The Bass Coast Rail Trail is a

Rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...

located in the

Bass Coast Shire The Bass Coast Shire is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the southeastern part of the state. It covers an area of and in June 2018 had a population of 35,327. It includes the towns of Bass, Cape Paterson, Cape Woolama ...

Gippsland Gippsland is a rural region that makes up the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia, mostly comprising the coastal plains to the rainward (southern) side of the Victorian Alps (the southernmost section of the Great Dividing Range). It covers ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The trail has been constructed along a section of the former Wonthaggi line. The trail starts at the former Anderson station and finishes shortly after the former Wonthaggi Station. The trail is long and travels from

Anderson Anderson or Andersson may refer to: Companies * Anderson (Carriage), a company that manufactured automobiles from 1907 to 1910 * Anderson Electric, an early 20th-century electric car * Anderson Greenwood, an industrial manufacturer * Anderson ...

heading towards the coast downhill to

Kilcunda Kilcunda is a seaside town located south east of Melbourne between Phillip Island and Wonthaggi near Dalyston via the South Gippsland Highway on the Bass Highway, in the Bass Coast Shire of Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. Known originally as ...

, heading along coastal sand dunes into the open farmland surrounding

Wonthaggi Wonthaggi is a seaside town located south east of Melbourne via the South Gippsland and Bass Highways, in the Bass Coast Shire of Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. Known originally for its coal mining, it is now the largest town in South Gippsl ...

. The original railway line opened in 1910, being used for the transport of coal from Kilcunda and Wonthaggi, and local agricultural produce, as well as for public transport. The line was closed in 1978.

Route description

Bass Coast Rail Trail at Central Area Mine

From Anderson to Kilcunda the trail drops in height as it winds down through farming country. Here, the gravel path is overgrown and trail users need to negotiate several gates. The rail trail at

is built on the coastal sand dunes and incorporates a landmark trestle bridge over Bourne Creek. Path users have panoramic scenic views of the

Bass Strait Bass Strait () is a strait separating the island state of Tasmania from the Australian mainland (more specifically the coast of Victoria, with the exception of the land border across Boundary Islet). The strait provides the most direct waterwa ...

coast and the

Wonthaggi Wind Farm Wonthaggi wind farm is a wind power station at Wonthaggi in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. It has 6 wind turbines, with a total generating capacity of 12 MW of electricity. Technical Details Each of the turbines is a German made Senvion (for ...

that was erected during 2005. Heading towards Wonthaggi, the trail passes through flat agricultural fields, and is not always well maintained with grass being allowed to overgrow the path. The trail uses a few small bridges to cross the Powlett River and tributaries. The trail near Wonthaggi is packed gravel and features the heritage listed Wonthaggi station, and the historic Central Mine Reserve.

Attractions on the trail

* Anderson Station * Kilcunda Station *Kilcunda

trestle bridge A trestle bridge is a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by closely spaced frames. A trestle (sometimes tressel) is a rigid frame used as a support, historically a tripod used to support a stool or a pair of isosceles trian ...

over Bourne Creek * Dalyston Station **Branch off towards the former Dudley Area mine * State Mine Station (the trail passes through the location, however it is not officially marked) * Wonthaggi Station

References

Rail Trails of Australia description
* ''Bike Paths Victoria'' sixth edition, 2004. Edited and published by Sabey & Associates Pty Ltd. pp148. *

Route description

Attractions on the trail

References

See also