Allowed on the rail trail:

1.  bicycles and e-bicycles (up to 250w)
2.  accessibility devices, wheelchairs, and mobility scooters
3.  push scooters / skateboards on sealed sections only
4.  prams
5.  dogs on short leads. And dog owners, please pick up after your dog
6.  horses by permit and in designated areas only.

Not allowed on the rail trail:

1.  e-scooters or petrol-powered bicycles
2.  motorcycles, trailbikes, quadbikes, cars or similar
3.  all other motorised recreational vehicles
4.  horses without a permit.

Yes. They must be under control and on a short lead at all times and you must pick up after your dog.

Please be a responsible dog owner, it is your responsibility to pick up after your dog in any public open space.

On the Tweed section of the rail trail, horses are allowed as part of a permit only 12 month trial in a 2.2 km designated horse-riding area in Burringbar. Signs along the rail trail indicate where this section starts and ends and advises users to take caution and give way to horses.

Read more about horse riding and how to apply for a permit online.

To make your rail trail experience a great one check out safety and rules that includes a ‘pack and prepare checklist’.

Our operations rely on our rail trail community and volunteers to be our eyes and ears to keep our rail trail safe and well maintained.

Either report a problem on our website, call us on 02 6673 0404 or tell our team at the Visitor Information Centre at the Murwillumbah Railway Station.

Always call 000 in an emergency situation.

If you experience an incident on the rail trail, please report the incident to us within 12 hours or as soon as possible.

Mobile phone coverage along the rail trail will be different for every guest and depend on the carrier you are with. For some sections you will have coverage, for some parts you may have a weaker signal and, in some parts, you will have no coverage at all.

We ask guests to not rely on phone coverage and download the Emergency Plus app, know how to enable emergency or SOS functions on your mobile phone and have a printed or downloaded rail trail map for reference.

Read more about emergency information.

Yes. Cyclists need to wear a helmet, use bells, bike safety gear and ride at safe speeds as they would on a road.

The Northern Rivers Rail Trail is considered a Road Related Area (an area that is not a road and is open to the public and designated for use by cyclists or animals) under the Roads Act 1993.

There is no speed limit set for the rail trail. Different circumstances will determine the need for a different speed or safe distance for passing and you should ride to conditions and current laws.

The safety of rail trail users is everyone’s shared responsibility and whilst cyclists should ride to the conditions and keep to safe speeds, it is also the responsibility of others to keep left and restrain dogs on short leads.

No. See the experiences page for accommodation options along the rail trail.

No. The rail trail is a recreational facility for the community that promotes wellness and a healthy, active lifestyle.

Children and people of all ages and levels of fitness use the rail trail and expect a smoke free and safe environment at its associated rest stops and the entire corridor of open space.

No.

Yes. It is important to get permission to scatter ashes from the owners of private land or the Trustee of parks and reserves, or from local council for the Northern Rivers Rail Trail as scattering of ashes may contravene the provisions of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 in terms of air or water pollution. Councils and other Government Authorities may set a time and place when scattering of ashes can be undertaken and can impose other conditions.  Things you need to know:

• Please allow a minimum of seven days’ notice when seeking approval from the Northern Rivers Rail Trail.
• Ashes are not permitted to be scattered directly on the Rail Trail surface (gravel or sealed) and can only be in the grass or vegetation areas adjacent to the rail trail. They cannot be scattered on Private Property.
• Permission will be considered for the scattering of ashes only. Nothing solid, non-biodegradable or immemorial items can remain at the site.
• It is your responsibility to ensure the general public or other rail trail users are not impacted or affected by the ashes being scattered (be mindful or wind and its direction prior to scattering of ashes).
• It is your responsibility to ensure the safety of the people attending, and as you are likely to enter a natural area you must be mindful of snakes and other wildlife. We highly recommend you take a first aid or snake bite kit with you at all times.
• We cannot close the Rail Trail for exclusive use for the purpose of scattering ashes, so please be mindful of this when selecting the appropriate day and time.

To request approval to scatter ashes please contact the Northern Rivers Rail Trail through the General Enquiries Form. We will need the following information from you: name and contact details, proposed date and time to scatter ashes, number of people attending, location / section of the rail trail and specific down to between which two location markers and any other relevant information.

It is a steel trough conduit that contains a high-voltage electrical cable that transfers electricity between NSW and QLD.

For your safety, do not touch it, keep away from the trough and stay on the rail trail at all times.

