00:00Bicycles ready, these riders are at the helm of a new wave of adventure tourism.
00:09COVID was probably one of the best things that could happen for outdoor tourism.
00:14This is the Boyne Burnett Inland Rail Trail in central Queensland,
00:19stretching 270km from Tarragoola to Gainder.
00:25The first section opened in 2021.
00:28The overall aim is to actually have the entire corridor open,
00:33so it's walkable or rideable for horses or bikes.
00:37So that's the ultimate plan.
00:39It will then be the longest rail trail in the southern hemisphere.
00:43But the region is already reaping the benefits,
00:47with thousands of visitors using the trail each year.
00:51We've got micro-businesses that have started to open up
00:55that are able to support the rail trail and those users.
00:59And it's making a difference for the little towns.
01:03The estimated economic value is somewhere between $50 a day
01:08and around $483 a day per visitor.
01:13It's going to revitalise a lot of little areas, the whole system.
01:18Those smaller towns probably have the most to gain.
01:22Not only is the region attracting more visitors
01:26who want to connect with nature,
01:28but its tourist season is running for longer.
01:32The best is still to come.
01:34Even locals don't realise what it's going to bring to the area
01:39and what it is currently doing for the area.
01:42So I think, yeah, we've got so much more to gain from it.
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