Mary Valley Rail Trail Association Inc | Community organisation

Mary Valley Rail Trail Association Inc

Phone: +61 407 951 287

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24.01.2022 Check out this lovely photographic review of our neighbouring Rail Trail.

23.01.2022 Has anyone seen any interesting birds on the MVRT lately? No points for 'bellbirds' - that's too easy!

22.01.2022 EXPLORING OUR BACKYARD Ever been on the Mary Valley Rail Trail? It’s an easy 4.5 k walk between Imbil and Brooloo through a fabulous bellbird colony. So relax...ing and on leash and horses are allowed. Great signage shares the history of the former rail line which once carried livestock, produce, timber and people. More than 150 children used to ride the train to school and back every day. As you walk let your imagination take you back to the time when the train was packed with excited passengers wearing their Sunday best, to attend the annual Mary Valley show. The bird life is amazing and if you’re quiet you may spot a wallaby or two. See more

22.01.2022 Don't forget to POP IN to our POP UP stall at the Imbil Markets tomorrow morning. Got an idea about the Rail Trail? Would you like to become a member and help advocate for a walking and riding trail from Brooloo all the way to Amamoor? Want to buy some chutney, and raise money for tree-planting on the MVRT at the same time? Come on down!... Gympie Regional Council Mary Valley Chamber Of Commerce Inc Mary Valley Country Discover Mary Valley

21.01.2022 Good to see vistors enjoying the valley via the MVRT.

19.01.2022 Another little trail to check out when next in BrisVegas.

19.01.2022 Thanks for the nice review Aussie Bushwalking on the initial stage of the #mvrt

18.01.2022 It's heartening to see some really positive and supportive comments coming in for this post.

17.01.2022 There has been some feedback received over the last year relating to dog poo on the trail. Thank you Gympie Regional Council for providing a receptacle for dog poo bags at the Imbil trailhead. What else do you think would make your MVRT experience more enjoyable? We'd like to hear from you. Comment below or send a message.

17.01.2022 Autumn is peak #railtrail season in #southeastqueensland Check out the #maryvalleyrailtrail this long weekend. Mary Valley Country Gympie Bike Riders MTB Club Gympie Regional Council Discover Mary Valley Ride On Mary - Kayak & Bike Bush Adventures Rail Trails Australia Imbil Camping Retreat Borumba Deer Park

17.01.2022 Rail Trail proves a much appreciated economic stimulus in the Snowy's.

17.01.2022 See below message from our friends at Koala Action Gympie Region. Has anyone seen any cool wildlife on the Rail Trail lately?

16.01.2022 Northern NSW gets the green light for a couple of Rail Trail projects. Woo hoo !!! Gympie Regional Council

14.01.2022 I would love to see this amazing tunnel a part of the walking trail, it’s such a great spot to explore!

12.01.2022 The two longest Rail Trails in south-east Queensland are getting some terrific and well-deserved exposure. They are both fine examples of how #railtrails can activate and sustain the communities they connect. Our little #maryvalleyrailtrail is also proving popular, and will become more attractive when it incorporates Kandanga and Amamoor too. Friends of Brisbane Valley Rail Trail Inc Brisbane Valley Rail Trail Brisbane Valley Rail Trail Users Association Inc South Burnett Rail Trail Gympie Regional Council Rail Trails Australia

10.01.2022 'for every dollar invested, there is $5 economic return' Queensland may well be soon known as a rail trail hub.

10.01.2022 Ever wondered what the tunnel between Imbil and Kandanga would be like to ride through? #brisbanevalleyrailtrail

09.01.2022 It's encouraging to see our state government getting behind #railtrails in south-east Queensland. We have a great opportunity to create a cycle tourism and nature-based recreation hub here in our corner of the state. Extension of the #maryvalleyrailtrail would be a big help. Let's go Gympie Regional Council ! Brisbane Valley Rail Trail Users Association Inc South Burnett Rail Trail

08.01.2022 Check out the latest MVRT stories in the Kandanga Rag. Front page - woo hoo!!! Thanks also Gympie Today and Mary Valley Chamber Of Commerce Inc for the coverage.... Rail Trails Australia Gympie Regional Council https://kandanga.us18.list-manage.com/track/click

06.01.2022 Reflections on tourism infrastructure on the #BrisbaneValleyRailTrail This piece raises some great points about the lucrative cycle tourism market - a sector that an extended #maryvalleyrailtrail would attract to our area.

