It was something the community thought would never happen, and were told as much many times by those who would know.

South Warrnambool resident Phil Carter said that for two-and-a-half years they were told by many people to "forget it", and even as recently as late last year they were told that it wouldn't be re-opened.

"It's amazing that it has happened," he said.

The popular link between the CBD and South Warrnambool and Lake Pertobe was closed in August 2019, sparking an ongoing campaign from the community, MPs and councillors.

The Gilles Street crossing had been used for more than 130 years by pedestrians and cyclists to access the foreshore before it was fenced off over safety concerns.

Pleas for the crossing to be re-opened appeared to fall on deaf ears, with the message from the state government that nothing would happen in the short-term.

But in a surprise announcement in November, it was revealed someone had in fact been listening and the government announced a $300,000 spend to re-open it.

And just two months later, work on the passive maze crossing to provide a safer route between the town and the foreshore is finally complete.

The government said in response to the community's calls for public access to the crossing, the Department of Transport had worked closely with V/Line over several months to explore the possible construction of a crossing at the location.

Contractor Sterling Infrastructure was appointed to complete construction of the new crossing and the works had been completed on schedule.

The passive maze crossing will be an interim measure ahead of future Warrnambool Line Upgrade works.

As part of stage two of the upgrade project - which will allow the introduction of modern VLocity trains on the line - the crossing will be activated to allow trains to safely use the train stabling facility being built in the location.

Minister for Public Transport Ben Carroll said the government had listened to feedback from the community and was thrilled to see the project now completed, and pedestrians making the most of the crossing.

"Safety has been our number one priority throughout this process, so we've taken the time to ensure we can provide a safe option for pedestrians wanting to access the waterfront," he said.

Member for Western Victoria Gayley Tierney said rail safety was everyone's responsibility and reminded communities to be vigilant at all times when crossing rail lines.

V/Line had said that while the crossing was historically used by the community to access the waterfront, the Gilles Street access road was a private V/Line crossing used by workers to access maintenance facilities and was not a public crossing.

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