The last stop

The first Wimmera regional Library bookmobile

The bookmobile was officially opened in Birchip and Donald on 22^nd June 1967 by the State Librarian Mr Kenneth A.R. Horn.

The Official Opening

The mobile started operation in July 1967, in the shires of Birchip, Donald and Karkarooc, covering an area of 3,331 square miles. It travelled up to stops at Patchewollock in Karkarooc, and Watchupga in Birchip Shire.

The class of 1968 at Donald Primary School

 In 1984, Birchip changed from a Mobile site to a joint-use branch library at the Birchip P-12 College, with Margaret Glen and Andrew Rossner working together.

The Mobile at Donald Primary

The vehicle was a Bedford TK KEL 3D. It carried 3,500 books. The first operator/driver was Mr Jack Klowss, he was on the road from Tuesday to Saturday, staying away 3 nights a week.

Jack Klowss on the mobile

Move forward 50 odd years, and the Mobile Library is making its final visit to Donald. After 3 new vehicles and even more operator/drivers, Paul will drive up Woods Street and park outside the Post Office for the last time tomorrow.

The Bedford parked outside the Donald Post Office site

Reviving the Mechanics'

Victoria once had more than one thousand Mechanics' Institutes scattered across the state. In many cases Institute halls were the first public building in a town, and today they are often the last.

Great Western

To obtain a complete picture of the heritage these organisations provided, the Mechanics' Institutes of Victoria Incorporated has been digitising the local records held by halls & institutes.

Murtoa

Records are sometimes held by the halls themselves, or with the local council, historical society, or museum, even with private individuals and trustees.
The digitisation process is funded from both philanthropic and government grant money.

Rainbow

After MIVic have made digital copies, the originals are returned to the records owner or provider along with a digital CD of the records. Copyright remains with the records owner.
Locally, records which have already been digitised are:  Apsley, Corack, Donald, Edenhope, Laen, Langkoop, Poolaijelo, Rich Avon West, St Arnaud, and Stuart Mill.

If you have Mechanics Institute records just waiting for the opportunity to be digitised, contact the Scanning Project Coordinator Judith Dwyer at mirc@mivic.org.au

NFHM post 4

Week 4 - "Power without glory" by Frank Hardy. 
Hardy's novel of the power machinations in Victorian politics. John West rose from a Melbourne slum to dominate Australian politics with bribery, brutality and fear. It is a tale of corruption stretching from street corner SP bookmaking to the most influential men in the land - and the terrible personal cost of the power such corruption brings. 

The novel covers a wide range of notorious characters from criminals to Archbishops and politicians, wrestlers to gamblers and everyone else in between. 
So much so, that there is a list of the book characters and their real life equivalents

ASHTON, Frank — Frank Anstey, Labor politician and social propagandist BENNETT (The Gentleman Thief) — Hon. W.J. Beckett, M.L.C. 

BLACKWELL, Maurice — Maurice Blackburn, State Labor MP & Federal Labor M.P.

BLAIRE — Sir Thomas Blamey, Army general and Victorian Police Commissioner 1925–1936

BOND, Thomas — Sir Thomas Bent, Premier of Victoria 1904-1909

BRADLEY, Richard — Richard Buckley, notorious criminal

BRADY, William — Bill Barry, Victorian Labor M.P., minister in various Cain governments 

CALLINAN, Police Commissioner — Thomas O'Callaghan, Police Commissioner 1902–1913

CAMERON — Campbell, Cycling Promoter Exhibition

CARR, John — John Cain Snr, leader of Victorian Labor, Premier on three occasions

CONN (Archbishop) — Thomas Carr, Catholic archbishop of Melbourne preceding Daniel Mannix

CORY, Pat — Pat Cody of Australian Distilleries

CREGAN, J. — Jack Cremean, Federal M.P.

CUTTING, Slasher — John 'Snowy' Cutmore, gunman and thief

DARBY, Lou — Les Darcy, boxer

DAVISON, Alfie — Sir Albert Dunstan, Conservative Victorian Premier 1935 -1943 (and local member)

DEVLIN, Dr. — Sir Hugh Devine, surgeon

DWYER, Godfrey — Sir Gilbert Dyett, long-time President of the R.S.L.

EVANS, Bill — Bill Egan, bricklayer

GARSIDE, David — David Gaunson, prominent criminal solicitor

GIBBON, Sir S. — Sir Samuel Gillott, Chief Secretary in the Bent Cabinet

HORAN, Ned — Ned Hogan, twice Labor Premier of Victoria

JOGGINS, Rev. — Rev. William Judkins, prominent anti-vice crusader and preacher

JOLLY, Bob — Bob Solly, Labor M.P. for in Victorian Parliament for many years

KELLEHER, Paddy — Pat Kennelly, M.L.C. Federal Secretary, A.L.P.