Murwillumbah Railway Station (trailhead) has 60 public parks including:

• 18 timed spaces (7 days between 9 am – 5 pm) with options of 30 minutes and 1 hour
• 42 untimed parking spaces including two accessible parking spaces and two parent with pram parks.
• up to 2 long vehicle / caravan parks off Tweed Valley Way just after the Railway Street entrance
• a dedicated set down and bus bay.

Please avoid parking in Railway Street and nearby residential areas to minimise impacts to people who live there. There is also public parking available across the road in Budd Park.

Stokers Siding: general community parking

Burringbar: parking with accessible parking spaces at Burringbar Memorial Reserve and Masterson Park

Mooball: general community parking.

Crabbes Creek: limited parking without impacting local village.

Murwillumbah Railway Station. There is a dedicated bus bay at the southern end of the station for buses, coaches, large caravans and safe tour or large group drop offs.

There are no formal drop off areas along the rail trail, please safely use the community parking and the laydown areas at:

• Stokers Siding
• Burringbar village
• Mooball village, as the primary southern trail head
• Crabbes Creek village.

Read more about places along the rail trail.

Take plenty of water with you, and you can purchase more along the way from our rail trail partners.

You can fill your water bottle at the refill stations located at Murwillumbah Railway Station, Burringbar and Mooball.

The Tweed has safe and great tasting drinking water directly from the tap.

Existing public toilets include:

• Murwillumbah Railway Station: male and female public toilets on the station platform (some features are non-compliant with current Australian Standards for disabled access and mobility). We are pursuing options to build an accessible toilet at the station and will open that as soon as possible.
• Stokers Siding: one unisex public toilet at the general store (some features are non-compliant with current Australian Standards for disabled access and mobility).
• Burringbar: male and female toilets at Burringbar Memorial Reserve and Masterson Park (some features are non-compliant with current Australian Standards for disabled access and mobility).
• Mooball: one unisex public toilet at Bernadette Kelly Park (some features are non-compliant with current Australian Standards for disabled access and mobility).
• Crabbes Creek: the closest available public toilet facilities are located at Mooball. There are toilets at Crabbes Creek Hall however these are only available during hall opening times which are limited and vary.

Leave no trace – please take your rubbish with you and protect our native plants and wildlife.

There are no rubbish bins along the rail trail itself, please use the ones at public parks, trail experiences or at the Murwillumbah Railway Station.

It is a family friendly rail trail with lots to see and do.

See the families section of rail trail users for more information.

There are a small number of playgrounds in our parks nearby or adjacent to the rail trail.

In Murwillumbah check out Knox Park Playground a short 1 km walk from Murwillumbah Railway Station, Stokers Siding has a small playground and Mooball a swing set.

Not at this stage, however some of businesses may offer this service for a fee.

The Tweed Regional Aquatic Centre in Murwillumbah is a very short walk/ride/drive and offers hot showers for a low fee.

The rail trail is a recreational asset for all to enjoy, including children and youth. The consumption of alcohol on the trail is not recommended and riding under the influence of alcohol is a serious offence.

There are parks and civic spaces in the Tweed, and adjacent to the trail, where the consumption of alcohol is prohibited. There are several experiences along the rail trail that are licensed so you can enjoy a cold alcoholic beverage if you wish.

Yes, providing it is not for commercial gain, is not blocking any part of the rail trail for other users and you take your rubbish with you.

We encourage you to use the public picnic tables and seating at many stops along the rail trail. If you find a shady spot on the rail trail corridor that you want to stop at, feel free to do so. Please respect adjacent landowners by not entering private property and be cautious of wildlife and animals.

Our ‘taste’ rail trail operators offer a wide range of click and collect platters and hampers or specialty food and beverage options for guests to enjoy.

Yes, and there are also public BBQ facilities at Bernadette Kelly Park at Mooball and Burringbar Memorial Reserve and Masterson Park.

Some of the businesses along the rail trail offer onsite BBQ options also.

Your bike and equipment are your responsibility when using the rail trail.

Along the rail trail there are many rest areas that offer bike racks, as well as at Murwillumbah Railway Station and many of the local businesses. You should travel with your own bike lock.

There is an e-bike charging station available at the Murwillumbah Railway Station located at the Northern end of the platform. The charger is complimentary to use, and you must bring your own charging cord.

