Bike & Walk Warragul

15/10/2023

Heads up bikers and walkers next door in Yarragon and Trafalgar - Baw Baw Shire Council needs your local knowledge to improve the Active Transport network in your towns.

Share your on-the-ground tips and visions for better cycling and pedestrian infrastructure on the interactive map at https://www.bawbawconnect.com.au/yarragon-and-trafalgar-pedestrian-and-cycling-safety-study/maps/drop-a-pin

The Yarragon and Trafalgar Pedestrian and Cycling Safety Study portal is open until 29 October.

Drop a pin on the map to let us know which streets or areas you think need improvements to make walking and cycling in Yarragon and Trafalgar safer, and more enjoyable.You can also use the pins to let us know where you'd like to see bike lanes in the future. Once you drop a pin, you can let us know....

16/06/2023

Bloody great news everyone!

Our initial funding campaign has been successful, with Baw Baw Shire Council this week allocating $75,000 in the 2023/24 Annual Budget for a full investigation into the Watershed Trail concept.

Subject to a successful feasibility assessment, Council will develop a staged project delivery plan and provide cost estimates for each section of the proposed 15km shared path trail loop following Warragul's flattest waterway and rail corridors.

These are vital first steps in bringing a complex multi-jurisdictional project like the Watershed Trail to life. Thank you to all Councillors who voted in support of the funding allocation!

Thank you to all who have contributed to the campaign thus far in person, behind the scenes and on social media, for sharing your stories, and for all the offers of help and support we have received since releasing the concept earlier this year.

Thank you also to Warragul Regional College Marist-Sion College and Destination Gippsland for your official Letters of Support as part of our Budget Submission.

Every single voice has counted and will continue to count in the Active Transport campaign to Get Warragul Flowing on the Watershed Trail, so please help us spread this fantastic news!

As another refresher, here is a direct link to the full Watershed Trail concept document: https://tinyurl.com/rrcv69kz

Congratulations everybody! Stay tuned for more information as it comes to light!

07/06/2023

Hey everyone! Not long now until we learn which way Baw Baw Shire Councillors voted in response to our recent Budget Submission for Watershed Trail Planning and Design Works in the 2023/24 Annual Budget, so stay tuned!

In the mean time, you can check out the full Watershed Trail Community Vision and Concept Plans PDF document included as part of our overall budget submission here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U6TOWOLYXGTigh5HP3-aG5PFf1zA9c_d/view?usp=sharing

Send a message to learn more

15/05/2023

A great cross section of the community turned out in support of the Watershed Trail last Thursday for this fun photo shoot to be featured in tomorrow's edition of the Warragul Gazette. Be sure to pick up a copy!

If you couldn't make the photo, there's still a super important chance to show your support:

Physically stand beside us as we present our Budget Submission for a Planning and Design Works Package to Councillors at this Wednesday's special Council Meeting.

Your presence is all that's required, but your impact will be powerful, sending a strong message to Councillors how much the community needs and wants safer Active Transport infrastructure like the Watershed Trail.

JOIN US this Wednesday (17th) 5:30pm at the Warragul Arts Centre Fountain Room

Please indicate if you intend to come in comments below or email us on [email protected] so we can give a rough idea of numbers.

(Entry from the East side of the builing just down the hill from main entrance.
Arrive a little bit earlier if you can.
Have been given indication our presentation slot will early so no one will need to stay for the entire session. Riders bring your helmets as a prop!)

Thanks again everyone for all the ongoing feedback and support!

09/05/2023

The Gazette newspaper is running a story on the Watershed Trail proposal next week! Please join us in a fun group photo shoot to show readers the full range of community support out there for better Active Transport connections in Baw Baw Shire Council !

Bring your bikes, your helmets, your runners, your prams - whatever else represents the way you really want to be moving more around town. Bring your friends, your kids, your family - all who will benefit from a 15km shared path loop around Warragul
( which is pretty much everyone :) )

We've picked out a great creek-side spot along the Watershed Trail route at the Hazel Drive bridge, just north of Kmart/Bunnings.

Would be amazing if you could be there by 5pm for the photo at 5:15pm SHARP. (Trying to balance daylight and availability here, so we can't push the time back any later unfortunately. Getting off work just that tiny bit earlier to make it would be really showing your support!)

Plenty of room to park on roadside super close by on Masterson Court.

Once again, the more community support we get around this the better its chances of getting Council's full attention, so please join us!

PS - If you're planning on riding down to meet us, remember your bike lights because it'll be well and truly twilight on the return trip!

04/05/2023

Check out these lucky locals on their daily commute to school & work via Warragul's Linear Trail this morning!

Thanks everyone so much for your contributions over the past week! Such a great range of insights, which will go a long way in showing Baw Baw Shire Council how much demand there is for better Active Transport infrastructure and connections across Warragul like the popular Linear Trail connection.

If you haven't heard, we are calling on Council to fund and conduct a feasibility study and design work for the Watershed Trail concept - a 15km shared path loop connecting neighbourhoods through Warragul's waterway corridors.

We've got another 48 hours up our sleeve before making our submission, so if you haven't yet commented on how much of a difference projects like the Watershed Trail could make in your day-to-day life - please do! Every single voice helps!

Thanks again so much guys. Look out for a link to the full version of the submission here next week.

30/04/2023

Hey everybody! We've had a tonne of awesome feedback for the 'Watershed Trail', and now it's time to SHOW YOUR SUPPORT, because it's Budget Submission time at Baw Baw Shire Council.

We are calling on Council to allocate funding for a feasibility study - the first concrete step towards bringing an exciting project like this to life.

