How to View Rail Trail Maps on Rail Trails Australia

Updated

To see rail trail maps on railtrails.org.au, you need to sign in or register for an account. The site repeats the prompt "SIGN IN OR REGISTER TO SEE MAPS" across its homepage slides, so map access is tied to being logged in rather than being openly browsable. Without an account you can still read trail descriptions and news, but the map view itself sits behind that sign-in step.

What you can see without signing in

The public pages give you enough to decide whether a trail is worth your time, even if the map is locked:

  • Featured trail summaries with distances, such as Brisbane Valley Rail Trail (161 km), Great Victorian Rail Trail (135 km), Murray to Mountains Rail Trail (137 km), High Country Rail Trail (81 km) and Northern Rivers Rail Trail (54 km).
  • General trail character — the site explains that rail trails follow former railway routes, cutting through hills, over embankments and across gullies and creeks. Most have a gravel or dirt surface suited to walking, mountain bikes and horses, while some are sealed and better for touring bikes.
  • Latest news, including project updates and community feedback opportunities.

What you don't get in that state is the map itself, which is the part that helps you plan a route rather than just pick a name.

Steps to view the maps

  1. Go to railtrails.org.au.
  2. Look for the SIGN IN OR REGISTER prompt shown alongside the map slides.
  3. If you already have an account, sign in. If not, register first.
  4. Once signed in, open the trail you're interested in — the map should now be available.
  5. Use the map to plan your route, then cross-check the trail's distance and surface notes before you commit.

The expected result is that the map renders for the trail you selected, giving you the spatial layout you couldn't see while logged out.

If the map still won't load

  • Confirm you're actually signed in. The prompt appears in several places, so it's easy to assume you're logged in when a session has expired.
  • Check the trail page itself, not just the homepage — map access is per-trail.
  • Re-read any on-page notice. The site surfaces account-related prompts prominently, so a message near the map is the most reliable signal of what's blocking you.
  • Try a different trail. If one page misbehaves, another will tell you whether the problem is your account or that specific page.

Why the sign-in requirement matters for planning

A rail trail map is the difference between a name and a route. Distances like 161 km or 54 km tell you scale, but the map tells you where the trail runs, how it connects to towns, and where the surface changes. If you're choosing between, say, the Great Victorian Rail Trail and the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail, the map is what lets you match a trail to your fitness, your bike and your available days. That's why it's worth completing the registration step rather than working from descriptions alone.

A note on the wider site

Beyond maps, railtrails.org.au also carries an online store, a donations section, and news updates you can subscribe to. The site is also promoting its National Rail Trails Conference in Canberra on 6–7 November 2026, under the theme "Exploring successes and opportunities of rail trails," with a free gravel bike helmet for the first 55 registrants. None of that replaces the map, but it shows the site is an active hub for trail users rather than a static directory.

The short version: register or sign in first, then open the individual trail page, and the map becomes available for route planning.