The East Gippsland Rail Trail

Location -  Bairnsdale to Orbost, East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia
Distance - 95.5 km (one way)
Terrain - Sealed between Bairnsdale and Nicholson then gravel and compacted earth to Orbost.
Difficulty - Easy to moderate.
Highlights - The views across undulating farmland along the Nicholson to Bruthen section.
Website - East Gippsland Rail Trail


The East Gippsland Rail Trail, runs for almost 100km through south-eastern Victoria, connecting the regional centre of Bairnsdale at its western end with the outskirts of Orbost in the east. One of the best things about this trail is that it can be divided into separate rides. Unless you are super-fit, don't feel any compulsion to ride the whole length in a single day. Stay in one of the regional towns, load the bikes on the car each morning and drive to the beginning of each section. Or better yet do what we have done and stay in the heart of the East Gippsland Lakes, one of the most picturesque regions in eastern Australia. My favourite town by far is Paynesville (click here for my blog post on Paynesville), just across from Raymond Island and its large colony of koalas (click here for my blog post on Raymond Island).

Bairnsdale to Nicholson - 9km (one way)

Look for the start of the trail at Howitt Park, McEacharn St. The trail is sealed and almost flat for the full distance to Nicholson. If you haven't ridden a bike for a while or you've got the family with you this section is a great introduction to rail trail cycling.

The start of the trail at Howitt Park

As you leave Bairnsdale you'll notice a few small gardens on the right-hand side of the track where local residents have made use of the reserve to grow vegetables. After the gardens the trail enters open farmland. Cycling across the old railway bridge at Nicholson is a highlight of this section. A short detour just before the bridge leads into Nicholson and down to the Nicholson River - a great spot for a picnic lunch.

The old railway bridge at Nicholson

The Nicholson River - a perfect spot for a picnic

Nicholson to Bruthen - 21.5km (one way)

The Nicholson to Bruthen section continues as an easy cycle even though the sealed trail runs out quickly and becomes compacted earth. 

The last time David and I cycled this trail we came across a young man engaged in rabbit control on behalf of the local rural Land Board. We stopped to say hello and got into a long conversation about local wildlife and rabbit control. He was the source of amazing knowledge and told us that there were once 10 billion rabbits in Australia. (Yes - you read that right - '10 billion'.) Although the rabbit epidemic has eased a lot since then, I couldn't help thinking how futile his efforts seemed. One guy with a truck and a smoke machine just didn't look to me like it was going to help much.

Bruthen General Store

About half way between Nicholson and Bruthen the trail passes the site of the old Bumberrah Station. Sadly, there is nothing left of the station now but the shelter and information board has come in handy a couple of times when we have been caught in the rain. A turn-off not far from the shelter leads to a blueberry farm which sells chutneys, jams, liqueurs and other blueberry products. The lady who runs the cellar door shop is just lovely but much as we both enjoy fresh blueberries it turns out that they don't make great chutneys and liqueurs. 

The short detour into Bruthen is well worth it to admire the town's heritage architecture. Bruthen's fifteen minutes of fame arrived on 27 November 1958 when Flt Lt Ralph Oborn became the first pilot to eject safely from an aeroplane in Australia. His jet aircraft 'flamed out' over Bruthen at 40,000ft. He managed to avoid crashing into the built up area of the town before ejecting at 500ft. It was the first time he had ever used a parachute. All that remained of his plane, the nose cone, is on display in the centre of town.  

All that is left of the aircraft whose pilot was the first person to safely eject from an aircraft in Australia.

Bruthen to Nowa Nowa - 27 km (one way)

This section of the trail has an isolated, 'alone in the world' feel to it as it passes through the Colquhoun State Forest. If you like getting away from everything this is the ride for you. Of course, the lack of people makes the occasional sight of fellow cyclists that much more welcome. 

There is no water at all on this part of the trail so take an adequate supply with you. The high point of the trail is at Colquhoun, just a name on a map really, not too far past the midway point between Bruthen and Nowa Nowa.

This part of the trail has an 'alone in the world' feel to it.

About 10 km east of Bruthen, the Gippsland Lakes Discovery Trail leads down to Lakes Entrance. See the heading Gippsland Lakes Discovery Trail below. 

Nowa Nowa to Orbost - 38 km (one way)

I have included this part of the trail for completeness. David and I have not cycled this section ourselves but from the descriptions I have read, it sounds the least scenic and interesting part of the trail. I welcome comments from anyone who has first hand knowledge of the Nowa Nowa to Orbost section.

The Gippsland Lakes Discovery Trail - 17 km (one way) 

The Gippsland Lakes Discovery Trail is a detour from the main trail which leads through the forest down to Lakes Entrance. It begins at Seaton Track, 11 kms east of Bruthen.  The cycling is very different to the main part of the East Gippsland Rail Trail. The track is much narrower, rougher and quite steep in parts. For much of its length, it follows the route of an old tramway built in the early 1900s to move granite to Lakes Entrance. There is a short signposted detour leading to the old quarry. If you have even a passing interest in history and old artefacts the detour is well worth taking.

Stopping for a rest at the old quarry

If you start this trail from Lakes Entrance you will find the first part of the ride, quite a climb - or so we were told. D and I cheated by beginning at Log Crossing Picnic Area. It isn't easy to find but it is marked on the map in the Department of Sustainability and Environment PDF brochure of the trail - click here. There is plenty of parking and it is a lovely spot for a forest picnic.

The Gippsland Lakes Discovery Trail

Even if you skip the first/last few kilometres into Lakes Entrance this is not an easy ride. I wouldn't recommend it for beginner cyclists. However if a sense of achievement is your motivation then go for it. The scenery through the forest is lovely and there are lots of interesting little bridges and creek crossings. 

We have only cycled this track once and on the day we did a recent storm had brought down a large gum.  It was lying lengthwise along the track and with no way around it we literally had to climb through branches and foliage for 30-35metres carrying our bikes before we could continue.

David - ever the gentleman - lifting my bike through the fallen tree.

This gives you an idea just how difficult getting through the tree was.

Facilities on the East Gippsland Rail Trail

Between Bairnsdale and Nicholson a local volunteer group, sorry I can't remember their name, have installed some very welcome water fountains. Apart from that, there are no facilities on the track at all. If you want lunch then plan to divert to one of the nearby towns. It is only a short ride into any of them.

Click on the following links for my reviews on other Victorian bike trails: -

• Falls Creek - Historic Huts and Aqueducts
• The Murray to Mountains Rail Trail
• The Bennetts Trail - Bright to Wandiligong