05.01.2022 We had fun at the markets on the weekend. Thanks to everyone who dropped in for a chat.

03.01.2022 https://www.railstotrails.org/experienc/benefits-of-trails/ It's sometimes easy to forget just how lucky we are to have a nice little network of walking trails in the Gympie Regional Council area. The benefits of trails go much further than just being able to get out in the fresh air for exercise, as our US friends at Rails-to-Trails Conservancy explain here. We look forward to a fantastic trail opportunity when the Mary Valley Rail Trail extends to Kandanga and Amamoor in the future.

03.01.2022 As in the US, active transport initiatives such as Rail Trails could play their part in Australia's post-COVID economic recovery too. Rail Trails Australia Bicycle Queensland Queensland Outdoor Recreation Federation Queensland Walks Gympie Regional Council

02.01.2022 Rail Trail of the Month - Mary Valley Rail Trail Not be the longest but what it lacks in length it makes up in charm and attractiveness. Situated in the beaut...iful Mary Valley, 36 km from Gympie, Queensland Add a ride on the historic Mary Valley Rattler, https://www.railtrails.org.au/trail-descriptions/queensland

02.01.2022 This would have to be one of the best letters to the editor we've read in a while. Thanks to Ian Doughty for sharing his thoughts about the benefits he has not...iced, to Rosewood in particular, since the rail trail opened. He also kindly allowed us to share his letter with you. It's well worth a read! The photo below is Mark Skimmings on his penny-farthing in front of the Rosewood Station sign earlier this month. To the Editor, In light of recent correspondence in this and other newspapers regarding the Tumbarumba to Rosewood rail trail, I’d like to provide a personal perspective on the trail, in particular, its impact on Rosewood. My family has been in Rosewood since the 1870’s, and I still have family there and in Tumbarumba. As a child, my family’s livelihood was dependent on farmers and the farming economy. Much of my spare time was spent with my brothers on local farms helping Dad with his business. Like many small country towns and villages, Rosewood’s population and services have declined over the decades. As a result, the small rural economy of Rosewood has changed dramatically. The once busy general store was on the verge of closing. The Golf Club - now a Golf Club by name only - opens only very limited hours and no longer hosts regional or local tournaments - its fairways and greens no longer cared for. Day and night tennis comps aren’t played anymore - the courts also unmaintained. The service station and mechanic business is long gone, you haven’t been able to buy fuel in town for years. For a long time now, relying on locals spending money in Rosewood has not been anywhere near enough to sustain its tiny economy and limited services, let alone bring any growth. In 2003, when the idea of a Tumbarumba to Rosewood rail trail was first raised, I remember there was much opposition - not only from those whose property the rail corridor adjoined or passed through, but sadly, thanks to the Internet, also from rail trail opponents in nearby towns and across the country. In more recent years as the proposal progressed and it began to look as if the trail may be built, opposition increased. No Rail Trail signs and the like, sprung up quickly on roadside properties along the rail corridor and in town. Opposition letters to the local paper were regularly published. TV and radio interviews were aired. Keyboards were thrashed as opponents and supporters argued online. In the end, 17 or so years later, the trail was built. It has been up and running for about 9 months now. In that short time, the effects on Rosewood are far beyond what was imagined and hoped for. Without doubt, it is the best thing that has happened there for decades. Previously, there was little reason for people to even stop, let alone deliberately visit Rosewood, now they do exactly that - they stop, they deliberately visit and they spend! As a result: The local shop has been leased by a young family and renovated. It is off to a great start serving food, coffee, drinks etc. to hungry trail users - and they are looking for more staff. Gone Barney, a plant nursery and café, is absolutely booming. They have had to increase their staff numbers to cope. On the day I visited, I saw 5 teenage girls, plus the owner, her brother, and his partner, all busy preparing orders for rail trail users. Jenny, the owner, said her business has increased 2 times since the opening! Prior to the trail, employment opportunities, especially for young people were basically non-existent. There was no way any