Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program - Upper Derwent Valley

Upper Derwent Valley Rail Trail Community Workshops

Join us for the Upper Derwent Valley Multi-Use Rail Trail community workshops. This is the third round of community engagement for the federally funded Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program (rPPP), where we will present the draft reference design of the rail trail, explain the key design requirements, and seek community feedback on any local concerns, risks and potential mitigation strategies.

Workshops details:

Wednesday 8 July 2026

Westerway Community Hall, 1571 Gordon River Road

5:30pm - 7:30pm

Saturday 11 July 2026

Maydena RSL Subbranch, 70 Kallista Road

9:30am - 11:30am

If you cannot attend but want to be involved, please email dvcouncil@dvc.tas.gov.au or call 03 6261 8500.

Over the past several months, Council and the consortium of consultants have undertaken extensive work for the Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program (rPPP) Stream One funding.

Background

The Australian Government granted the Derwent Valley Council just over $500,000 to complete the community engagement, economic analysis, planning work and design work required to identify the specific future needs of the communities of Maydena, Plenty, Hayes, Bushy Park, Glenora, Westerway and National Park.

The focus of the grant is to identify a catalytic project that will connect the townships of the Upper Derwent Valley while creating and building partnerships. Under the program guidelines, this project had to be identified through the development of a precinct plan supported by extensive community engagement.

Council’s goal has been to understand how to improve connectivity, support the growth of tourism and the regional economy, and contribute to the social infrastructure of the Upper Derwent Valley.

Upper Derwent Valley Precinct Plan

Following two rounds of community engagement and Council endorsement at the April 2026 Council Meeting, the final Upper Derwent Valley Precinct Plan (the Plan) is now available.

Upper Derwent Valley Precinct Plan

The Plan is a high-level, long-term strategic document that provides a coordinated framework to strengthen the resilience and prosperity of the Valley’s communities. It brings together local aspirations, regional strategies and state level policy directions to guide land use, infrastructure investment, environmental protection, collaboration and decision-making across the Valley over the coming decades.

The Plan establishes a shared vision for the future of the Upper Derwent Valley: one that supports connected townships, healthy communities and sustainable tourism, while safeguarding the Valley’s unique landscapes, heritage and way of life.

The development of the Plan has been informed by Tasmania’s broader planning context to ensure alignment with relevant state-wide objectives, legislation, policies and strategies. In addition, the consultant consortium has prepared a suite of supporting documents, currently undergoing final revisions, which have informed the development of the Upper Derwent Valley Precinct Plan alongside community and stakeholder engagement:

The Priority Project: Upper Derwent Valley Multi-Use Trail

In line with the rPPP program guidelines, the Precinct Plan identifies a major project that can unlock future investment and partnerships across the Upper Derwent Valley, which also connects the entire precinct and catalyses growth across several domains.

The project identified through this process is a multi-use path along the rail corridor. The Upper Derwent Valley multi-use trail would create a continuous, safe and off-road link along the rail corridor, improving access between townships and key destinations. It responds directly to limited transport choice, unsafe rural roads and a lack of local walking and cycling options. The trail also supports visitor dispersal, local business growth and access for people who cannot drive.

Next Steps

Council’s next step is to use the Precinct Plan and associated strategies and frameworks to guide the feasibility and design of the multi-use path along the rail corridor.

Council has appointed WSP to deliver the feasibility and design work for the proposed Upper Derwent Valley multi-use trail. WSP has commenced work to understand and test the feasibility of constructing and maintaining a multi-use trail along the rail corridor in the Upper Derwent Valley.

As part of this work, WSP will also prepare reference and detailed designs for the project to fulfil the requirements of the rPPP grant.

Once complete, Council will use the Precinct Plan, supporting strategies and design work to seek external funding to progress the project.

Have questions? Frequently asked questions answered HERE