Momentum is building, with over 9,000 people having signed up to the Northern Rivers Rail Trail Supporters campaign (www.northernriversrailtrail.com.au/support), but they still need more signatures to demonstrate that the local community supports the completion of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail (NRRT).
‘We know that since the campaign began, the awareness of the trail being unfinished and the desire to get it finished is high,’ Cameron Arnold, vice president for the Northern Rivers Rail Trail Supporters, told The Echo.
Once they hit 10,000 signatures, they will speak to state and federal members across the Northern Rivers, highlighting the strong support for finishing the trail from the Northern Rivers residents, visitors and business community.
‘We will highlight the economic, business, and community benefits of completing the trail in a region that is in dire need of support. The loss of major events and festivals, recovery from Covid and the devastating flood still underway, and the high cost of living are all affecting visitor numbers and spend in the region. We will present them with the important benefits of finishing the trail to connect our towns.’
Sign up in Mullum
Getting more signatures is the aim of the table that will be outside the Mullumbimby Newsagency on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 9am to 2pm, Jenelle Stanford, executive member of the Mullumbimby Chamber of Commerce and Community (MCCC), told The Echo.
‘We went to New Zealand last year and rode the rail trail there and we loved it so much we are going back with more friends to ride it again.
‘We went to towns that had only 40 residents, and they told us that the towns are alive again. It has brought them back to life because people come and have lunch, stay the night, go to the pubs etc. They are now thriving, and I think that the NRRT being completed and linking our towns will bring back life and job opportunities to our local communities across the Northern Rivers,’ she said.
‘The NRRT is great for so many different groups of people. I was talking to our local aged care facility, Coolamon Villa, who said they will be able to take residents along the trail in bikes etc. when it opens up. It is just a win for everyone.
‘If you are interested in getting involved, you can call me on 0481 487 178 or pop into the newsagency and see me.’
Council action
The Echo asked Byron Shire Council (BSC) if they would be applying for NRRT funding through the active transport fund which opened to councils on 1 August.
A spokesperson responded to The Echo saying, ‘We’re currently reviewing project priorities alongside the grant guidelines and recent funding outcomes to determine the most suitable approach for progressing the project.’
Asked if they were pursuing any other grants, they said, ‘The NRRT remains a high-priority project for Byron Shire Council and the community. Consistent with the recent Council resolution, we are exploring a range of funding and delivery options to support the project within Byron Shire.’
Jobs and growth
Cameron told The Echo that having a completed NRRT would connect Northern Rivers communities and provide safe and healthy travel between towns.
‘The economic impact would be huge – an independent business feasibility study found that if the government funded the NRRT, it would have a return on investment to the Northern Rivers community of nearly five times.
‘We only need to look at how successful the Tweed section is in particular, and speak to those businesses that wouldn’t be operating without the trail and its visitors. Murwillumbah has had an injection of life, as have all the other small towns that no-one gave a second thought of visiting.
‘It has also shifted the spend across the region, rather than being Byron-centric. People are now visiting more places, and with a complete trail, we can encourage them to stay longer and venture further, spreading the economic benefit across the region, and helping our hospitality and accommodation businesses too.’
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