KIELY, Michael — Stan Leon, Victorian Member, later Federal M.P.

LAMB, Richard — Dick Lean, manager of Festival Hall

LAMBERT, Percy — Percy Laidler, bookshop owner & theatrical supplier, socialist organiser and orator

LAMMENCE, Frank — Frank Laurence, former secretary of John Wren

LASSITER family — Loughnan family

LEVY, Ben — Ben Nathan, co-founder of Maples furniture and music store chain

LEWIS, Piggy — Piggy Ryan, alias Williamson, gunman and stand-over man

LANE — Jack Lang, N.S.W. Labor leader and Premier

McCORKELL — William McCormack, Queensland Labor Premier

MALONE, Daniel — Dr Daniel Mannix, Catholic archbishop of Melbourne

MANSON, "Plugger" Pete — "Plugger" Bill Martin, cyclist

MORAN family — Mahon family

MORTON, Jim — Jim Morley, communist organiser, journalist with the 'Morning Post'

MURKETT, Kenneth — Sir Keith Murdoch, journalist & newspaper proprietor

O'FLAHERTY, Dave — Detective O'Donnell, Chief of the Gaming Squad

PARELLI — Pellegrini

PARKER, Oliver — Clyde Palmer, 'Truth' newspaper journalist

REAL, T.J. —  T.J. Ryan, Queensland Premier

REDMON, Ron — Ron Richards, Aboriginal boxer

RENFREY, Sugar — Robert "Sugar" Roberts, Mayor of Collingwood

ROBINSON, Barney — Barney Reynolds, a member of John Wren's staff

SANDOW —  Ad Santel, champion wrestler

SOLOMON, Sol — Sol Green, noted bookmaker

SQUEERS, Bill — Bill Squires, boxer

SUMMER, James —  James Scullin, Labor M.P., Prime Minister 1929-32

SWINTON —  Sir George Swinburne, engineer, politician and philanthropist

TANNER, Snoopy —  Joseph 'Squizzy' Taylor, gunman and thief

THE GENERAL - "Major" Taylor, cyclist

THURGOOD — Edward 'Red Ted' Theodore, Queensland Labor Premier of Queensland 1919-1925, federal Treasurer, mining and business magnate

TINN, Ted — Ted Thye, wrestler

TRUMBLEWOOD, Thomas — Tom Tunnecliffe, Labor M.P., Speaker 1937-40

WATTY, Jim — Jack Welsh, Secretary, Milk Distributors Association

WEST family — Wren family

WOODMAN, Paddy — Paddy Boardman, associate of Squizzy Taylor

So it isn't surprising that Hardy faced criminal libel charges in 1951, following  the book's publication. He was acquitted of the charges, arguing the the story was a mix of fact and fiction.
The novel covers a period of 60 years from about 1890, it was set largely in Richmond and Collingwood. It was made into a tv mini-series in 1976, with Martin Vaughan portraying John Wren.

The local connection: Sir Albert Dunstan was born in Donald in 1882, and grew up on the family farm at Cope Cope. He was a close friend of John Wren, who aided by the Victorian Labor Party president - Arthur Caldwell, persuaded Country Party Dunstan to withdraw from the coalition ministry with the nationalist United Australia Party’s Stanley Argyle, and form a minority Country Party government, which Labor would support in return for some policy concessions. Dunstan agreed to this deal, and in March 1935 he moved a successful no-confidence vote in the government from which he had just resigned. He became Premier in April 1935.

Memorial gates at the site of the former Cope Cope Hall commemorate of the first secretary of the Hall Committee, Albert Dunstan

Relating back to last week's blog post, the story was partly set during World War 1 and one of the themes was the decisive conscription debate. John West as a fierce patriot supported conscription, and had fiery arguments with the Irish Archbishop Malone who strongly opposed conscription in view of his enmity to aiding England. 
A conscription referendum in October 1916 failed, New South Wales had the strongest 'No' vote. The country was often over represented with many farmers and farm labourers volunteering to join up.

