Competition details to design a logo and slogan for the Wodonga-Cudgewa Rail Trail

A logo and slogan is needed to identify the rail trail being currently formed from the Kiewa River on the outskirts of Wodonga to Sandy Creek, on the edge of Lake Hume in Indigo Shire.

It is hoped the trail will eventually extend to Cudgewa and the logo must be applicable for the entire trail. The prize for the winning entry will be $500. The closing date for entries is 21/12/2001.

The trail has been named The High Country Heritage Rail Trail. The logo is the most important thing – a slogan is encouraged but not a mandatory inclusion for entries.

The logo and/or slogan will be used for signs on the trail and also on brochures, letterheads and clothing. A logo is needed which reflects the trail’s geographic setting and the spirit of trail users. It will also be a marketing tool.

The organizing committee is looking for something different and vibrant, as the rail trail will form a key part of parklands vision of, in partnership with the Albury-Wodonga community, “establishing the most magnificent regional parklands in Australia”.

What is a rail trail?

Rail trails are multi-purpose pathways built on closed rail corridors. They provide reserves for conservation of native plants and for the creation of green links. Stripped of rock ballast and sleepers and provided with a new surface, they make great places for walking or riding.

What about this rail trail?

The disused rail corridor from Wodonga to Sandy Creek, about 18km, was gazetted as a rail trail in 1999 and is now being developed for use by a volunteer committee, the Wodonga to Sandy Creek Rail Trail Advisory Committee, with Parklands as the appointed land manager.

The trail crosses the Kiewa River flood plain and follows the Lake Hume foreshore to terminate at the site of the dismantled bridge across Sandy Inlet. The section from Sandy Creek to Old Tallangatta has also been recently passed to Parklands as Committee of Management by the Minister to be developed as a rail trail.

The rail reserve between Old Tallangatta and Cudgewa, except a 14km section near Shelley was passed to Parklands in December 1998.

What is the railway’s history?

Work began on the 106km line from Bandiana to Cudgewa in 1887. The line was built in stages and was finished in 1921. Passengers, timber and agricultural products were carried. The vital role played by the branch line in the development and prosperity of the region it served cannot be denied. Nationally, the Wodonga to Cudgewa Rail line had significant impacts including the building of the Hume Dam, train loops to Bonegilla (1940-45) and migrant trains to Bonegilla (1947-61). The line’s peak use was in the 1960s, carrying material for the Snowy Mountains Scheme.

What are the distinctive features of the line?

Lake Hume dominates the lower part of the line but higher up, rugged wooden trestle bridges, thick bush, pine plantations and high hills are features. Shelley station, in the upper half of the line, was Victoria’s highest railway station. There is a view from a lookout near Shelley to Australia’s highest mountains in the Kosciuszko National Park.

Points the committee is looking for in a winning entry:

Although the rail trail is currently being developed from the Kiewa River to Sandy Creek, it is hoped to eventually extend along the entire line to cudgewa. The logo should be suitable for the entire trail.

The name High Country Rail Trail has been chosen by the committee for the trail and must be included in all logos. The lake, wooden bridges, high hills and snow views would be useful inclusions in a logo, but probably not all of these features as the design would become too crowded.

The committee is looking for elegant simplicity, accuracy, practicality and something that will catch the eye.

Important notes:

How to enter:

Submit the logo, drawn or printed, on A4 paper. More than one design can be included, and is encouraged, with each entry. If including a slogan, include it on a separate piece of A4 paper. Write your name, address and contact phone number on a piece of paper and submit it with your entry to:

Logo Competition
Parklands Albury-Wodonga
PO Box 1040
WODONGA Vic 3689.

This competition is now closed.