Repairs to Rail Trail Progressing

Its good news for the upcoming Christmas-NY holiday season, with the previously closed section of the O’Keefe Rail Trail at Lake Eppalock, Derrinal, now opened by trail manager the City of Greater Bendigo council for public use.

Whilst only temporary repairs have been made to the damaged sections of the trail’s causeway across the lake, trail users will need to be careful in observing for any trail surface variations and loose gravel. Further repair work to this section is expected to be undertaken in 2023.

At the present moment it is a great opportunity to be on the trail’s lake causeway, prior to the lake’s water level lowering further, to enjoy a magical experience of observing the lake’s water lapping up to both sides of the trail.

As for the trail’s closed Campaspe River trail bridge, this still requires an engineering assessment to be undertaken by council staff. Even though a council contractor is undertaking temporary repairs to the damaged bridge approaches, the trail’s Campaspe River bridge is still closed to the public yet is hoped to be opened for access prior to Christmas Day 2022. In the meantime, O’Keefe Rail Trail users are able to bypass this closed bridge, by using a short section of the McIvor Hwy and the highway’s road bridge at Axedale.