Comments on: Port Fairy Rail Trail

By: RailTrail M.

RailTrail M. — Sat, 20 Dec 2025 21:22:31 +0000

Port Fairy to Koroit waa great, with seating areas in two different parts and plenty of signage. Koroit to Warrnambool was very average — not a single seat anywhere until you get to the outskirts of Warrnambool and inadequate signage. It’s amusing that someone has gone to the trouble of putting statues of things in many parts, but not a single seat. Go figure. Not only that, but a large section of the trail was along a road. Port Fairy section gets 5 star. Warrnambool gets 1.

By: Sean C.

Sean C. — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 08:36:41 +0000

I caught a Friday train down from Melbourne to finally ride this long awaited rail trail, aiming to ride from Warrnambool to Port Fairy then back to Warrnambool to catch the train back home. From the forecast I knew it was going to be windy and I’d have a headwind to Port Fairy, but oh my gosh! The constant 50km/hr nor’westerley, with 70-80 km/hr gusts, was a real challenge. Adding to the challenge was a rear wheel puncture on my gravel bike after only a few km, plus the multiple swoopings from
magpies after Koroit. I will say that stern words were used!
Anyway, the trail itself was great, and the sealed surface from Illowa onwards was appreciated.
Because of the very slow progress to Port Fairy I opted to ride the Princes Highway back to Warrnambool and really enjoyed the strong tailwind.
I will come back again to ride this lovely trail with my wife, and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on the weather forecast. Thanks very much to the crews who look after this trail.

By: Simon G.

Simon G. — Fri, 30 May 2025 11:40:05 +0000

I’m back, after chatting to a fellow traveller that had ridden this trail previously and said I had missed a great part of this trail by turning around once I hit the old main road I decided to revisit the trail in its entirety. So glad I did, yes the road part isn’t nice but once off the old main road section a couple of side roads later you hit the wetlands/ coastal reserve and they are beautiful all the way to the end when you hit the harbour, cycling looking at the bird life was worth every bit. This section is a touch rougher than the other side of the road, I would recommend a hybrid bike rather than a road bike I had chosen but still manageable. The path on Roxbourgh ct isn’t obvious, I didn’t see the sign (if there was one) and the peddles at the edge of the pavement disguise it well with the shrubs. All in all a wonderful trail. Thank you.

By: Simon G.

Simon G. — Fri, 09 May 2025 12:40:00 +0000

Rode from Port Fairy end today and have to say what a pleasure, previous reviews of large cracks have all been repaired and it’s a dream to ride, so smooth you can use a road bike and it’s ideal for his and hers e-bike trips, almost flat with so many pieces of trail art I lost count. Stopped at the lovely half way point Koroit, great old station and sheds with the town having ample food and drink outlets, great feel, art nouveau pub, micro brewery, cafes, lovely. Chatted to a local that I think had worked on the rebuilding of the trail,I said it was a shame the original line couldn’t continue to the end into Warrnambool but he stated that the highway now runs on the old line, you can see the Illowa sheds in a farmers paddock and the embankments going off into the distance. I turned around once it hit the road for the return leg. Still a very pleasant ride enjoying the pasturage and farming fields and hope you get rain soon. The land is bone dry.🤞

By: Neil F.

Neil F. — Tue, 08 Apr 2025 04:25:31 +0000

I rode this trail in March 2025 on a electrified mountain bike and my wife on her electrified recumbent trike. We started in Port Fairy (very nice town), then to Koroit (also a great town) then towards Warrnambool. It had been very dry so the fields were rather parched. Most views are of farms and cattle and the track is partly surrounded by trees. Although the trail has good potential it needs more maintenance since the bumps and large (dangerous) cracks are an issue. The section towards Warrnambool is beside a major road and then becomes less of a rail trail, which we decided not to follow.

By: Caroline G.

Caroline G. — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 04:14:13 +0000

We thoroughly enjoyed riding this trail. It has recently been re-sheeted so is in excellent condition. We stayed at the Kirkstall Recreation Reserve and rode around 4km to reach the trail just out of Koroit. The ride into Warrnambool was a tad challenging due to very strong headwinds (in both directions!) But the stunning, rugged coastline made it well worth the effort. We rode into Pt Fairy on a less windy day, bought some local produce (and gin) at the lovely community market then spent a couple of hours exploring this charming town.

By: Alan P.

Alan P. — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 22:56:55 +0000

An article I'm doing for MBTC newsletter (14'11'23), various sources:

Warnambool-Port Fairy Rail Trail news:

(6'11'23) A new bicycle shop has opened in Koroit: Tower Hill Cycles, 158 Commercial Rd, Koroit. Repairs, maintenance, pick up and drop off.

(24'10'23) Koroit Railway precinct BBQ update: volunteers installed tables and seats in the new BBQ shelter. Warrnambool Rail Trail Committee aimed to plant around 4000 trees, commencing 1'8'23 for about 3-4 weeks; mainly in the vicinity of Badhams Rd.

Resurfacing of the rail trail between Illowa and Port Fairy is complete (Port Fairy & Region Visitor Information Centre, 14'11'23). Moyne Shire Council provided $600,000 from its allocation of Local Road and Community Infrastructure funding. One rider (below) 24'9'23 wrote: 'The resurfaced sections are glassy smooth with not a pebble out of place'. Another rider (9'23) said, 'The new gravel topping is a night and day experience. It's super smooth (think bitumen quality smooth) which makes for much faster riding'.

By: Alan P.

Alan P. — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 22:49:32 +0000

In reply to Kemran M.. I'm wondering what the trail resurfacing status is? It's cited as due for completion in August and also Sept 2023. Leigh's post of 23/10/23 below mentions hitting trail works, but getting thru anyway.

By: Kemran M.

Kemran M. — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 00:24:23 +0000

We did this on a weekend in late October. We got the early morning train from Southern Cross to Warrnambool. As you exist the station, we turned right and then cross the rail line at the first pedestrian crossing, you then enter some parkland and can follow the signs to the rail trail. We first had a brief detour to a lovely cafe on the water, called Pavilion. The first section of the trail follows a canal, it is quite nice. The next section is along a quite country gravel road that is just behind the dunes of the coast. This is actually one of the best sections of the trail. On our way to Port Fairy, we had a VERY strong headwind. Apparently it is often windy, I recommend checking for that before heading off. We spent the night at Port Fairy. Then the next day the wind had died down. There is one shelter/rest stop about halfway between Koroit and Port Fairy. But no water, so fill up in Koroit. The quality of the surfance was excellent. There is a section between Warrnambool and Koroit where you are on a sealed road for a while, but there is a barrier between you and the cars, and it is not that busy, so it felt safe, but it is not that scenic. When we returned to Warrnambool we got the late afternoon train back to Melbourne. So we had lots of time to checkout the region, as the ride itself only takes a few hours one way.

By: Rusty B.

Rusty B. — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 10:20:42 +0000

Enjoyed the Port Fairy to Koroit ride, not fussed on the Koroit to Warrnambool section as most of it doesn't follow the original rail easement but instead follows rural roads.