Proudly supported by the Donaldson Conservation Trust
Mike HalliburtonMike Halliburton Associates
Mike Halliburton has over 30 years experience as a professional planner and a lifelong interest in being outdoors, starting with trout fishing in the Queanbeyan River as a 7 year old.
After establishing his own consultancy in 2003, Mike has been involved in over 30 rail trail projects including the Richmond Vale Rail Trail Feasibility Study. Almost all of these projects have been with Mike Maher (Transplan). No one else comes close to having done the body of planning work on rail trails that the two Mikes have undertaken. Their list of rail trail projects represents the majority of significant rail trail studies undertaken in Australia since 1995. |
Abstract
Rail trails – where have they come from (the journey’s beginning); where are they going (the destination).
Rail trails:
This paper will briefly overview the Rail Trail movement internationally and nationally and will also spend some time focusing on recent developments in NSW.
The paper will focus at the Australian level on the motives for their development (who has championed rail trails in Australia and why), what they have achieved (primarily visitor numbers and economic impacts), and future possibilities – particularly in NSW.
The paper will also provide an insight into some of the perceived problems that have arisen in their development (or before their development).
Rail trails – where have they come from (the journey’s beginning); where are they going (the destination).
Rail trails:
- Are recreation trails on disused railway corridors.
- Are a great way of getting people outdoors.
- Are generally built along publicly owned disused railway corridors.
- provide primarily for “non-motorised” users - cyclists, walkers, runners, parents pushing prams, horse riders (sometimes), fun runs and triathlons.
- provide safe, flat routes away from dangerous roads.
- Traverse a variety of urban and rural landscapes including: farms and paddocks, vineyards, forests and wetlands
- Provide economic opportunities to (in particular) regional and rural communities to jump on board the adventure tourism bandwagon.
- Provide opportunities in urban communities for green commuting.
- They didn’t just happen. They have a long (ish) history in a number of countries around the world and a less longish history in Australia (and an even shorter history in NSW).
This paper will briefly overview the Rail Trail movement internationally and nationally and will also spend some time focusing on recent developments in NSW.
The paper will focus at the Australian level on the motives for their development (who has championed rail trails in Australia and why), what they have achieved (primarily visitor numbers and economic impacts), and future possibilities – particularly in NSW.
The paper will also provide an insight into some of the perceived problems that have arisen in their development (or before their development).
Presentation
Rail trails – where have they come from (the journey’s beginning); where are they going (the destination)
Presented on 27th September 2017 at the Active Transport: The Richmond Vale Rail Trail Conference (2017)
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