As part of our submission we'd love to include a diverse snapshot of how much demand there is for better Active Transport links in Warragul's ever-growing urban landscape.

It would help the cause so much if you can post a comment below, letting Baw Baw Shire Council know how much of a difference projects like the Watershed Trail could make in your day to day life.

Would it give your child a way to get to school more independently? Would it make you feel safe enough to jump on a bike for exercise or getting around? How would it improve your mental health and wellbeing?

The more engagement we get on this the better - so please spread the word to contribute in the comments below for inclusion into our formal submission to Council before THIS FRIDAY.

(Be sure to let us know which part of town/Baw Baw Shire you live in too)

Thanks guys!

23/03/2023

The popularity of bike tourism and inter-town bike connectivity is exploding all over Australia, and West Gippsland is getting in on the action.

Exciting new bike tourism projects like the Rokeby-Noojee Trail and the Gippsland Odyssey Trail are already under development, poised to unlock our stunning hill-scape experiences to visitors new and returning.

Right ‘In the middle’ of all of this activity, Warragul's own Watershed Trail - a tourism destination in its own right - will facilitate navigational ‘roundabout’ flow within the wider tourist trail network, providing continuous links for bike travellers who will otherwise have to compete with Warragul road traffic on their way through/around town.

Whether approaching from the East, the West, or the North, bike visitors will be able to tour Warragul by Watershed as part of their journey, and enjoy safer, scenic routes into theCBD’s humming hospitality scene - whether stopping for a pick-me-up coffee, end-of-trip drink before jumping on the V/Line, or a welcoming overnight stay before continuing their West Gippsland bike adventure.

In the mean time, be sure to check out the work being done by Baw Baw Shire Council on the Rokeby-Nojee Trail: https://www.bawbawshire.vic.gov.au/About-Council/Major-Projects/Rokeby-to-Noojee-Trail

AND the fantastic development work by Destination Gippsland on the Gippsland Odyssey Trail:
https://www.visitgippsland.com.au/destination-gippsland/about/industry-resources/gippsland-odyssey-trail

03/01/2023

Hey everyone!

If you are checking out this project for the first time, the Watershed Trail is a community vision for a dedicated 15km shared path walking and riding loop around Warragul.

It will be completely family-friendly, following our flattest land around existing waterway corridors, linking Warragul's East, West and Northern neighbourhoods and schools with CBD services and facilities.

Practically the entire route are sitting right there waiting to be linked up as a complete project with town-wide benefits in connectivity, liveability, health & recreation, bike/eco tourism and biodiversity.

Meanwhile, the project will be a huge first step to ensure Active Transport solutions (walking and riding) start playing a much bigger role in easing Warragul's growing traffic congestion and parking issues.

As a volunteer group - 'Bike and Walk Warragul (BAWW)' - has already instigated initial meetings with Baw Baw Shire Council, with the intention of formally submitting the project into a range of upcoming Council processes.

We will be talking more specifically about these opportunities in coming weeks, but now it's time to really start getting this vision out into the wider community, and we need your help!

Join up to the page, spread the word, and let us know your thoughts on how a project like this would change the way we live and move in Warragul.

For a deeper nuts & bolts look, we've uploaded an entire route breakdown in the Photo Album section, featuring alignment maps, descriptions, concept sketches & site pics across 8 key sections.

Jump on in, take a closer look and share your local knowledge: any deeper feedback and thoughts - no matter how small or large - will help shape the final vision for this exciting project into its best possible form for Warragul and West Gippsland.

03/01/2023

The Watershed Trail is a 15km shared path route meandering through Warragul's flattest green spaces, connecting the town's rapidly growing neighbourhoods, CBD services and facilities via a loop of waterway corridors.

This family-friendly circuit for walkers and bikers of all abilities will form a circular backbone of mobility and connectivity, with major community-building benefits in recreation, health, liveability, tourism and biodiversity.

Chain-linking outlying residential communities to the town centre via an entire network of unused land corridors, the Watershed Trail represents an unprecedented strategic opportunity to leverage Active Transport’s role in easing Warragul’s ever-increasing car traffic congestion.

Extensive national and global examples show if communities are provided with safe, user-friendly Active Transport infrastructure - taking people to places they actually want to go - residents will embrace transport modal shifts into their routines.

In the midst of an unprecedented population explosion, the Watershed Trail project represents a ‘watershed’ moment for Baw Baw Shire Council to provide residents young and old with such an option.

It’s time to connect our sprawling neighbourhoods with a safe, enjoyable and continuous link via our flattest family-friendly topography, incentivise locals to leave the car at home more often, and experience their hillside community from a whole new perspective.

This dedicated 3m wide concrete shared path loop will empower Chesterfield Park school kids in Warragul’s north east to safely bike to and from Burke St schools and south-side facilities for after-school sports.

A whole family from Waterford Rise will be able to safely ride through tree-lined corridors and wetland vistas to Kmart, and drop in for a CBD ice cream on the way home.

And as a dedicated ‘loop’ trail, the Watershed Trail presents a major opportunity for ‘destination’ marketability in the ever-growing bike tourism sector, leveraging and linking directly into the Rokeby-Noojee Trail and the wider Gippsland ‘Odyssey’ trail network projects.

03/01/2023

This transformational trail route already exists right under Warragul’s feet.

The proposed Watershed Trail alignment follows an almost-continuous 15km string of waterway development buffers, State Government owned rail corridors, vacant Council-owned green space, and a Crown Land Road Reserve.

Crossing multiple ‘Connector’ roads as it progresses around Warragul’s existing and emerging neighbourhoods, the Trail will form a circular backbone of Active Transport connectivity, from which to leverage and implement a town-wide network of future bike lane and walking path opportunities.