On July 7th, 14 walkers braved the frosty weather and headed out on the Dookie Rail Trail. Commencing at the CWA Gardens in the centre of town, we followed the well signposted trail in a loop around former settlements and rolling hills. It was hard to imagine that the quiet paddocks surrounding us had once been dotted with thriving villages, including Cashel, once thought to rival Benalla in potential.

A highlight of the walk was the visit to the beautiful, privately owned Chateau at the heart of the old wine growing district. All up, it was an enjoyable 9 kms and we were happy to sit down to our picnic lunch at Dookie!
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Our thanks to Helen for her detailed organisation, and to Brian for an informative and interesting commentary on local history.

Glen and Julie

‘A day out of the box’ greeted 13 walkers who travelled to the township of Dookie on July 15th to walk the 4 km rail trail walk from the township towards Katandra.  The beautiful sunny day highlighted the healthy crops, the pretty township and it’s historic church on the hill.

Two separate groups followed the trail with its explanatory sign boards.  

​The first group completed 3.5 kms of the trail, then returned via Saddleback Road which allowed closer viewing of St Mary’s Church on the hill behind the town.  

Photographs:  Andi Stevenson, Wendy Sturgess

​The second group (or 'Gentle Amblers') completed a shorter stage of the trail, then returned back the way they had come.

Photographs:  Meg Dillon, Fujii Kyohei, Andi Stevenson, Wendy Sturgess, Marg Walshe

​"It is wonderful to have so many people contributing to these walks by taking photos, offering to take small groups and assisting in so many ways ... a team effort."   Marg Walshe