Bellarine Rail Trail
The Bellarine Rail Trail is a disused railway corridor has been reborn as a 32km walking/cycling path linking the outskirts of Geelong with the coast at the historic village of Queenscliff.
The Bellarine Rail Trail mostly follows the reserve of the old Geelong-Queenscliff railway, established in 1879 to service the military fort at Queenscliff. The railway soon became a popular service with visitors heading to the coastal holiday resort, an alternative to the bay paddle steamers. Eventually, diminishing freight and a lack of patronage saw the service finally closed in 1976.
The rail trail begins near the Geelong Showgrounds, about one kilometre from the South Geelong railway station and ends near the historic Queenscliff railway station. It is mainly flat, with some short, steep climbs up from Leopold toward Curlewis and Drysdale. Steam trains still run on the section between Queenscliff and Drysdale. The Bellarine Peninsula Railway's vintage trains carry passengers on Sundays and public holidays.
There are many access points to the trail and bay scenery and birdlife are some of the highlights. In the future, it is planned to link the trail with the Barwon River trail network and Eastern Park.