About the Project
The Tullis Bridge Rail Trail makes use of the Hotham Valley Railway Line from the Boddington Rodeo Grounds to Tullis Bridge. The 16km return trip travels through urban bushland, parallel to the light industrial area, into farmland with two small areas of remnant conservation, and into bushland for the final approach to Tullis Bridge on the picturesque bank of the Hotham River.
The trail was initially developed by the Rail Heritage Foundation of WA Inc and later the Peel Regional Trails Strategy noted the importance of the trail as a local recreation resource and short trail opportunity for visitors to Boddington as well as potentially linking this trail to Dwellingup via the existing railway reserve creating a long distance cycling and walking opportunity, connecting cyclists and walkers with the Munda Biddi Trail and Bibbulmun Track.
The Shire intends to develop and enhance the Boddington to Tullis Bridge Rail and is a priority project in the Shire Council Plan 2025 - 2035.
Project Progress
In 2024 the Shire commissioned a Trail Audit which was completed by Common Ground. The audit assessed the current condition of the trail surface, alignment, signage, and other infrastructure along the trail.
The Trail Audit made a number of recommendations most notably removal of remaining rail hardware and re-profiling of steel tracks.
Following discussions with Council and extensive stakeholder engagements, it has been decided that the preferred approach is to keep as much of the existing rail hardware as possible and therefore maintaining the existing trail as it runs through Town and designing a new trail that runs parallel to the rail formation through the open farmland, before connecting with the existing track again as you head towards Tullis Bridge.
The Trail Head is also proposed to be relocated from the Rodeo Grounds to Hotham Park.
Common Ground has been engaged to prepare a detailed design for the new trail through the open farmland section which is due to be completed in early 2026.