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About
With its bustling cafes and traditional country pubs, plus shopping, accomodation, and more, Heyfield is a perfect stop to rest and recharge. If you’re still feeling energized you can explore the 4km of walking paths and boardwalks through the Heyfleld Wetlands.
Keep an eye out for great local events as well — as the town is known for hosting a fantastic day out.
Amenities:
Toilets, Parking, Shopping Centre, Pharmacy, Doctors and Medical Facilities, Accommodation, Hospitality outlets and Information Centre
Option for entering Heyfield from the west
Regular feedback by users of the trail is that navigation from the west and through Heyfield is confusing and steep in parts on the trail and we are very pleased to be working with the Wellington Shire Council to improve this.
Following the original trail up the hill has a steep incline/decline and is possible, however the alternate route for users entering Heyfield from the west is to turn right onto Commercial Road, then turn left and enter through the Heyfield Wetlands into town.
Navigation through this area may feel unclear at times, and we’d like the community to know that we are working on a safe and clear solution.
The closed Heyfield Railway Station in 1986, silent and dilapidated. It was later destroyed in a fire. The remains of the overhead gantry can also be seen. The railway reserve has now been transformed into a park. (Image courtesy of Heyfield and District Historical Society.)
Heyfield Railway Station, 1910-1920. The photograph shows the station with people on the platform, the goods shed and the network of tracks. (Gippsland Plains Rail Trail Collection)
The Heyfield Railway Station was decorated with ags to welcome former residents returning for the ‘Back to Heyfield’ in Easter 1928. Locals gathered to greet them, while politicians and shire councillors gave speeches of welcome on the platform. (Image courtesy of Heyfield and District Historical Society).
History
Though the town and station had been around since the late 1800s, Heyfield was transformed in the 1950s during the postwar timber boom, which saw significant harvesting of alpine ash in the mountains to the north. A number of timber mills sprung up in Heyfield, and the population more than quadrupled between 1949 and 1956. Though the industry started to contract in the 1970s, Heyfield remains a vital source of hardwood in the region, and one of the largest towns in northern Gippsland. Throughout the boom, the railway was essential to the community, with timber moving through station bound for Melbourne as quickly as the freight operators could get it onto the tracks.
The station closed to passenger services in 1977, and to freight in 1987. Destroyed by fire, the original station no longer stands, but the railway reserve has been transformed into a park.
