Mount Gambier railway station
Mount Gambier railway station was the junction station for the Naracoorte–Millicent and Mount Gambier-Heywood lines in the South Australian city of Mount Gambier. It was closed in 1995; the adjacent rail yard has since been removed and replaced with a public community space.
Mount Gambier | |
|---|---|
| Location | Railway Terrace, Mount Gambier |
| Coordinates | 37°49′50″S 140°46′33″E |
| Operated by | Australian National |
| Line(s) | Naracoorte–Millicent Mount Gambier-Heywood |
| Distance | 221 kilometres from Adelaide |
| Platforms | 2 (1 island) |
| Construction | |
| Structure type | Ground |
| Other information | |
| Status | Closed; repurposed as a community park |
| History | |
| Closed | 31 December 1990 (passengers) 12 April 1995 (freight) |
History
In 1879, a narrow 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge line opened from Beachport (Rivoli Bay North) through Millicent to Mount Gambier.[1] In 1887, the Mount Gambier railway line was constructed to Naracoorte (connecting to the Kingston-Naracoorte railway line) and Wolseley, where it joined the Adelaide-Wolseley line.
On 28 November 1917, a broad gauge line opened from Mount Gambier to Heywood near Portland. In the 1950s, the narrow gauge lines were converted to broad gauge.[2]
Mount Gambier had an extensive goods yard and a locomotive depot with a roundhouse.
Following the gauge conversion of the Adelaide-Wolseley and Portland lines to standard gauge in 1995, the lines closed. There are regular calls for the line to be reopened.[3][4][5]
In the late 1990s to early-mid 2000s, the Limestone Coast Railway, operated tourist services on the abandoned lines from Mount Gambier to Penola and Coonawarra Tantanoola, Millicent, Renick with Redhen railcars. However, due to increased insurance costs, the service ceased 1 July 2006.
In 2013, the old yard was lifted and covered with grass.[6][7][8] The station building was then operated by radio station Lime FM.
In 2015, after over a year of work, the Railway Lands was completely transformed into a public community space. 20,000 square metres of turn covered the entire former-industrial site. The grand opening in November saw thousands of residents come together to utilise the area. A "back to nature" playground, wheelchair-accessible barbecues, a pond with a creek, native plants, a labyrinth, plus many more features for the community to use. Mount Gambier City Council plan to use the area for a number of annual events, but encourage local community groups to also activate the area. This, in turn, permanently disconnects the Heywood line from the Millicent and Naracoorte lines except for a two track easement through to give right of way for any future standardisation.
Services
Mount Gambier station was served from Adelaide by an overnight mixed train until October 1985 and then by a service using Bluebird railcars until December 1990. Today, Mount Gambier is connected to the Victorian rail service via a V/Line coach service to and from Warrnambool.[9]
References
- "MOUNT GAMBIER AND RIVOLI BAY RAILWAY". South_Australian_Register. Adelaide, SA: National Library of Australia. 20 May 1879. p. 6. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- Newland, Andrew; Quinlan, Howard (2000). Australian Railway Routes 1854 - 2000. Redfern: Australian Railway Historical Society. pp. 53, 56. ISBN 0-909650-49-7.
- New push for Mount Gambier railway The Border Watch 17 July 2008
- Penola rail pledge confirmed The Border Watch 18 July 2008
- Portland railyards given the shunt Portland Observer 13 February 2008
- Breathing Life into the Rail Lands Archived 23 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine City of Mount Gambier
- Old Mount Gambier rail corridor demolition begins Archived 22 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine The Border Watch 14 October 2013
- Mount Gambier rail lands project takes shape ABC South East SA 4 June 2014
- "Mount Gambier - Melbourne via Warrnambool & Geelong". Public Transport Victoria. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
External links
- Mount Gambier marshalling yards Johnny's Pages