantastic rail line! It runs through beautiful country! Sorry about the car trouble!
Great shots
Great shots
Great shots, Liz. It was just after the last truss bridge that the car played up, and it meant the end of our exploring, but we still had a good holiday. There are lots more spots for us to find in that region next year :)
Metal in the country, good things to say if you are a train person.
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