business in Rosewood would need to employ 5 young people on a single shift there simply were not enough customers to require it. I was in Rosewood the weekend before Christmas and spent 2 hours visiting the local shop, the trail head and Gone Barney. I spoke to and saw many trail users including: A young family of 5 from Albury, who said they had ridden lots of the Victorian rail trails many times and are keen to do others. They said they are fantastic especially for their young family. A family of five from Wodonga riding Saturday and Sunday and staying locally. A couple from Bethungra traveling with a couple from Canberra riding the trail, and making a weekend of it, staying in Tumbarumba that night & playing golf on Sunday. The couple from Canberra praised the rail trail and congratulated the region for building it. Both couples bought & ate lunch at the Rosewood store. A couple from Wodonga riding Saturday & Sunday, staying overnight locally. Another couple from near Cootamundra who had driven up to check out the trail and were very impressed. A group of 9 mainly Tumbarumba locals just leaving Gone Barney after eating. Most riding locally hired e-bikes. One young woman riding by herself was having coffee at the Rosewood Store. My mother, who still lives in Rosewood, has noticed a real change in attitude towards the trail. For example: She has not heard any landholder comments on loss of income or ability to provide for their families. To her knowledge, all except one of the No Rail Trail signs have come down, with the remaining one being on a property not affected by the actual trail. One Rosewood family who were arguably the most passionate and vocal in their opposition to the trail, removed their signs and have said to her that the trail isn’t such a bad thing after all. One landholder who also strongly opposed the development, and whose family has been in Rosewood for generations, has recently opened a B&B on the family farm which is going well. Whilst not solely aimed at accommodating rail trail users, he’s already getting bookings from them. Another long-time farmer, also quite open in his opposition to the trail, has changed his mind as his concerns, mainly about, (but not limited to), biosecurity, have been addressed to his satisfaction. There are at least two other landholders and their families whose concerns with the trail had been widely stated, and published, by opponents as being prime examples of major failures of the rail trail concept. Most of the issues have been fixed, and plans are in place to fix those remaining shortly. As a once local, I know the issues were not the major and dramatic problems they were claimed to be, and those same landholders, said to be so unhappy, now regularly use the trail. Still another old-time farmer who was one of the loudest and most staunch opponents on the Tumbarumba end of the trail, is now accepting of it and is impressed by the new fencing that’s replaced his old. Nit picking aside, nine months in, you would be hard pressed to find more than one or two affected landholders with any real concerns about it. It has not been the harbinger of doom to the farming economy and way of life. In fact, the very opposite could be argued. Nor has it caused any of the multitude of other negative outcomes so repeatedly and vehemently argued by those in opposition. Livestock can still access feed and water and don’t look terribly stressed. No theft of livestock, private or public property has occurred. Land holders can still cross this piece of publicly owned land to access their homes and work their properties - just as they always have in fact many now have better access and crossings to do so on. Wives and families have not been accosted or endangered by trail users another concern raised by some in opposition. In other words, life continues pretty much as it did before, but with added economic, lifestyle, and social benefits to, in this case, the Rosewood community and surrounds. The enthusiasm and praise from the young families, grandparents, grey nomads, singles, School groups and others using the trail, has bought a real sense of excitement, pride and opportunity. It is such a contrast to the Rosewood of only 12 months ago. Before the rail trail, these people would never have been interested in visiting. Now, by doing so, they are giving Rosewood a chance. The best it’s had in a very long time. Instead of at best, struggling into an uncertain future, there is a real chance it can look towards to a far brighter and more prosperous one. Regards, Ian Doughty Gundagai Thanks again Ian Doughty!

01.01.2022 It will be interesting to see the results, and examine how they can be applied to our Rail Trail