Yonder to Yanac

Following a comment concerning the ‘Railways – Yanac line’ post in August 2016, which referred to an article featuring the history of the Jeparit - Yanac branch-line published in the Spring Edition of the ‘Australian Railway Enthusiast’ magazine, we have sourced a copy from the State Library of Victoria’s collection (Thanks SLV).

Titled ‘Yonder to Yanac-a-Yanac Jeparit – Yanac branch line history’ by Bruce Payne, it follows the establishment of the lines from Dimboola to Yaapeet and the branching from Jeparit through Detpa, Lorquon and Netherby to Yanac, and details how the line was constructed –

Detpa 255½ mile (441km) 318ft (97m) ASL

Detpa opened with the line to Lorquon and appears to have always been operated under no-one-in-charge conditions. The name is native “wait” or “stop a bit”. There was once a suggestion of naming it ‘Hindmarsh’ but this never eventuated. It consisted of a siding, sheep race, silo complex of 13,300 tonnes in 1984, 15-ton weighbridge, and a Mallee shed situated on the passenger platform.

Detpa in 2012

Lorquon 261½ mile (421km) 356ft (109m) ASL
Lorquon became the terminus and train staff & ticket station from December 1912 till the line was extended to Yanac in 1916...it consisted of 2 sidings, silo complex of 9,700 tonnes in 1984, 15-ton weighbridge and a platform with a small station building.

Lorquon's silos & weighbridge

Netherby 267½ mile (431km) 406ft (109m) ASL
Netherby was named after Netherby in Yorkshire and the ship Netherby wrecked off King Island. It was established as a train staff  and ticket station when the line opened to Yanac in June 1916. Initially it was operated by a Station Master who also supervised Yanac. He was replaced by a caretaker in September 1922, then dis-established as a staff and ticket station in December. The caretaker remained till May 1976. Netherby had 2 sidings, a sheep race, silos of 14,200 tonnes, a 2½ ton crane, 15 ton weighbridge and a small wooden station building.

The Netherby silo complex

Yanac 279½ mile (450km) 421ft (129m) ASL
Yanac opened on 27 June 1916 and operated under caretaker-in-charge conditions. The station facilities were two sidings, a cattle & sheep race, silos of 14,000 tonnes, a 2½ ton crane, 15 ton weighbridge, a small wooden station building, loco water storage and a crew rest house. A turntable never eventuated, and the station building was downsized and finally removed. It operated under caretaker conditions till July 1976 and officially closed on 8 December 1986.

Site of Yanac's station building, looking toward Netherby today

 

Bruce's view of Yanac in 1975 (sorry for the flaring)

Yanac's silos without the Goods Shed & Station building looking west to the buffers at the end of the line

Thanks to Bruce's article for all the information and the historic photos.
 

Into the land of the Lowan

Its time for another 'Wimmera  in Photographs' Collection Day.
This time it will be held in the Hindmarsh Shire. The Shire covers the pre-amalgamation area covered by the Dimboola and Lowan Shires - in the south from the Wimmera River north to Lake Albacutya and west beyond Nhill - so a fertile area for historic photographs.

The abandoned Detpa Store, adjacent to the railway station

Some of the pastoral stations established in the region were: Albacutya in 1848, Horatio Cockburn Ellerman at Antwerp in 1847, Ballarook from 1847, Lake Hindmarsh (Pine Hills & Tullyvea) to Stieglitz in 1847, Lorquon in 1851, Mt Elgin and its subdivision Lawloit, Nhill in 1847, Upper Regions (Bonegar & Lochiel) in 1848, Woraigworm in 1849, and Yanac-A-Yanac in 1847...over 160 years of history.
As well there have been some significant events - the 1897 storm which nearly flattened Nhill; Big Lizzie's traverse from Outlet Creek along the west shore of Lake Hindmarsh and through the eastern Little Desert; the RAAF base at Nhill in World War 2 - all great photo opportunities, and hopeful there might be some prints or negatives show up during the Collection Day.

Interior of the Woorak West Methodist Church, built in 1886

The Collection Day is Friday 12th June at the Dimboola Library from 10am to 12:30pm then the Nhill Library from 2pm to 5pm.People with historic photos, negatives, and/or slides are encouraged to bring them for scanning. Appointments are necessary. To book, call in at Dimboola Library Phone: 5389 1734 or Nhill Library Phone: 5391 1684.

Railways - Yanac line

The rail motor leaving Yanac for Dimboola in 1975 (from "C.R.S.V.)

Before the Yanac line was built, farmers had to cart their bagged wheat in wagon loads to towns on the main line forming huge stacks. A top-grade bag-lumper could handle 2,500 bags (over 200 tons) a day. In an effort to develop the area north of Nhill, a government expedition  explored the Mallee country to Cow Plains (now Murrayville) in 1908, then lobbying by the secretary of the Lorquon Railway League - James Menzies (father of Sir Bob) to the Railways Standing Committee saw construction of the Jeparit to Yanac line commence. The Yanac line branched west at Jeparit, skirting the southern shores of Lake Hindmarsh, with stops at
Detpa

The concrete silos at Detpa were built 1938-39

The line reached Lorquon in December 1912, where it terminated before the extension to Netherby and Yanac. Below in 1971 - the guard uses the party line phone to tell train control how they are progressing, while the driver does the brakes.

Lorquon (from VR.net)

The abandoned Lorquon sampling shed

  
Construction of the extension to Netherby began in May 1915, and it was officially opened in May 1916, in its heyday it boasted a waiting room, goods shed, weighbridge, stock yards, a large crane, and 3 gangers homes. Wheat was stacked in bags until silos were built in 1938 and bulk handling took over. In 1984 all staff were transferred, the houses shifted, all buildings demolished and the platform removed - the line nearly closed, despite a large harvest requiring the construction of an open bunker for 17,000 tonnes of wheat.

Netherby shed and silos

Yanac station building, 1975 (from "C.R.S.V.)

Yanac the line was extended to the terminus at Yanac in June 1916. The last passenger service ran about 1950, later the station was unstaffed and the station utilised for just grain and super-phosphate. In 1984 a tender was let for the line's removal, and it officially closed in December 1986.

Activity at Yanac in 1971 (from "VR stations & stopping places")

End of the line - the buffers at Yanac

Further information and photographs at

Neville Gee's "VR stations and stopping places" and John Sargent's "Country railway stations Victoria" series and Mark Bau's VR.net site.