At 161km long, the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail is the longest rail trail in Australia and its popularity continues on an upward curve. Photo: Brisbane Valley Rail Trail Cycling (BVRT Users Assoc).
THE Brisbane Valley Rail Trail will be one of the four regional trails to undergo an upgrade as the result of a $3.5 million State Government allocation.
A total of $1.6 million is the amount set aside for the upgrade of the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail (BVRT) through the Department of Main Road’s Rail Trail Program.
Other rail trails that will be refurbished as part of the program are Pioneer Valley Rail Trail with $75,000, Boyne Burnett Inland Rail Trail with $1.6 million and Bundaberg to Gin Gin Rail Trail with $147,000.
The first section of the Brisbane Valley rail line from the Brisbane Valley Junction (now called Wulkuraka) to its terminus, opened at Lowood in 1884.
A second section of the branch line from Lowood to Esk opened in 1886.
In 1913, the final section to Yarraman was completed, with the branch line running until its closure 76 years later, in 1989.
Removal of the rail line started in 1993.
Many old station buildings were removed, used on other lines, or sold off.
The only ones to remain within their districts were Yarraman, Linville, Toogoolawah, Esk, Coominya and Lowood.
Friends of the BVRT President, and Transport and Main Roads BVRT Steering Committee Member Tanya Smith told the Moreton Border News reporter Rob Mellett in 2022 that the rail trail was fast becoming a tourist mecca, with users injecting swathes of money into the local economy of once dying rural towns.
“The amount of rail trail-specific provision of accommodation and general B’n’B listings throughout the Somerset, South Burnett, and Toowoomba regions has grown substantially since the completion of the BVRT in 2018,” Ms Smith said.
“It truly is coming into its own and is a role model for other rail trails currently being developed within Queensland and interstate.”
The latest funding allocation to upgrade the BVRT come as part of the State Government’s Destination 2045 strategy to grow Queensland’s ecotourism potential and drive regional development.
“Enhancing the trails helps to grow bicycle tourism and provides more ways for people to connect with the natural environment,” said Minister for Transport and Main Roads Brent Mickelberg.
“Cycling tourism is growing rapidly, and rail trails play a vital role in supporting the economies of regional towns.
“This investment helps revitalise disused infrastructure, connect people with nature, and create new opportunities for communities to grow and prosper.”
