Murwillumbah railway station

The Murwillumbah railway station is a heritage-listed former terminus railway station located on the Murwillumbah line in South Murwillumbah, in the Tweed Shire local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The former railway station is also known as the Murwillumbah Railway Station and yard group. The station opened on 24 December 1894[1] and closed on 16 May 2004 when the line from Casino was closed.[2] The station was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.[3]

Murwillumbah
Murwillumbah station in 2008
LocationOld Pacific Highway, South Murwillumbah,
Australia
Coordinates28°19′48″S 153°24′10″E
Owned byTransport Asset Holding Entity
Operated byNSW TrainLink
Line(s)Murwillumbah
Distance934.91 km (580.93 mi) from Central
Platforms1
Tracks2
Construction
Structure typeGround
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Status
  • Closed for rail passenger transport
  • Serves as a coach station
History
Opened24 December 1894
Closed16 May 2004
Official nameMurwillumbah Railway Station and yard group
TypeState heritage (complex / group)
Designated2 April 1999
Reference no.1206
TypeRailway Platform/ Station
CategoryTransport - Rail
Route map
North Coast line to Sydney
805
Casino
North Coast line to Brisbane
Old Casino
Bungabbee
Leycester
Lismore
Leycester Creek bridge
North Lismore
Woodlawn
Bexhill
Eltham
Laureldale
Booyong Junction
Tyumba
Teven
Ballina
Booyong
Binna Burra
Bangalow
St Helena
Byron Bay
Shirley Street crossing
Byron Beach
Kendal Street crossing
Belongil Creek bridge
North Byron
Tyagarah
Myocum
Mullumbimby
Billinudgel
Crabbes Creek
Mooball
Burringbar
Stokers
Dunbible
Murwillumbah
Condong

History

Beyond the station, the line continued for a few kilometres as a freight line to Condong. It served a sugar mill until 1972.[4] Murwillumbah had a X200 shunter until the opening of a new motorail siding in August 1988 made it surplus.[5]

Despite no longer being served by trains, the station remains open as a NSW TrainLink booking office. The station forecourt is served by NSW TrainLink coach services to Casino, Tweed Heads and Robina,[6] and Premier Motor Service services to Brisbane, Lismore and Sydney.[7] It is also currently used as the town's tourist information centre.

Description

The complex comprises a type 12 station pre-cast concrete freight station, erected c.1926; a goods shed being a side shed without awning with an end platform, erected in 1894. Other structures included a concrete/steel/brick platform face; a water tower with a round brick base with cast iron tank over, erected c.1894; and a jib crane - T533, erected 1894.[3]

Murwillumbah had one platform, with a passing loop and motorail siding at the northern end of the station. It was served by trains from Sydney including the North Coast Mail until 1973, when replaced by the Gold Coast Motorail which in February 1990 was replaced by a XPT service.[8]

Heritage listing

Murwillumbah is a good example of a station constructed in the 1920s from pre cast concrete, the predominant material of the period of which relatively little has survived. The building is a substantial structure which has maintained the form of the earlier building with the change of material. It forms part of a group that contains a very good goods shed example and a rare water tank on a round brick base, only three of these were built, all on the north coast line. The station building has had some recent additions of poor quality which detract from significance. The site is also significant because of its connection with the carrying of vehicles on the Motorail service (no longer operating) and the facilities connected with that activity.[3]

The Murwillumbah railway station was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 having satisfied the following criteria.[3]

The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales.

This item is assessed as historically rare. This item is assessed as scientifically rare. This item is assessed as arch. rare. This item is assessed as socially rare.[3]

See also

  • List of railway stations in New South Wales

References

  1. "Murwillumbah Station". NSWRail.net. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016.
  2. "Closure of the Casino to Murwillumbah rail service" (PDF). Parliament of New South Wales. November 2004. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  3. "Murwillumbah Railway Station and yard group". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H01206. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  4. "Murwillumbah Branch". Railway Digest: 224. June 1988.
  5. "Murwillumbah Branch". Railway Digest: 375. October 1988.
  6. "North Coast timetable". NSW Trainlink. 7 September 2019.
  7. Timetables Archived 10 April 2013 at the Wayback Machine Premier Motor Service
  8. "The New Timetable". Railway Digest: 94. March 1990.

Attribution

This Wikipedia article contains material from Murwillumbah Railway Station and yard group, entry number 01206 in the New South Wales State Heritage Register published by the State of New South Wales and Office of Environment and Heritage 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on 2 June 2018.

Media related to Murwillumbah railway station at Wikimedia Commons

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