The City of Greater Bendigo has welcomed $5M in funding from the Victorian Government towards the construction of the Bendigo Low Line.
The Bendigo Low Line is an important major project to develop a separated walking-cycling shared path within the Bendigo Creek channel. The 4.4km path between Golden Square and White Hills will provide safe and active travel through the Bendigo city centre, increase active travel and reduce reliance on motor vehicles for everyday use.
Greater Bendigo Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf said the Low Line had been named to reflect the channel section of the Bendigo Creek and took inspiration from New York's High Line, a public park built on a disused 1.45-mile-long elevated rail structure on Manhattan's West Side.
"The Bendigo Low Line will serve as an active transport corridor and provide safe and efficient off-road transport in and out of the Bendigo city centre," Cr Metcalf said.
"The only section of the Low Line not in the actual creek bed will be a small section, approximately 600 metres long, located between the new Rosalind Park ramp and the new Farmers Lane ramp in the Chinese Precinct. Users will need to access the existing shared pathway beside the creek through Rosalind Park in this section of the Low Line.
"The Bendigo Low Line will fill a major gap in the city's active transport network and will repurpose and evolve the Bendigo Creek to support a key active transport corridor for 95,000 people who live within 5km of the creek.
"It also completes a major project identified in six Council strategies, provides a major separated walking cycling route through the Bendigo city centre and has strong community support."
The funding from the Victorian Government will go towards construction of 2.95km of shared pathway along the Bendigo Creek bed, between the existing Hargreaves Street ramp at High Street, Golden Square to Edwards Street, Bendigo (near Bath Lane), and from Farmers Lane (near the Chinese Precinct) to Lake Weeroona.
The other 1.45km remaining sections of the project will be funded by the City of Greater Bendigo and will be from Maple Street, Golden Square to the existing Hargreaves Street ramp at High Street, Golden Square, and from Edwards Street to Rosalind Park.
The project is expected to start in late 2024.
The total Bendigo Low Line project:
- Is 4.4km in length
- Has seven landscaped entry/exit points in total
- Fills a key missing section of the 20km Bendigo Creek Trail, which connects Crusoe Reservoir near Big Hill with the Huntly Streamside Reserve
- Is located between Maple Street, Golden Square and Weeroona Avenue, White Hills via the Bendigo city centre
- Includes connections to Rosalind Park, the Golden Dragon Museum, Central Deborah Gold Mine, Lake Weeroona and Golden Square Recreation Reserve, and all the Bendigo city centre has to offer
- Will feature wayfinding, directional and safety signage
- Will serve a population of 95,000 people who live within 5km of Bendigo Creek
- Will allow residents and visitors to safely access the Bendigo city centre off-road to enjoy a range of activities and events
