While council contractors have been working on the new bridge, the Friends have been busy reconstructing a near replica of the Rifle Butts platform. The original platform was demolished, when the last small section of this old railway line in Bendigo East was sold for scrap around 1983. So named because it lies near the Bendigo Rifle Range and the platform was a transport access point for rifle marksmen, it was a small part of the trail’s history that Friends member, Ken Hanson, was passionate about. With generous donations from local businesses and sweat from members of the Friends group, a replica arose close to the trail.
Job well done: Friends Fay Dawson, Ian Dawson, Garry Long, Ken Hanson and Lawrie Edward finish off the replica Rifle Butts platform.
