Rail Trails of Tasmania
Rail Trails of Tasmania
Published by Railtrails Australia
ISBN 0-9579759-1-0
For the uninitiated, rail trails are walking and cycling paths following now defunct railway lines. Tasmania, according to the authors [Fiona Colquhoun, Alexander McCooke, Vince Aitkin, Barry Holt and Tony Maddock], is particularly well-endowed with tantalising rail trails which traverse wineries, national parks, farmland, bushland, rainforest and even the seaside.
And, as they point out, rail trails are easy to cycle and walk. “Trains weren’t good at climbing steep hills, they usually tunneled through them or went around them.”
This slim volume packs a lot of solid information in its 64-pages. Excellent maps, trail summaries, and historical asides and anecdotes make it a fascinating read and an essential resource for anyone looking for an offbeat way of exploring Tasmania.
Having personally ridden a couple of these trails, I can fully endorse the quality of their research, and am now sorely tempted to explore more.
Rail Trails of Tasmania is available direct from Railtrails Australia. AM
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