Land purchase clears path for Richmond Vale Rail Trail in Newcastle

10 December 2025

newy.com.au – City of Newcastle has approved the purchase of three parcels of land in Minmi and Hexham to progress the long-planned Richmond Vale Rail Trail at its December council meeting.

Newcastle Labor councillors say the land acquisition, backed unanimously by the elected council, is a major step towards delivering the shared cycling and walking path, which has been a joint regional priority for more than a decade and now forms part of the proposed cross-regional Shiraz to Shore cycle trail.

The decision, supported by Ward 4 Labor councillors Deahnna Richardson and Elizabeth Adamczyk, will see City of Newcastle acquire land identified as essential to build its section of the Richmond Vale Rail Trail. The land lies between Minmi and Fletcher and near Hexham, forming part of what council has described as a strategic infrastructure priority.

Following the acquisitions, City of Newcastle will begin detailed design work for two sections of the pedestrian and cycle trail, running from Minmi to Minmi Junction and from Fletcher to Minmi Junction. Councillors say this focuses early design effort on key links in the western corridor of the city.

“This is a long term project, and the acquisition of land for the development of this shared pathway is an incredibly important milestone,” Cr Richardson said.

She described the Richmond Vale Rail Trail as “an excellent example of adaptive reuse of an historic rail corridor preserving those important heritage aspects like the railway tunnels, while delivering critical pedestrian and cycling infrastructure for communities in the western corridor”.

“This is a significant investment in our shared wellbeing, our heritage, and a future where active transport, historical value, and environmental stewardship shape a healthier city and build stronger, more connected communities, for generations to come,” she said.

Newcastle Labor councillors said City of Newcastle had consistently advocated for the trail since 2018, including securing development approval for construction in 2021 and allocating funding in this year’s capital works budget for access points at Shortland and Maryland. They said Labor councillors had also ensured funding was brought forward earlier in 2025 into the 2025–26 works program, in response to community advocacy, to progress design of access links from Maryland and Fletcher through the Hunter Wetlands.

The Richmond Vale Rail Trail would re-purpose sections of the former Richmond Vale Railway and disused water pipeline corridors through Minmi, Fletcher and Shortland. It has been identified in the Hunter Regional Plan 2041 as providing a regional backbone for future trails and shared pathways, with linked recreational, economic, tourism, health and social benefits.

Councillors say the Newcastle section of the RVRT is considered critical to the overall trail because it would serve growing communities in Minmi, Beresfield/Tarro and Shortland and connect users to destinations including Blue Gum Hills Regional Park, the Minmi trailhead and township, existing and planned Fletcher pathways, the Hunter Wetlands Centre and National Park, major active transport routes, links to the Hunter River at Hexham and the Rocky Knob conservation area.

“The acquisition of these parcels of land which were part of the former colliery rail line is the next necessary step to progress a longstanding community- and councillor- supported proposal to bring to life the Richmond Vale Rail Trail,” Cr Adamczyk said.

She said the RVRT would give residents and visitors an opportunity to experience Newcastle’s natural environment “from a new perspective, by connecting much-loved locations in our city including the RAMSAR-listed Hunter Wetlands at Shortland, the Rocky Knob Conservation Area at Black Hill, and the Blue Gum Hills Regional Park in Minmi”.

“This resolution demonstrates clear leadership by the elected Council to take this proposal from concept to reality,” Cr Adamczyk said. “I am celebrating this commitment to deliver the next component of the RVRT as important public infrastructure for active and passive recreation and commuting.”

The councillors said the Richmond Vale Rail Trail is a key connective piece in the broader Shiraz to Shore cycle trail, a concept launched in 2024 with five Hunter Joint Organisation member councils, and that bringing the full Shiraz to Shore network to fruition will require significant funding support from the NSW and Federal governments.

With the land acquisition now approved, City of Newcastle will move into the detailed design phase for the Minmi and Fletcher links, while continuing to advocate for the external funding needed to deliver the wider Richmond Vale Rail Trail and Shiraz to Shore projects.