Yanga woolshed photo

 

The remains of the PS Rodney in 2006, Photo by D Nultey

And the family history link - with a tradition of sheep farming, ancestors shore around this district and up into New South Wales. Family folklore had Old Tom involved in the shearers' strife and the burning of the 'PS Rodney'.
In August 1894, the Paddle Steamer Rodney was burnt to the water-line by about 300 unionist shearers in protest at it being used as a strike breaker. The Rodney was carrying non-unionist ‘scab’ labour during the Shearers’ Strike industrial dispute. (Trove article on the incident, and mentioning shearing at Corrong Station)
The main protestors were arrested and the trial held in Broken Hill. Checking with Julie at the Wentworth Library's there was no written evidence that Old Tom was amongst those charged. It is possible he was there and had a minor role, but it is just folklore.

The remains of the lower hull of the Rodney survive in the bed of the Darling River upstream of Pooncarie.

Freezing in Donald

On the outskirts of the Donald township, straddling its own railway track, are the rusting remains of the Donald Inland Freezing Company's buildings. 

The layout of the freezing works

The works cover 10 acres of 109 acres of company owned land of resting paddocks. Most of the buildings are abandoned or converted to other uses. Only the portion of the rail-line to the grain silos is utilised.

A grain train loading at the silos

Built at a cost £130,000 by the Donald Inland Freezing Company, it started in 1920 (the foundation stone was laid on August 31 1920 by the Victorian Premier Sir Harry Lawson). 
It was registered as a shareholders company in September 1919, with an opening capital of £100,000. In 1920, the state government gave loans to both the Donald and Murtoa freezing works for extensions. The plant was erected under the Primary Products Advance Act. Preference was to be given to the employment of Returned Servicemen.

The slaughterhouse and toppled chimney

The plant had a killing capacity of 2,500 lambs by a full board of 28 butchers per day, with storage for 60,000 carcasses.

The sheepyards with the ramp to the slaughter house

The skins and offal gravitated down chutes to the ground floor. The dressed carcasses were conveyored by endless iron rail to the scales then to the hanging room, where they cooled for 4 hours then gravitated into an air-lock at the entrance to the 6 freezing chambers (each holding 1,200 carcasses). From 45 degrees Fahrenheit on the first day, the temperature was gradually reduced to 5 degrees on the third day. Carcasses then passed down through trapdoors into the 50,000 carcass storage chamber where they were stacked for transport.

Pieces of one of the engines

The 70 square-foot Engine room supplied power generated by 3 sets of Hornsby 116 horse-power twin-cylinder gas engines, and the freezing was produced by two 60-ton Linde refrigerators powered by a 75 kilowatt electric generator.

Other buildings were the huge skin-drying shed, the tallow building for extraction and refinement of the fat.

The lamb was sold to a firm of London importers.

Ice was produced as a sideline and shipped as far north as Mildura, while the blood, offal and bones were converted into manure for the Mildura citrus growers.

 

The engine rooms

Operations began in October 1921, but by 1922 the company was unable to make its repayments to the government and sought to increase the number of shareholders. In the 1922-23 season it slaughtered 96,000 lambs and sheep for the London markets, it was hampered by a shortage of slaughter-men. The shareholders agreed to joining the formation of Amalgamated Freezing Companies (it later became the Inland Meat Authority) in March 1927. This was followed by a Royal Commission into AFC in August, and the Company was again in arrears to the government in October.

The rail-line & slaughterhouse (the brown ceramic tiles on the walls cover a deep hollow block filled with cork)

The works limped on, re-opening in September 1932 after being closed for several years, and by 1943 had only operated 4 times in the last 15 years, due to insufficient lamb supplies.

The plant closed and re-opened & closed again in 1977-78. The freezing section was turned into a yabby (freshwater crayfish) production plant 'Oz Crays' during the 1980s (now derelict). Oz Crays exported crayfish to France, the building has also been used for cultivating mushrooms.

The sign still advertising Oz Crays

The north-most section is home to 'Kooka's Country Cookies' (established in 1990s). Cooka's nearly closed in 2012, but has since begun exporting to Asia, and can be seen on supermarket shelves and as individually wrapped biscuits in motels.

Styling stations

This post grew from this comment -

"Can someone please elaborate on 'Bealiba style'? I was brought up in Bealiba and spent years hanging around the Bealiba Station but have never heard of the term. Thanks Brian H." on the earlier post ‘Railways - Mildura line’ and led to a little research at the State Library.

The 1870s was an era of railway building, that ended with the financial crash of the early 1890s, when railway lines were extended westward. During this period, the development of a succession of standard plans coincided with the patterns of railway construction, establishing groups of stations common to sections of line.

