This is still ying and yang – excellent rail trail one minute that turns into a climb or roadside path the next. This trail could be so good but the deviations just destroys your enjoyment.

There is now an Art Gallery / cafe at Beechy and the best bit of the track is the first section from Beechy to Ferguson until it promptly stops. If you do one part of the trail, this is it and you could walk it, it is that small in length.

I look at Beechy, the closed pub and closed Ferguson cool store and think… If you got some of the rail trail back or made better alternatives then, you would have a frequented trail. The pub at Gellibrand offers two pages of parmas to refuel or the shop has a good collection.

Finally a call out to everyone involved with the info boards along the trail, a superb effort and thank you.

I caught the train on a fairly hot day that arrived at 9:20am and rode to Gellibrand and back. For those driving look at the second last para.

The start is on the flat for the first 2.2km and then it isn't and there isn't much shade. Slip Slop and Slap and take a second bidon.

This is a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde type route. Not a lot of rail trail for a lot of the Gellibrand section. The first trail section is a short 300m detour via a reserve where you meet the first very informative sign. There are lots of these and kudos to those who made these happen. The next section is a delightful four kms before you are diverted again up over an impressive hill. The next time you see the railway again is 6.5km from Gellibrand on a flattish track beside the road. There is no water fountain in the park but you can fill up at the general store or pub for the return journey. Good food at both the general store (wraps, lasagna etc) and pub.

I took the road back due to the heat and having to catch the train home. The road had a semi-decent shoulder and even in January wasn't too busy. You can rejoin the rail trail for the 4km section again or continue on to the Otway Estate – Brewery Distillery Cidery place where you can get your bidons refilled, a soft drink and relax on the deck. From there, it's one small further climb but mainly a descent to Colac for a great Thai meal at the Lemongrass Thai near the station before the second last train.

If I was driving… I would walk the section near the corner of Barongarook Road and Forest St South and then drive to Cashins Road to walk/ride up the 4km rail trail and back down again before starting for real in Gellibrand.

The key thing missing is a water fountain/refill station at Gellibrand and perhaps at Kawarren. The second thing is access to more trail. All the hard work by the trail vols is never seen due to the lack of access. It is a thorny issue and will take a committed community, riders, council and state govt to commence dialogue. Let's hope this will improve over the years as this would benefit the communities south of Colac.

Thanks for your comments, Brad. Glad you enjoyed the trail despite its obvious limitations.

I had read that the section between Beech Forest and Banool was closed, so I drove from Beech Forest to Gellibrand and then rode firstly towards Banool. This is on the old railway reservation and has numerous interesting information signs along the way. I rode a little past Banool, where the trail is supposedly closed due to logging activity, but there were no signs advising of this. The track suddenly makes a steep climb and after a short time I decided to turn around and head back towards Gellibrand. It is downhill all the way from Banool to Gellibrand, and once you cross the creek / river, it is uphill again. I rode to a bit past Kawarren, where once again the track departs from the rail reservation and, on the approach to Birnam, it is a steep climb on a pretty rough track. I was not in the mood to tackle that so I turned around for the mainly downhill run back to Gellibrand.

I enjoyed this trail. It was perfect weather for riding. The surface is fine for hybrid commuter style bikes. I have 28cm tyres on my bike and had no problems. It is a shame that parts of the original rail reservation are closed and rough and steep dirversions are needed to get around those.

I recommend you try this trail. It's a lovely part of Victoria.

Hi , is this rail trail open all the way now? Just reading a review from Feb 2022 part of the trail was closed.

Hi George, the rail trail is currently closed between Wimba and Beech Forest. This may be why you found it difficult to locate the trailhead. If you were trying to find the way to Ferguson, please respond further, as this should be accessible.