Biographies

Damian has had a lifelong interest in railways and found cycling a great way to get around. In the mid-1990s it became obvious to him that there were too many closed railways to keep as heritage railways. He then became interested in the new concept of rail trails to preserve the history and provide a great facility for people to walk and ride. For more than 30 years he has helped produce RTA’s guidebooks, calendars, magazines and website while getting around to almost all open and prospective rail trails in Australia. He finds one of the great rewards is getting out and enjoying our wonderful rail trails with his family, and meeting the many passionate people involved. In between this Damian works as an electrical engineer.

Steven has a lifetime interest in railways, cycling and ‘the great outdoors’. He began using Victoria’s rail trails with his family over a decade ago, enjoying the history, natural environment and safety provided. Consequently he joined the Rail Trails Australia committee in 2008 to become more involved and hopefully improve/complete the trail network. He was involved in the management of Medical services of the Great Victorian Bike Ride for a number of years. When he gets time away from his General Practice, he now leads groups of people to cycle in rural locations, using rail trails throughout Australia and New Zealand, providing regional economic benefit and brilliant experiences for the participants. In between this Steven is a medical practitioner.

Robert loves riding and exploring new rail trails or revisiting old ones and would like to see them thrive as much as possible. There are few rail trails in Victoria, if any, that he and his partner and friends have not ridden. Keeping fit and enjoying rural environments are just some of the things that Robert feels passionate about as they contrast so greatly with the office-based work he has been involved with over many years in his own professional practice as an accountant. Having had experience on boards for a number of organisations including an independent school in Melbourne, community interfaith, as well as a number of sporting clubs, Robert enjoys making a constructive contribution to RTA.

A journalist in New Zealand before moving to Melbourne, Wolter worked at the Sun News-Pictorial, Herald-Sun, Age and several motorcycle magazines and spent several years as editor of the Herald-Sun’s travel section. He has since contributed to a book of mountain bike rides around Melbourne and worked at motorcycle dealer Peter Stevens. He is a ride leader for the Darebin Bicycle User group in Melbourne, has edited Rail Trail Connections magazine and has ridden and written about many of the trails in Victoria, South Australia, NSW and Queensland plus one in New Zealand. He rode 70 Australian rail trails up and back in the lead-up to his 70th birthday in 2025.

Jocelyn learned the joy of cycling as a young adult in Perth, having never previously ridden bikes. Her first experience of rail trails was when she rode part of the Beechworth Rail Trail with her adult son in 2011: she was smitten. She found it such a lovely way to ride – away from cars and traffic. They enjoyed the simplicity of riding with their gear in panniers, eating in cafes, pubs and restaurants and sampling local delights. Having had a career in mental health, she knows the huge health and wellbeing benefits of exercise, being outdoors, and being in the natural environment. Jocelyn sees rail trails offering significant individual and community benefits and is keen to contribute to RTA’s ongoing advocacy for, and extension of, rail trails in Australia.

As an outdoor educator, Joel is often away guiding students who are doing a range of activities including cycling and hiking. He always encourages schools to further utilise rail trails. In his personal life he has taken the time to travel on rail trails since 2009, starting in his home state of Victoria. Since initially concentrating on Australia, he has gone further and embarked on many overseas trips for months at a time, with a focus on cycling as many rail trails as he can. This has included numerous rail trails in Europe, North America and New Zealand. This allows him to compare the different ways communities go about developing and promoting rail trails, along with the varied surfaces and facilities available on each trail.

Sam is a retired geologist and mining engineer who now spends his time advocating for a better environment for cycling and active transport worldwide, especially within Australia and specifically in Newcastle, NSW. He is President of the Newcastle Cycleways Movement Inc., a long-standing bicycle user group (BUG) which is one of the founding constituents of the Bicycle Institute of NSW (now Bicycle NSW). He also serves on the Cycling Strategy Working Party of the City of Newcastle, and the Richmond Vale Rail Trail Inc. committee, and is on the boards of several community associations and institutions. An experienced bicycle tourer, he has cycled rail trails and other greenways on 3 continents plus New Zealand and has researched the benefits of rail trails extensively.

Alan has been a keen cyclist for many years. He was introduced to Victoria’s rail trails over a decade ago, joined RTA a few years later and in August 2015 became its Administration Officer. Over the past several years he has managed to explore most of Victoria’s rail trails as well as some in NSW, South Australia and Queensland. He is very interested in supporting RTA’s objectives of raising awareness of rail trails and their benefits and the subsequent development of rail trails throughout Australia. In addition to cycling, he is also a keen bushwalker and administration officer of Bushwalking Victoria. His career has been focused on program management with a strong emphasis on business and productivity improvement.

