The Boyne Burnett Inland Rail Trail is set to unveil its all abilities experience on the Dawes Range Tunnels section.
Gladstone councillor and BBIRT patron Desley O’Grady said the official opening of the new one kilometre all abilities trail and amenities block would take place at 2pm on Sunday 5 May to coincide with the four-day Timeless Tunnels, Amazing Ranges caravan, cycling and camping event from 3-6 May at Golembil.
“We’ve got six magnificent tunnel and it’s just amazing if you haven’t been there,” Cr O’Grady said.
“We’ve got the Dawes Range Tunnel section open which is 26km but we were bequeathed $80,000 from the Bradley Wolf Foundation which was closing and we used that with another $80,000 from the State Government and out of that we’ve just last weekend finished the toilet block and an all abilities trail for people with wheelchairs, prams, wheelie walkers and mobility aids.
“The whole of the trail is 26km long and it goes from Barrimoon down to Builyan, so it’s for people to walk, ride or ride their bikes, there’s no motorised vehicles allowed on it, but it’s a one kilometre section where we got the special service done where they go through one tunnel and then to the lookout between tunnel five and six.”
Cr O’Grady said the BBIRT project had been building since 2017 in the wake of Cyclone Marcia when a concerted effort was made to rejuvenate affected communities.
“The locals said we’ve got these tunnels and a disused rail corridor and then I called a public meeting on 8 December 2017 and we had 70 people there to put their hand up and say we want to be supportive of this rail trail, so that’s how it all began.”
Cr O’Grady, who is not standing for re-election at the 2024 local government election, said the rail trail was bringing around 200 visitors a week to the region in winter.
“It’s all about bringing visitation to the area and Monto noticed the difference last year in their winter season, so it’s all starting to happen,” she said.
“The caravan, cycling and camping weekend, Bicycle Queensland are helping us out to run the event and we’ve already got 150 people registered to come, the more the merrier.”
To find out more about the Timeless Tunnels, Amazing Ranges event presented by BBIRT and Bicycle Queensland, go to: bq.org.auevent-registration/
