It’s easy to be a regular user of the O’Keefe Rail Trail and assume that nothing new has been happening for this popular 50km trail! Reality can be quite different; yet can those changes be easy to spot?
Members of the Friends of the Bendigo-Kilmore Rail Trail have a keen focus on ensuring that the O’Keefe Rail Trail remains safe and attractive for use, with any identified issues or minor improvements required provided to the City of Greater Bendigo council staff for assessment. From such input, recently council contractors have been upgrading sections of the trail’s older surfaces in the Junortoun and Heathcote areas.
To assist council with trail improvements, members of the Friends group recently held a working bee. Due to the trail’s adjoining private land having a new access road constructed in Heathcote, it was decided to shift a trail gate and fence from within the former railway’s cutting behind the Heathcote hospital.
The new location for the gate and fence was to be at the trail’s current formal eastern most point, at Pink Cliffs Rd Heathcote.
With a new ‘Whistle Post’ trail sign having recently been installed at Pink Cliffs Rd site by the Friends’ members, this relocated gate and fence will now help add trail identity as well as provide a noticeable barrier for non-conforming vehicle access.
It is the ambition of this community representative Friends group that from this Pink Cliffs Rd location, the trail will be extended further eastwards along the former railway reserve and become part of the proposed Wallan to Heathcote Rail Trail in the future, once funding is secured.