Gympie Mayor Mick Curran and South Burnett Mayor Keith Campbell at the official opening of the Kilkivan to Kingaroy Rail Trail … if Labor gets re-elected at Saturday’s poll, the party has promised to extend the trail to Theebine

November 23, 2017

The Kilkivan-Kingaroy Rail Trail could be extended to Theebine if the Labor Party is re-elected on Saturday.

On Wednesday, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced a re-elected Palaszczuk Government would commit $14 million over four years to help build walking, cycling and horse-riding trails on disused rail corridors.

The Kilkivan-Theebine section was identified as one of 16 projects the rail trail program would be interested in funding.

“Rail trails support active, healthy lifestyles, contribute to environmental preservation and management and boost active tourism, especially in our regions,” the Premier said.

“My government is committed to tourism jobs in regional Queensland and this initiative shows this commitment will continue into a second term.

“We have an extensive network of disused railway corridors across Queensland and we want to retain them for future transport use.

“That’s why we would encourage local governments to apply for this funding.”

Main Roads and Road Safety Minister Mark Bailey said a re-elected Palaszczuk Government would partner with local councils to develop rail trails in their communities.

“Councils will be able to use the funding to plan, design and construct rail trails,” Mr Bailey said.

“Queensland is enjoying a tourism boom and this program will attract more active tourists and allow them to enjoy our beautiful climate and pristine landscapes.”

Mr Bailey said the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail (BVRT) was a great example of how a disused rail corridor had been transformed for the community.

“The Palaszczuk Government has been a strong supporter of the development of the BVRT over many years,” Mr Bailey said.

“We’ve previously allocated $1.8 million dollars to contribute to the construction of the final section of the trail between Toogoolawah and Moore.

“When completed, it will stretch about 160km between Yarraman and Wulkuraka in south-east Queensland.

“The trail is already attracting significant numbers of visitors, events and, importantly, tourism dollars for communities along the route.”

At the official opening of the Kilkivan-Kingaroy Rail Trail on September 25, Gympie Mayor Mick Curran told southburnett.com.au he was open to the idea of pushing the rail trail to Theebine.

If the project proceeded, it would expand the existing trail from 88km to more than 140km in length.


 

7 Responses to "Rail Trail Could Extend To Theebine"

  1. There will be a rail going from Kingaroy to Theebine but it ain’t gonna be no trail, it’ll be a fully functional rail line with trains and all if Moreton Resources has anything to do about it.

  2. Yeah I hope so. I’ve only know of one local to show support for the mine and everyone else thinks it’s too close to town. Not going to be even 5km from Kingaroy and poor Taabinga residents are going to be over the road from it.

  3. I agree with Ray and Anon – the last thing we need is to turn the South Burnett into a grubby mining pit with coal trains rumbling past Wooroolin, Wondai, Murgon, Goomeri and all points north just so a mining company can make money. Moreton’s promises of jobs are wildly overblown – within 5-10 years most aspects of mining will be fully automated – and in a few decades at the end of it we’ll be left with the consequences: a blasted environment, extensive coal dust pollution over all our towns (not just Kingaroy) and our region’s name besmirched as a tourist destination. As it is, I don’t think there’s a profitable market for this project and that should be reason enough to can it, let alone the adverse impacts on our region and our communities. Proponents who want to see this project get up should move to a coal mining town and get themselves a job there. Our Federal and State members, Mayor, all Councillors and a large slice of the community in Kingaroy have already come out to say they oppose this project, and that says something.

  4. Rail trails bring in the $$. Just take a look at the towns along the BVRT. All busy serving out of town visitors. Always a line up at the Blackbutt bakery. If the now completed BVRT was linked up to KKRT and then extended to Theebine, that would be one epic ride. Done well, it would attract plenty of interest.

    • Good news … there is an approved route linking the BVRT with the South Burnett Rail Trail!

  5. Would love to see any rail travel extended. I am in my 70s now and travelled from Maryborough to Kingaroy, changing trains at Theebine junction. 1963 was one trip I remember when I was 15. I don’t think people in power and politics realise how much the ordinary person loved rail travel. I personally would travel as a sightseer to all those outback places. It’s not the same by car. Start making day trips and we can all go back in time to a better way of life and slower pace. Bring back the rail trips, I say.

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