Well, you can hop if you feel so inclined, but you can also walk, cycle, or maybe even horse ride or skate on some! So, what exactly is a rail trail? It's a shared-use path that was once a railway corridor. Click
here to find out more and where they're located or visit the
Rail Trails of Australia website for more useful information.
Just like the trains of a bygone era, the various trails meander through scenic areas and link big and small country towns. You can choose a short 0.5km trail that will hardly raise a sweat, like the old
Webb Dock Bridge that runs over the Yarra River from Docklands to Southbank. It sure beats staying home and doing the housework!
Or maybe try the more challenging 18km
Outer Circle Rail Trail through Melbourne's Eastern suburbs from Fairfield to Hughesdale, for a longer, leafier and pretty trek.
If real country fresh air is more your thing, the famous
Great Southern Rail Trail from Leongatha to Foster in Gippsland is a blast. It offers stunning views of
Wilson's Promontory National Park and was part of the route of the
Great Vic Bike Ride in 2007.
Also in Gippsland is the 3km
Noojee Trestle Bridge Rail Trail. I'd schedule that one in around March - and plan it around the annual
Noojee Long Lunch. What a fab location for a fab feast!
What I love about rail trails is that you're so busy exploring everything, you forget you're actually getting fit in the process! By the time you've trekked around, cutting through hills, under roads, over gullies and across embankments and creeks, you've burned up heaps of kilojoules - and had a great time in the process. How good is that!
The trails meander through the state, the country and the world for that matter. There are whole lot of committed folks who 'rail trail' it regularly for a few hours, a weekend, or even a week or longer.
Why? A fun, free way to see the sights, rail trails also give you a pleasant surprise when you hop on the scales!
Julia Hebaiter
