The Tweed Shire section of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail opened last week and its first weekend saw the trail in full use by walkers and cyclists enjoying the trail.
Parking at Stokers Siding we had decided that we would walk to the large tunnel between there and Burringbar to see the glow worms, and if we were lucky the microbats.
We dropped into the Stokers Siding General Store and Post Office to pick up a quick drink and any advice before we headed off.
Nola who runs the general store said it had been a really successful weekend with lots of cyclists and walkers enjoying the rail trail.
‘It was the best weekend we’ve had since the 2017 Cyclone Debbie,’ she said.
‘People have been coming from all around, locals people from the Gold Coast. Everyone has been really friendly and enjoying the rail trail.’
We checked out the map at the information area before we started out and in retrospect, I wished they had put the approximate distances on there to give us a guide to how far we were attempting to walk. We had somewhat underestimated the return journey to the Burringbar Tunnel which is closer to 11km than the six we had estimated.
The walk took us through a range of countryside from areas of lantana and camphor to native forests and little creeks. The walk was easy and accessible for all abilities and we saw a great range of users on the track as we sauntered along. There were family groups with young children through to elderly couples as well as plenty of young people together and in groups cycling by.
The e-bikes were very popular making even the small inclines that we traversed easy for them.
Once we reached the Burringbar Tunnel we spent quite a bit of time wandering through the cool and refreshing space, enjoying the pitch dark in the middle and calling out to other people walking and cycling to let them know where we were. Many of the cyclists seemed to move through the tunnel quite quickly but as walkers, we were able to slowly let our eyes adjust to the dark and find the delightful tiny glow worms that were scattered throughout.
On our return journey the Mooball Pub, officially known as the Victory Hotel Mooball, was a great place to quench our thirst with beer and fire engines and enjoy a pizza.
24km so far
The Tweed section of the rail trail is 24km and runs from the heritage-listed Murwillumbah Railway Station to Crabbes Creek and features 26 bridges and two tunnels. There are plenty of different spots to access the rail trail up and down the line.
This is the first completed stage of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail, which will eventually stretch 132km from Murwillumbah to Casino, passing through four local government areas including Tweed, Byron, Lismore and Richmond Valley.
Community
A big community celebration will be taking place on 25 and 26 March to encourage people to enjoy the rail trail.
There are also a range of videos and information on the Northern Rivers Rail Trail website as well as safety tips to ensure everyone can get the most out of their experience.
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