The charger is accessed via the Visitor Information Centre and is available Monday to Friday 9 am to 4 pm and Saturday to Sunday 9am – 1 pm.

The Tweed section is 24 kilometres with a total of 6 kilometres of sealed asphalt in the more urban areas from Murwillumbah Railway Station to the Tweed Regional Gallery and between Burringbar and Mooball. The rest of the trail, a total of 18 kilometres, is a solid compacted gravel.

Access the rail trail map that highlights surface types and accessibility features and locations, and weather and rail trail conditions for detailed information.

In most parts the trail itself it is 3 metres wide and narrows to 2.5 metres in some areas such as bridge crossings.

Leave plenty of room to pass and for walkers or riders to be 2 abreast only when it is safe to do so. Always keep left, be aware of your surroundings and other users, and pass with a gap – a metre matters.

Be aware that users may have different seeing and hearing abilities and some may not be able to spot you or act quickly to your approach, including children – so please slow down when passing others.

As a former railway, the Northern Rivers Rail Trail is a relatively flat trail with no hills or mountains.

For most of the Tweed section the rail trail has a maximum grade of 4.5%, making it a suitable trail for all types of users, transport and fitness levels. Some shorter and steeper sections, where pathways bypass bridges, have a slope up to 15%.

On the Tweed section, there are a total of 26 bridges and 2 tunnels. You will cross 16 bridges, bypass 10, and go through 2 tunnels.

Check out bridges and tunnels for more information.

Yes. The rail trail surface is suitable for a wide range of mobility devices. Refer to the access for all section for more information.

We are working hard to make the rail trail accessible for everyone. Some rail trail sections are more accessible for people with disability than others, in terms of pathway slopes, and accessible amenities, toilets and parking nearby.

Refer to the access for all section for to find out where the most accessible trail sections and amenities are located, so you can plan your visit.

The Northern Rivers Rail Trail is suitable for a range of ages and fitness levels. The majority of the rail tail is a gentle and gradual slope no greater than 4.5% and some shorter steeper sections up to 15% where pathways bypass some existing bridges. There are no steep hills, tight bends or sudden drops or dips, if you stay on the shared-user path.

It is a novice standard to suit families and leisure riders looking for a safe and gentle walking or cycling experience, or for enthusiasts looking for longer endurance rides. If you haven’t been on a bike in a while, we recommend some shorter trips to get ‘bike fit’ and help get your bottom used to a bike seat.

The rail trail has many entry and exit points. There are 7 dedicated rest stops and station nodes along the rail trail, and many towns and villages to explore including the trailhead at Murwillumbah Railway Station, Tweed Regional Gallery, Stokes Siding, Upper Burringbar, Burringbar, Mooball and Crabbes Creek.

Check out the rail trail map for further information.

In general, there is no centreline. There will be a painted centreline on sealed sections only where visibility is reduced to less than 30 metres, otherwise there is no centreline.

There are no separate lanes, the rail trail is a shared user path for all – walkers of all abilities, runners, riders, wheelchair users, parents and prams, and horse riders in some places. Please keep left, slow down and pass with a gap – a metre matters. Please do not block the trail for other users.

Check out the views and vistas section for more information.

There are many ways to support the trail to ensure it is maintained to a high standard for locals, visitors and our future generations to enjoy. Check out Support for more information.

Yes. Any organisation that conducts a business or on-trail experience resulting in commercial gain will require a permit or licence.

Head to our Connect Program for more information.

The Rail Trail Connect Program offers a marketing and signage package for businesses that want to connect with rail trail users.

Head to our Connect Program for more information.

The Rail Trail Connect Program provides information about applications and permits, guidelines, fees and insurance requirements for any event proposed to be held on the rail trail.

This includes but is not limited to competitive events, social (non-competitive events and fundraising and charitable events. Read more about what’s on and events.

Personal use and visitor photography is of course welcomed as you experience the rail trail.

Any commercial filming or photography on the rail trail requires relevant approvals from the Northern Rivers Rail Trail Trust and related Council area:

• Tweed Shire Council: Filming and photography in the Tweed
• Richmond Valley Council: Filming permits
• Lismore Council: Filming permits
• Byron Shire: Filming permits

Please contact us at marketing@northernriversrailtrail.com.au.

No. The Northern Rivers Rail Trail brand is trademarked and requires written and express permission from the Northern Rivers Rail Trail for any third party use.

The Rail Trail Connect Program features options to co-brand and business use of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail logo.