Navigation was simple today. Join the East Gippsland Railtrail. Stay on it until near end. The Gippsland line was opened in 1916 to serve the agriculture and timber industries. Closing in 1988 it became a rail-trial not too long afterwards. The surface is tarmac or packed gravel for the main part, with a rough stone surface for a 10 mile section to keep you awake.
If that didn’t, the sights would. From old hop-kilns (like lime kilns but for hops), to maize storage frames, to former timber yards: all dating from early 1900s.
The trestle bridges are amazing in their decaying grandeur: red iron bark and grey box timber sourced locally. One was burned leaving nothing but melted rails in 2011 (1 February 2011 if you want to be precise) along with 11000 hectares of land. New word for me – epicormic buds along eucalypt trees started sprouting 3/4 weeks later. Now only the burned bark remains.
The work continues with the restoration of the Snowy River Railbridge (trestle of course) approaching Orbost. To be completed soon, a 3.5mill AUD project. Its huge longitudinal beams are made from now rare Southern Mahogany. Scale: it’s 770 metres long, straddling the Snowy floodplains since 1916.
Cycling via the rail-trail has help revitalise Orbost. The locals we see staggering around might need revitalised too. !
Tomorrow cut inland to start going over the Australian Alps.
Fun day!
Travelling reflections 