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.
 

Bushfires north & south

Unfortunately it's time once again to depict bushfires in the local area. This time it is again fires in the Grampians, but also fires to the north (Yaapeet) and north-west (Yanac).
Again we are fortunate to have Lynton Brown photographing fires at the opposite extremes of the region.

Lake Albacutya fire Tuesday

Lake Albacutya fire Tuesday night

Firstly he was at the Lake Albacutya (Yaapeet, Nypo, Hopetoun West) fire on the 14th & 15th, and is now at the Northern Grampians (Halls Gap, Roses Gap) fire.

Albacutya fire Wednesday

Smoke from the Albacutya fire, 15th

Tankers at Yaapeet on Wednesday

Checking on the CFA site today the Lake Albacutya fire has burnt 10,700 hectares, there are a number of other Mallee fires in the Wyperfeld National Park and near Tempy, as well as the Big Desert fire north of Yanac which has burnt 2,881 hectares.
The main Grampians fire (there's another outbreak in the Black Range near Bunjil's Cave, and and in the southern area near Mt Victory) near Polhners Road is also out of control burning in rocky terrain between Roses Gap and Wartook. Lynton has managed to capture these photos on his phone.

Smoke from the Northern Grampians fire 16th

Approaching the Northern Grampians fire, Thursday

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.