Nicholas is a geologist and keen gravel bike rider. He used to spend his time in academia traversing mountain tops and firing neutron beams at rocks, trying to understand the mechanics of the Earth. Nowadays, he works with cycling advocacy groups to advance active transport across Australia. Nicholas was Research and Policy Advisor with Bicycle Network and a Program Manager and researcher with Amy Gillett Foundation. He now works as a Research Fellow at La Trobe University, conducting research the health promotion benefits of active transport activities such as walk to school programs and e-bike trials. Nicholas is particularly passionate about rail trails, and the exciting potential they have for connecting the community with history and nature. His favourite is the High Country Rail Trail.

Alexander is a very keen railway enthusiast who has also been closely involved with rail trails for many years. He has visited several places in Australia and overseas that have a rich history in old railway equipment. Given his outstanding technical expertise, he has helped maintain and update our website and guidebooks.

Prior to retiring, Walter provided backend technical support for corporate mainframe systems. A late starter to cycling, he became hooked after joining the Great Victorian Bike Ride of ’99 out of Echuca. From then on, swapping the office commute trains for the free green bicycle that came with the ride. He is on the committee of a number of clubs, including the Melbourne Bicycle Touring Club. Still interested in things IT, his committee roles include supporting the club websites. Walter also volunteers at Back2Bikes to help ensure that bikes are also available to those in need. The green machine has been replaced by a Viventi Anatolia touring bike which has seen many a rail trail across Victoria and Queensland.

Back in 2014 Geoff’s first ride on his new mountain bike was on the Warrnambool to Port Fairy Rail Trail, 37km into a bracing head wind – followed by a car ride back home afterwards. That started a love of rail trails – from the Wangaratta to Beechworth Rail Trail to the Old Beechy Rail Trail and several in between. Living in the Western District for many years, there are so many places to enjoy a walk, a ride or just experience the Aussie bush. Geoff looks forward to supporting rail trail communities as a regional rep for the RTA.

John is a retired automotive engineer who took up cycling for the first time when he was in his 40s. He’s become an enthusiastic rider on the tracks and trails around Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria. Once they discovered rail trails, he and his wife Sally fashioned many short breaks, weekends and longer holidays around rail trails and have explored at least 18 of the trails in Victoria, South Australia, New Zealand and Spain. They have also participated in 11 Great Victoria Bike Rides up to 2022 – and plan to enter for future similar events leveraging the e-bike compromise! John’s previous volunteer experience includes ski club, motor rally, sailing, and school council organisations.

Jenny rediscovered her love of cycling a few years ago, and since then her holiday of choice has been riding on rail trails, whether in Victoria or further afield. Based in Northern Victoria, Jenny works for local government and manages library services for Campaspe Shire Council. She lives in one of the smaller Campaspe communities and is looking forward to seeing the local Kotta Lockington Rail Trail open and was happy to be present at the Waranga Rail Trail (Rushworth to Murchison) opening in May 2025. Jenny and her husband have participated in the Great Cycle Challenge (fighting kids’ cancer) since 2018. Jenny really enjoys her role due to meeting so many wonderful rail trail supporters, advocates and volunteers.

John joined RTA 15 years ago and is now one of the state representatives for NSW. John has been a keen cyclist for more than 60 years and, along with his partner Kathy, he’s cycled a lot of the big rides in NSW, VIC, WA, and QLD. He discovered rail trails while doing some of these rides and was hooked. He now works with RTA to lobby politicians and local councils in an endeavour to have more rail trails built in NSW. John has an interest in railway history and feels that it is important to preserve the railways’ heritage and showcase those early pioneers who built them. As a keen photographer as well as cyclist, he’s found rail trails are the perfect way to indulge both passions. John is a retired Telstra technician.

Dennis first became interested in rail trails as Executive Director of Pedal Power ACT in the early 2000s. His education about rail trails began through a rail trail seminar run by Bicycle Victoria at Lilydale in Victoria in 2004. He has been involved in the Molonglo Rail Trail committee since 2005. Dennis completed a PhD in Management (University of Canberra, 2012) researching cycle tourism. He organised a rail trail forum in Tumbarumba in 2020, marking the opening of their rail trail. Dennis has resided in the ACT region for over 30 years, but still travels a lot. His bike goes with him everywhere. Having enjoyed riding rail trails in much of Australia, Dennis is passionate about getting more built in southern NSW.

Mark has been part of many farewell tours for the closing of railway lines, after which he watched the corridor deteriorate. He then became aware of the rail trail movement in Victoria and has been a member of RTA for many years, becoming the Queensland representative in 2012. He is a keen cyclist and enjoys using the rail trails and meeting and talking with other users. He studied at UQ Gatton Campus, has had a variety of employment roles, and is currently working in the painting supply industry.

