2025 Great Southern Rail Trail

This post is retrospective! Last year I took a trip on the Great Southern Rail trail, but have only ever documented it on Instagram. So quite a bit later, I have decided to retrieve it and put it on my blog.

Why? Well I think this was one of the only trips on my Cruzbike Quest fitted with a tailbox, and the photos should give a feel for what its like. As well, I am suddenly keen to advocate for bicycles to be allowed on V-Line coaches, and this is good source material. I have included bonus photos at the end, but otherwise this is mostly as it appeared on the Insta. 
 

A week or so ago I took the train to Traralgon and rode to Yarram to ride the great Southern Rail Trail. This post is day 1, on the train to Traralgon, Traralgon to Yarram, and in Yarram.

 

Day2 of Great Southern Rail Trail trip was Yarram to Leongatha, about 107k. Its a great rail trail, no traffic except for the occasional dog walker and a few bikes. Was delighted to get into Meeniyan and see the other (ie not Ceres) bike rim dome. Knew it was there but had forgotten about it!

Fish Creek had the best facilities, toilets, tools shelter all right there on the rail trail. Author and illustrator Allison Lester has an entire shop about 100m from the track.

There was great, consistent signage from Port Albert to Leongatha, but this fell away from Leongatha to Nyora.

 

Day 3 started at the Leongatha pub where I stayed, continued on the rail trail to Nyora, where I stopped for coffee, a ham and cheese sandwich, dim sims, a visit to the op shop. Nice setup for the start of a rail trail, with the old train station in the centre of a big park with toilets, and a shop nearby.

After Nyora, I went North. Navigation from Nyora to Tynong was old school, using a map from RACV Vicroads Country Street Map of Victoria. Some rough roads - the best of the dirt roads was about the same as the worst of the rail trail. Unfortunately there was no train or bus from Tynong to Melbourne for a few hours, but I was able to phone-navigate via less trafficked roads to the start of the Melbourne local train network. Glad I had the big rest at Nyora.

There are plans for bike / rail trails to link Nyora to the rail trail at Anderson, and also to continue to Pakenham. Bring on these bike paths! Costs would be a pittance compared to https://bigbuild.vic.gov.au/ projects like the Suburban Rail Loop and Northeast Link.