Imagine an off-road trail running all the way from Melbourne to Bendigo, through Wallan, Wandong, Kilmore and Heathcote. It becomes a backbone trail, with links to other trails in regional Victoria. You'd be able to explore hundreds of kilometres of fabulous trail, or take just your dog or grandchildren for a walk on a local section.

Some of this is already happened. The O'Keefe Rail Trail has now been extended from Axedale to Heathcote, along the route of the former railway line. A significant driver for this extension was the efforts of the Friends group. Yet the Friends group has a much bigger vision. We'd like to see this trail continue, providing a link from Wallan to Heathcote on or close to where the railway once used to go. From Wallan it is just a short distance to link this into Melbourne's off-road trail network.

This new trail would provide new tourism business opportunities along the route. It would also provide new recreational space for local communities and links between small towns.

How will your donated funds be used?

The Friends group is rebuilding historical links, installing additional trail user facilities, and helping reforestation of sections along the O'Keefe Rail Trail. We're also lobbying local, state and federal governments, to gain recognition for building healthier communities and stronger economies with this long distance trail, plus their commitment to develop this proposal.

Your donation will help with all this work - buying materials, hiring equipment, printing posters and information brochures, plus producing formal submissions. All this effort is to create a trail that you'll be proud to visit and enjoy. You may even want to join our community group! See our web site http://bendigokilmorerailtrail.com for details of the projects that we're working on.