A retired secondary science teacher, Jeff is a long-term resident of Queensland’s Garden City, Toowoomba. Jeff is the Secretary of the Toowoomba Region Bicycle Users Group (TRBUG) and is one of their main ride leaders for group rides. In addition, Jeff is a TRBUG cycling representative consulting with the Toowoomba Regional Council and the Regional Office of the Queensland Transport and Main Roads Department on local bicycle infrastructure projects. Jeff’s passion for cycling encompasses recreational road cycling, mountain biking, adventure cycling and, generally, just holidaying with a bike. The repurposing of disused rail corridors into rail trails has fuelled Jeff’s interest in becoming more involved with fostering this development for the benefit of all recreational cyclists.

Dennis is an avid advocate for Australia’s rail trails and enjoys the serenity they offer. Based in Queensland, he frequently walks trails like the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail and Wamuran to Caboolture Rail Trail and has visited several in New South Wales. For Dennis, these trails provide a peaceful escape from daily life and a chance to connect with nature. He is passionate about promoting rail trails for their ability to foster community engagement, support sustainable tourism, and boost local economies. Dennis is committed to helping expand and raise awareness of Australia’s rail trail network for future generations to enjoy and is looking forward to working with the Central Queensland rail trail communities to share their news and help them spread even more awareness of their trails.

James works as a transport planner and civil engineer and is based in Perth, Western Australia. His interest in rail trails started after he developed a series of long-term cycling strategies for regional WA. Growing up in the Wheatbelt region, James’ interest in rail trails sits at the intersection of three of his passions: civil engineering, active transport and regional economic development. Among his favourite rail trails are the Railway Reserves Heritage Trail in the Perth hills and the soon-to-be-completed Wadandi Track, which will link Busselton to Augusta. James is excited by the enormous potential to expand and enhance WA’s rail trail network. James commenced as a regional representative for RTA in 2019.

Eamonn is a passionate urban planner and dedicated cyclist based in Perth, Western Australia. While he primarily commutes by bike around the city, his real love lies in escaping the urban landscape to explore WA’s extensive network of rail trails, singletrack, and gravel roads. He frequently rides through the Perth Hills, Avon Valley, Wheatbelt, and the south- west, seeking out new routes and hidden trails. Eamonn is committed to raising the profile of adventure cycling and cycle tourism in WA, both by promoting existing rail trails and advocating for the development of new ones. He believes that expanding WA’s cycling infrastructure can unlock economic, environmental, and social benefits for local communities while providing more opportunities for people to experience the state’s stunning landscapes on 2 wheels.

Dylan is a transport planning professional with a deep passion for exploring by bike. His career includes the planning and development of major transport infrastructure projects across Australia, the United Kingdom, and Ireland with a focus of improving access to active travel infrastructure, helping to create more accessible and sustainable transport networks. Dylan has undertaken numerous bike adventures, including overseas cycle touring through the Outer Hebrides and local explorations such as riding the iconic Munda Biddi Trail. His love for cycling and the great outdoors has fuelled his commitment to improving connections between people, nature, local history and regional communities. He is particularly passionate about the role of rail trails in revitalising regional areas, making them more accessible and enjoyable for riders of all levels.

Mark’s interest in rail trails started with a social ride along the Riesling Trail in South Australia. It was the gentle slopes, great scenery and no cars that appealed to him as well as the good wine and great food. While working in local government he was involved in the rewarding experience of renewing and upgrading off-road cycle tracks. Now retired and busier than ever, he enjoys his involvement with Rail Trails Australia as it is the perfect way to combine his knowledge from his working life with his passion for cycling. He is a keen e-bike rider who just likes to ‘go faster and go further’ at a time when his body wants to do the opposite.

Tony is a lifelong cyclist and has always had a fascination for trains and railways. His career in aviation has seen him living in NSW, NT, SA and the ACT along with shorter visits to all the other states. Now retired, he lives in South Australia’s beautiful Barossa Valley where his daily ride is the Barossa Rail Trail. Whilst living in the Shoalhaven region of NSW, he was a founding member of the local BUG and rides leader for a number of years. Tony enjoys recreational rides with family and friends and particularly enjoys the traffic free safety and tranquillity of a rail trail. Together with fellow South Australia regional representative Mark Draper, he has researched, ridden, photographed and documented most of SA’s rail trails.

Denise has participated in many forms of cycling throughout her life including BMX racing, cycle touring, bikepacking, mountain biking and gravel riding. With a keen interest in holidaying, adventuring and exploring by bike, she has ridden many rail trails, cycle touring routes and mountain bike trails in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. From a professional perspective, Denise has a history of advocating for trails and the associated economic benefits. She worked with local enthusiasts to progress planning for the Mary to Bay Rail Trail, developed an active transport to school program, was COO and Company Secretary at Mountain Bike Australia, driving the development of industry guidelines, strategies, feasibility studies and economic benefits research. In addition, Denise has worked on projects throughout Australia for one of Australia’s largest trail planning, design and construction company.  She currently works as an independent trail planning consultant assisting local government and other land managers to plan for the development of recreational trails.