In 2022, the Victorian State Government announced $8.5 million in funding to support the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail Enhancements project. To support the delivery of the project, Tourism North East is the lead agency, working closely with the Rural City of Wangaratta, Indigo and Alpine Shires.
ALPINE SHIRE UPDATE | MAY 2025
Installation of the new enhancements project has officially commenced along the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail.
The additions, including large scale artworks, new amenities and improved wayfinding are designed to enhance the trail experience for our local communities and visitors alike, adding a splash of colour, inspiration and upgraded facilities.
Keep an eye out as things come to life over the coming weeks at Eurobin Station and the Roberts Creek Bridge.
EUROBIN STATION | FEBRUARY 2025
CREATIVE CONCEPT
True Horizons
We're pleased to introduce the final design for the Eurobin Station site by Kent Morris, titled True Horizons.
True Horizons, a Truth Telling Reflection Point, is a First-Nations-led experience that invites visitors to pause and reflect on what the horizon might look like today if First Nations peoples had not been denied the opportunity to thrive as they had done here for thousands of years.
The area is famous for its expansive, sweeping horizons however First Nations voices are tragically missing from the view following colonisation. The work poses a fundamental question, “what’s missing?"
From the artist:
"My proposed design for the Eurobin site of the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail represents a cultural marker for reflection, connection and knowledge; the often-unrecognised deep time First Peoples knowledge embedded in Country throughout the area, and across the state and country. I would hope the design engages and inspires the community on their daily travels and visits, encouraging them to open their hearts and minds, to look and listen deeply on their journey through the site and to embrace the knowledge embedded in Country.
The source of cultural inspiration for the design is the bogong moth and the sites proximity to an over 2000-year connection to this extraordinary creature for the community. The moth speaks to the history of First Nations people gathering for at least 65 generations and to the importance of caring for Country and maintaining a healthy ecosystem for all connected to the Alpine region.
The annual migration of bogong moths represents the second largest energy input into the Alpine region, after the sun. An estimated 4.4 billion moths normally arrive in the south-eastern Australian alpine regions each year, to escape the hotter weather in lowland south-east Australia. Since 2017 very low numbers of bogong moths have been migrating to the alps.
The overall sculptural form acknowledges and pays respect to the significance of the bogong moth for many First Nations language groups including the Dhudhuroa, Gunai-Kurnai, Taungurung, Waywurru and Jaithmathang peoples of the Alpine region to the present day. The moth larvae develop along vast plains of the Darling River, the Barka, the ancestral and spiritual home of my people, Barkindji people, before making their journey to the Alpine region which creates a strong connection to the work and area for me."
Combining the forms associated with a traditional monument, the migration lines of the moth, a star map and the moth itself, the design represents a merging of the past and the present and provides a shared place for discussion and reflection through a First Nations lens. It also reinforces the multiple uses of the area over time as a place of travel, cultural activity and social engagements.
The overall form celebrates the annual migration journey of the bogong moth but also reflects on its concerning endangered conservation status. The single moth featured in the work expresses its integral beauty but also the decline in numbers being witnessed since the 1980’s and severe declines more recently. The work asks will the sculpture become a remembrance of a unique species now vanished or will it celebrate its ongoing survival, and its cultural and ecological significance into the future.
BRIGHT TO POREPUNKAH | MAY 2025
The Colour Bridge
We appreciate the community’s patience and understanding as Tourism North East, in collaboration with Alpine Shire Council, work to complete the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail Enhancement project, including the much anticipated new bridge installation at Roberts Creek in Porepunkah.
While the project has experienced some unexpected delays in the design phase, we are pleased to announce the bridge will be installed in June of this year, with the enhancement artwork to follow in July 2025.
We look forward to sharing more updates as each of the enhancement sites come to life.
Until then, below are some concept drawings from the artist.
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