Rail trail shapes up
THE Great Southern Rail Trail will be officially relaunched on Saturday, November 26 once new signage has been erected, effectively completing the trail.
The first of the signs, which will feature the new rail trail’s new-look branding, should be in the ground in October.
“The signs are in the process of being made at the moment and we are really pleased with the quality,” South Gippsland Shire Council community strengthening manager Ned Dennis said.
“All of the new signage should be in the ground and useable by early November.”
Mounting blocks for horse riders are already in place on either side of every bridge along the trail.
“That is a little thing, but in a way, a big thing as well. It was a tangible, straight forward way of making it a better facility for horse riders,” Mr Dennis said.
The details of the relaunch are yet to be determined, however Mr Dennis said the communities along the rail trail will be involved in the celebrations.
He said it is expected to be a significant event, which will elicit a lot of attention for South Gippsland.
Around $190,000 has been spent on the signage and association infrastructure and around $70,000 was spent on the marketing plan development.
Mr Dennis said for the extensive detail included on the signage, the cost was pleasing.
“We are also spending quite a bit of money on building a brand new website, which will go live just before the relaunch,” he said.
“The website is close to being ready. It is a useful site, with features on every town and links for people to access the online mapping as well.”
Since the completion of the Black Spur section of the trail, feedback from local businesses has been positive.
“We are told by people from Meeniyan, Fish Creek and Toora in particular that they have seen a significant increase in trade since the new section was completed,” Mr Dennis said.
Mr Dennis said positive feedback was also regularly submitted to the rail trail’s Facebook page.
The economic benefit of the trail is expected to be examined in more detail, with the implementation of sophisticated counters.
Mr Dennis said the counters will be used in different places along the trail to check real use.
“The counters will be able to tell the difference between walkers, horse riders and cyclists and over time will provide good analysis in partnership with the business community,” he said.
Mr Dennis said data from the counters should provide meaningful information for businesses and communities along the trail.
“We should have that equipment by time of the official relaunch,” he said.
Economic driver: the Black Spur section of the Great Southern Rail Trail, which was completed earlier this year, has improved usage of the trail and benefits for local businesses.
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Posted by Tayla Kershaw on Oct 4 2016. Filed under Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
