Community invited to celebrate official opening of the Great Southern Rail Trail

Community members are invited to celebrate the official opening of the 21km extension of the Great Southern Rail Trail, connecting Welshpool to Alberton. The long-awaited extension completes the trail’s impressive 129km stretch between Yarram and Nyora.

The official opening will take place on Friday 16 August 2024 at 2pm at the first bridge crossing on Gellion Street in Alberton. The official ribbon cutting ceremony will be attended by mayors and councillors from both Wellington and South Gippsland Shire Councils. Member for Eastern Victoria Tom McIntosh MP, key industry stakeholders and the community will also be in attendance.

Before the event's opening, the community is invited to join a bike ride from Yarram to Alberton and enter the draw to win a Jamis bike. The ride will start at the Goods Shed at Yarram Tarra Trail Reserve from 1pm and conclude at Gellion Street in Alberton, where the official opening will take place. The bike ride is expected to take between 30 and 40 minutes and is open to all members of the public.

In anticipation of the event, Wellington Shire Council Mayor Cr Ian Bye highlighted that the Great Southern Rail Trail offers the perfect opportunity to get outdoors in The Middle of Everywhere and enjoy the beautiful scenery of South Gippsland.

"With the trail now open, it will enhance visitor numbers to our region, attracting people of all ages and abilities from across the country. Both councils have done a magnificent job bringing this project to life, and I can't wait to use the trail myself” Cr Bye said.

Final interpretive and wayfinding signage will be installed by the end of 2024, along with a dedicated website for the Great Southern Rail Trail.

The extension for completion involved eighteen months of dedicated construction work across both shires and was made possible through $6 million in Regional Infrastructure Grant funding from the Victorian Government, via the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions.  

For more information, visit www.themiddleofeverywhere.com.au or www.visitsouthgippsland.com.au.