September 19th, 2024Celebration, namings ahead for Creswick trails

The Hepburn Shire Council has announced that it expects Djuwang Baring (Creswick Trails) to be completed by the end of this year.

And following a low-key partial early opening in August, the council has foreshadowed a community celebration and formal opening of the whole trail network in December.  

Mayor, Cr Brian Hood, last week said that although construction of the trails began in early 2023, the extensive planning for the project commenced back in 2018 and it will be extremely exciting for the local community to see the full network finished.  

“The community event will be held at Creswick’s Hammon Park Trailhead and we will promote that in the coming months,” said Cr Hood. 

In a media release issued last week the council reported that in the short time that the partial trails have been open, a “huge number” of visitors and locals have utilised them.

“Feedback from local traders has been extremely positive. The very strong increase in visitation brings positive results for local and regional businesses and tourism destinations,” Cr Hood said last week.

“The trails are already proving to be a unique asset for the community with a strong positive input.”   

Nestled in the scenic heart of Creswick, Victoria, these world-class trails are already extremely popular for mountain bike enthusiasts. Djuwang Baring – which means ‘long track’ in Dja Dja Wurrung language – celebrates the rich cultural heritage and stunning natural beauty of the region.  

Djuwang Baring requires names for each trail segment for rider recognition as well as to assist emergency services to locate an individual who has called for assistance. In total, approximately 70 segment names are required for Djuwang Baring.  

DJARRA’s language team, Djali Balak, have provided a list of 35 trail names in Dja Dja Wurrung language along with their English translation. The remaining 35 names were sought from the community earlier this year. 

The engagement on the list of trail names began on 9 September and be live for a period of 30 days. Community members are able to have their say at Creswick Trails Network and Hammon Park Trailhead