April 29th, 2024New signage for famed Lerderderg Track

Volunteer hiking and biking group, the Great Dividing Trail Association, has launched an innovative, environmentally friendly interpretive signage project along the length of the 87km Lerderderg Track from Daylesford to Bacchus Marsh.

Signage has been reduced to small placards on top of existing directional posts marking the way. Each of the placards includes a QR code that links to more extensive information and images on the Great Dividing Trail Association (GDTA) website (gdt.org.au).

“This approach has minimised the environmental ‘footprint’ of our interpretive signage,” said Gib Wettenhall, who manages publications for the GDTA.

Over 40 people gathered at the Garden of St Erth in Blackwood to celebrate the launch of the GDTA’s Lerderderg Track Interpretive Signage project.

The signage tells the stories of the people who lived along the track and gives insights into the geology, the flora and fauna and the place names that track users encounter along the way.

Guests including GDTA Patron Steve Moneghetti and Mountain Bike Ambassador Lisa Jacobs praised the project for bringing the history of the track to life and making it easily accessible to track users.

Sponsors were represented by Moorabool Shire Mayor Cr Ally Munari and representatives of three Bendigo Community Banks – Trentham, Bacchus Marsh and Daylesford.

Cr Munari talked about the importance of the project. “Projects like this make it more attractive for people to get out into our beautiful natural surrounds and keep active and healthy.”

The GDTA team who planned, researched and wrote the signage text and web stories for the 17 signage sites were Tim Bach, Arie Baelde, Ed Butler, pictured above, and Gib Wettenhall.

The interpretive signage project is the second stage of the GDTA’s work to refurbish the Lerderderg Track. The Track was built by the GDTA as the final stage in the 310km Great Dividing Trail Network, which includes the Goldfields Track from Ballarat to Bendigo.

In recent years, the Lerderderg Track had fallen into disrepair. The GDTA obtained a substantial grant from the former Victorian Department of the Environment (currently DEECA) in 2018 to renew posts, signage and other infrastructure along the track. This first stage of the refurbishment was completed in 2020. Link: gdt.org.au/tracks/lerderderg-track/lerderderg-track-interpretive-signage