June 30th, 2026Council news…

Hepburn Shire Council will no longer look into the Daylesford-Hanging Rock Rail Trail project.

It will also give up the rail corridor leases between Bullarto and Lyonville, to allow Daylesford Railway (formerly Daylesford Spa Country Railway) to take up the leases from VicTrack to construct its planned rail extension to Lyonville.
A report at last week’s council meeting said the move comes because of the significant costs of the project/s, availability of funding and risks associated with community support, landholder complexities, uncertainty around alignment, and other complicating factors.
“The concept of a Rail Trail from Daylesford to Hanging Rock was originally identified in a 2013 report Crossing Borders Tracks and Trails, a partnership initiative between Hepburn, Central Goldfields, Ballarat and Macedon Ranges shire councils, as well as the Victorian Government,” the report said.
The report looked at potential tracks and trails projects to link key towns in the region for the purposes of increasing physical activity, as well as tourism. From 2021-2023 the council invested in the early-stage planning of the project, with feasibility and preliminary trail alignment the key focus.
“Council partnered with Macedon Ranges as they were further progressed on rail trail initiatives within their boundaries, which would connect to the trail in our shire should it progress to construction stage,” the report said.
“Significant community consultation took place in 2021 as part of the initial feasibility work. The council resolved in December 2021 to support both projects and pursue external funding for the subsequent $1.5M planning stage.
“MRSC, in reprioritising current projects, has removed any commitment to progressing this rail trail. DSCR has indicated they have the resources to pursue the rail extension and can do so with only minor involvement from council.”
Words: Kyle Barnes