Missing ’80 mile’ marker post returns

One by one, the missing historic railway marker posts (mile posts) are returning to the former Wandong (Wallan) to Bendigo Railway reserve. Most of the original concrete posts were removed when the recovery of the former railway infrastructure happened about 40 years ago, with only very few of the originals being left behind.

The Friends of the Bendigo-Kilmore Rail Trail’s member Ken Hanson has been busy with a small yet expanding project over the past few years. Ken has produced replica concrete posts, each with individual cast numbers (numbered 73 to 100) and painted white with black numbers. Where to place them? Ken has measured the original ‘mile’ distances, so as to locate each post along the current and extending O’Keefe Rail Trail. Amazingly, Ken has sometimes even located the exact spot where the original post’s hole once was! Then, when the time was right, he has been ‘planting’ each of the new replica posts beside the rail trail.

The ’80 mile’ marker post returns to Derrinal – O’Keefe Rail Trail Dec 2014

The latest one to be installed was the ‘80’ post, in the Derrinal area, yet mechanical help was needed to ‘plant’ this one into its new position. This is due to the post’s location being at an original railway cutting. Once the extending O’Keefe Rail Trail is completed in this section, the ’80 mile’ post will be there for all to see, thanks to Ken’s efforts!