Bealiba in 1980 (Andrew Ward)

There developed a "line style", in which similarly-designed station buildings imparted their distinctive character along a particular line. The Bealiba station building was one in the “light line” style along one of the “main trunk” lines and gave its name to a prototype style which was an economic solution to the previously costly construction of railway station buildings.

According to Andrew Ward in a ‘Study of Historic Railway Buildings and Structures’ and 'Victoria's Railway Stations: An Architectural Survey', the Bealiba Style is an earlier sub-group of the Rosedale Style. He says the Rosedale style developed in response to the need to save on construction costs,and was the first design to be widely employed for all-timber type buildings. In all, 12 Rosedale style buildings were erected (Cope Cope was the only example in this district) and 6 in the earlier Bealiba Style of station building - Bealiba, Broadmeadows, Euroa, Kilmore East, Lubeck, Murtoa and Wallan.

Lubeck in 1981 (from VRnet)

Constructed in 1878, the Bealiba building is still substantially intact as an example of the style. Elements of the Bealiba Style are: An oblong single-storey plan timber construction with bisecting longitudinal corridor which terminated at a porch. The combined station and residence had a verandah to the platform formed by an extension from the main roof. Four rooms were residential (2 bedrooms, parlour& kitchen) and 2 for railway purposes – the Booking Office and the Ladies Waiting Room. The 4 corner rooms all had fireplaces. The lamp room & toilets were all in the station yard. Copying the diminutive Dooen Style, the barge boards were fringed with cast-iron lace-work, and ornamental brackets adorned the porches. The verandah post capitals, gable vents and finials all had decorative timber work. The interior walls & ceilings, and lamp room & toilets were lined with tongue & groove boards.

Plan of the Bealiba building (Andrew Ward)

The later Rosedale style omitted the cast-iron lace-work, the end porches and 2 fireplaces, but now included a General Waiting Room.

Other stations in the area awarded a “style” are:

·     The "St. Arnaud style" (1879) comprised an architectural symmetrical single-storey hip roofed brick station with cast-iron platform verandah and pavilions and a standard U shaped plan for the station building. It is the most intact example of the largest standard station building design erected on the early light lines.

St Arnaud's water tower

Also the St Arnaud water tower was built as a standard 'Type B2' hemispherical design carried by a 'T' iron frame and installed onto a cement rendered brick column. It is the last remaining example of this construction, with other B2 type towers originally located at Cranbourne, Bealiba and some metropolitan locations.

Diapur station building in 1971 (from "VR stations & stopping places")

·     The “Kaniva Style” which in addition to Kaniva itself, included Diapur, Leeor (to Melton), Miram and Nhill. Small timber buildings with classical decoration & gables.

The ornate platform verandah, Minyip

·     The “Minyip Style” used for Minyip and Yarra Junction.

·     The “Rupanyup Style” used at Rupanyup and Bairnsdale

Past glories - the dilapidated Rupanyup building

A “Special Design” was used for Serviceton, Warracknabeal (1887) was built in the “Casterton Style” a Tudor/Late Victorian look, while Dimboola (1882) is in the “South Melbourne Style” the Italianate/Late Victorian style.

The same style - Donald & Birchip

 

Trees in remembrance

In Australia, commemorative trees have been planted in public spaces since the late nineteenth century. Arbor Days were held regularly in most Victorian State Schools during the late 1800s and early 1900s, and numerous trees were planted in parks in Melbourne and throughout Victoria to mark the visits of important and famous people.

This tradition of commemorative planting was continued in 1901 when at the end of the Boer War trees were often planted for each soldier of the district who was killed in South Africa. These plantings, however, rarely consisted of more than two or three trees in each town.

During and after the First World War venues of honour consisting of trees lining significant streets became a popular form of commemoration. They represented a new egalitarian approach to the commemoration of soldiers where rank was not a consideration: each tree symbolises a person.

Booroopki “towering evergreens would stand aloft in their dignity”

Booroopki's memorial

Avenues of honour are a uniquely Australian phenomenon. Australians, and in particular Victorians, embraced the idea of planting them more enthusiastically than any other country in the world. The Eurack Avenue of Honour (near Cressy) is the earliest known avenue of honour to be planted in Victoria and dates from 1916.

By the time of the Second World War avenues of honour had declined in popularity as a means of commemoration. Today it is estimated that over 300 avenues of honour have been planted in Victoria to commemorate service personnel since 1901.

The Avenues of Honour 1915-2015 Project is a national initiative which aims to commemorate the memory of every individual who has fallen in the service of Australia with a tree.

 

With community support, the project will document, preserve and reinstate the original Avenues of Honour where possible, and establish new Avenues of Honour by the centenary of Anzac in 2015. More than 102,000 Australians have died in the service of their country during various conflicts.

