THE BEECHY RAIL TRAIL

A warning to all cyclists considering using the Beechy Rail Trail in the Otways

The Colac Otway Shire has approved the use of a vehicle to use the whole section of trail between Gellibrand and Beech Forest. The operator is a local councilor who claims this vehicle is for the sole purpose for people with disabilities and the elderly. The strange thing is, there is no disability access on this vehicle.

Here are a few facts:

· This was approved with no public consultation at all.

· The risk assessment was a total fiasco.

· The vehicle is almost two metres wide, the track is about three.

· The operator can use this vehicle up to ten times between Nov and April at his discretion. That means if you or a group have booked a weekend wanting to ride on the trail, you won't know if the train running until that day.

· The Shire will tell you that other vehicles use this trail, so this is ok. The trail does run through private farmland and the farmers are permitted to use the section that runs through their land only, they are not permitted to use the whole trail like this “train” is. These private sections are very short (200 mts approx), with good visibility.

· The Shire has paid for his public liability insurance.

· The track itself has no disability access (key required), so those wishing to use the trail in wheelchairs or other disability aides, free and when they want to, cannot.

· This trail was opened to the public in July 2005 by the Bracks government as a CYCLING AND WALKING trail.

 

 
News of this is just reaching Melbourne and other parts of the state, who are the main users of this trail. There is a small group of local residents lobbying and protesting to have this stupid, dangerous, ridiculous 'train' stopped. There are a couple of things YOU can do to help. Ring the Shire on (03) 52 329 400 and voice your concerns regarding this vehicle on the trail, or simply don't waste your time coming here for a vehicle-free experience.

This site will hopefully be updated regularly.