Summary
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SUMMARY teatures Thistrail is dominated by spectacular Lo<ation: l3okmsouth-east coastalviews. The trestle bridge at of Melbourne,near its Philliplsland Kilcunda,which has a surfbeach as backdrop,is a realicon. The restof the trail Dlrtance: 20km traversestarmland and is still being Surfacc: Fineand coarsegravel developed.5i9na9e is due to be installed March20OZ the Suitablefor: walking, MTBS,hybrid mid-2007.As of - biket and horseriding Anderson Woolamaisection surface i5 still very rough and only tor the very keen.see Terrain: Flatnear Wonthaggiwith www.railtrails.org.aul9o/bassfor updates. a climb to Anderson Environr: Farmlandwith coartal Options viewsat Kilcunda . TheCeorge Bass Coastal walk beginsat Other maps: VicRoadsmap Kilcundaand is a pleasantwalk along the r02A2-c8 beachand cliff tops with viewsof Cape Woolamaiand Philliplsland. Public v/Line coachto Anderson tnnsport and Wonthaggi . Thehistoric State Coal Mine at Bert 3€tsons: All Wonthaggii5 well worth a visit. status: Open but not fully Cycle9km from Wonthaggi to Cape developed Paterson.From the end of the railtrail at the BassCoast Hw, takethe EastArea Trail,which follows the approximate routeof a railwaysiding that servedthe EastArea Mine. From the end ol thistrail, takethe Wonthaggi- CapePatterson Rd, lop: The coost neot Klcundo, GRAEMIMooRE whichhas on-road bicycle lanes. Owite Kilundo tettle btidge. AM ta Start Points Takea dip in theocean or,ust watch the surf before Wonthaggirthe old Wonthaggirailway headingon. station,easily located by the nearbymine . Shortlyafter the bridgeare the remains headtower. lt is now home to the local of the'Picnicplatform,, presumably a historyand art societies. moreconvenient stop for visitors than the Kilcundastation (of whichthere are Anderson:the carpark opposite the no remains).The trail then veers off the roundaboutturn-off phillip for lsland. originalright of wayto avoida trestle Description bridge,which requiresa short steep climbafter crossing the BassHwy. Afterleaving Wonthaggi the scenery is a . Thetrail then climbs up throughrolling mixof farmlandand clumps of coa5tal hillsto Andersonpassing the large heathand paperbark.Take a shortwalk tailingsheap of the Mitchellmine. The to the smalltownship of SouthDudley trailsurface is a littlerougher but still and seea miner'scottage and the otd suitablefor hybridbikes. Access SouthDudley Hotel. at Andersonis at theend of the largecar . Continuing,the longbridge over the parkon theeast exit of the roundabout. PowlettRiver i5 crossedand then Mourn . FromAnderson the trail descends of PowlettRiver Rd. Large kangaroos throughrolling hills to Woolamai.As regula.lygather at duskin thisarea. at March2007 the surfaceof this section . Thetrail climbs up intoa cuttingbefore isstill basically undeveloped and is emergingto givethe first of many recommendedonly for the keen. magnificentcoastal view5. The trail rrow runsright on theocean at Kilcunda BackgroundInformation lookingover beautiful surfbeaches and Thistrail is part of a formerbranch line rockpools. lt musthave beenhard work whichleft the South Cippsland line at for thetrack gangers to keepthe line Nyora.The line to Wonthaggiwas opened openand even now sanddrifts across in l91Oand closed in 1928.Trains carneo thetrail in places.This isthe locationof coalfromthe minesin Wonthaggi,a5 well theiconic Bourne Creek trestle bridge. aspassengers and farm produce. The areais rich in mining history.The first No imaginationis necessaryto seethe commercialcoal mine in Victoriawas newworld unfolding in theshape of the '1865. openedat Kilcundain TheMitch€ll nearly65m highwind farm towers at mineoperated in the 1900sand is one of Wonthaggi.They dominate the landscape the few relicsoI coal mining history betweenWonthaggi and Kilcundaand remainingat Kilcunda. theirsix 2MW turbines can reportedly supplythe whole of Wonthaggiwhen Thisarea is partof the ancestrallands of sufficientwind is blowing.lt shouldbe no theEunurong people. some imagination surprisethat wind isa regularcondition is requiredto picturethe landscape betweenKilcunda and Anderson. beforewhite settlement.The paddocks aroundKilcunda would have been Wonthaggiis a largeregional town with all extensivebanksia and casuarina woodland facilities.Kilcunda has a hoteland retrofeel with a grassyunderstorey progretsing to caf6/generalstore for nourishment.There eucalyptsaway from the coast. areno facilitiesat Andersonor Woolamai. TheBass Coast Shire is the committeeot managementfor thisrail trail and is €ommittedto improvingthe surfaceof the open sectionand to eventuallyextending thetrail the full 48kmback to Nyora. FurtherInformation . BassCoast Shire Ph:(O3) 56712211. Wonthaggi StateCoal Mine and GeorgeEass Coastal Walk ParksVictoria Inlormation Centre, '1963 Ph:13 or www.parkweb.vic.gov.au . vilitor InformationPhillip lsland Pht13OO 366 422. Visitor Information Wonthaggi The trcil between Kilcundo ond Andetson. GRAIMfMOORE Ph:1300 854 134. 9 ,6 E 3 :;a ,<< .' - fi*E i d9 E E AP ; 43, !6 :\ :: Egg tr0 l9 -'i& -E! EEe1 t: iE;E tr .o &,.