The first stage of the project is capturing information about existing and lost Avenues of Honour and the people commemorated by them. 

TreeNet's home-page

TREENET, a national not-for-profit organisation based in Adelaide, has established a database of all known avenues and is collecting other information to build a comprehensive national record. 

The wayside stop at the Booroopki Avenue

Local Avenues include:
TheBooroopki Avenue of Honour was planted with thirty-five Eucalyptus and Pine trees in memory of those who fought in the First World War. The Avenue was opened on 29th August 1918 at a ceremony that began with the national anthem and featured an address by Mr C.D. Block. Three trees were given prominence as those dedicated to three deceased servicemen: Pte. J.R. Gardner, C.F. Patching and P. Brennan. It is great that such a small community like Booroopki has a wonderful ongoing relationship with their war memorial. Services are still held there on Anzac Day, and Daryl Crabtree & Daryl Povey have compiled a short family history on each soldier at Booroopki World War I

The Dimboola Avenue of Honour, along Ellerman and Muller Streets, was planted in 1949 to commemorate the First and Second World Wars. The avenue comprises of Sugar Gum trees (Eucalyptus cladocalyx) and Southern Mahogany trees (Eucalyptus botryoides). The Dimboola Memorial High School is also in Ellerman Street.

The Donald Avenue of Honour known as the Memorial Crescent, was planted in 1995 to commemorate the Second World War. The Crescent was planted with eighteen sugar gum trees planted in a double row along Byrne Street . Under each tree was a white wooden cross with the name of a local servicemen. The Crescent was an Australia Remembers project for the 50th Anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

Great Western's avenue on the Western Highway

The Great Western Avenue of Honour was planted in 1935 to commemorate the First World War. It is located on the Western Highway between Stawell and Ararat. The avenue is comprised of Desert Ash trees (Fraxinus angustifolia) and Plane trees (Platanus).

The Hopetoun Avenue of Honour, along Warracknabeal Road south of the town, comprised 70 Sugar Gums planted to commemorate the First World War. Today there are only a few gums remaining.

Roberts Avenue, Horsham

The Horsham Boer War Avenue of Honour was planted in 1902 to commemorate the Boer War. It was originally planted with 80 English Oak trees (Quercus robur) along Roberts Avenue, between Darlot and McPherson Streets. Now only the section between Urquhart and McPherson Streets remains. A plaque on Roberts Avenue records the dedication in 1902.

Information on war memorials in Victoria is in the Victorian War Heritage Inventory

 

Railways - Mildura line 2

I'm re-posting the Mildura line, as I've added some more information and photos of stops. This one does not replace the original post from November, but I've swapped some photos added new ones of current views.

Mildura/Yelta (Ballarat to Ouyen) Line The line was opened between Ballarat and Maryborough by 1875, and extended to St Arnaud in December 1878, Donald in February 1882, and Ouyen by 1903. 

Emu station in 1971 (from "VR stations & stopping places")

Local stations - Emu was named after the nearby Emu Creek, it is still an important crossing loop, and the basic facilities replaced a station in the same style as that of Bealiba and Cope Cope. 

Emu today

Carapooee a lone peppercorn tree marks the site of the station.

The railway reached St Arnaud in December 1878, while the station was built  in 1879, the building was reflecting the gold mining heritage. Made of brick with cast iron verandah supports, the station master’s residence was incorporated into the design. No passenger trains have called here since 1993, the yard still sees use for freight. It is on the register of heritage buildings, as well as the unusual  hemispherical water tower, the last of this design remaining.

The St Arnaud turntable with the water tank behind & station building behind that

Sutherland the silos are all that remain of Sutherland which also boasted a school and church. 

Trees stand behind the Sutherland platform mound

Swanwater

Swanwater silos

Cope Cope  opened in January 1882, when the line was extended from St Arnaud to Donald in April 1882. A large wooden station containing offices, and a station master’s residence was erected on the site of the original state school, railway engineers moved the building aside to lay the rails. The station and goods buildings were demolished some time after 1986. Now only a raised mound of earth marks the spot.
Talking with an ex-railwayman, he believes there was also a siding named Laen, south of Donald.
The line reached Donald in February1882, during the summer drought of 1881-82, so the railway was needed to cart water to the town (nearly 2 million gallons of water were delivered to the town before the drought broke). The line opened for passengers and mail in April 1882.

Chute of the Cope Cope silo looking across the platform mound to a railway house

Donald Freezing Company Siding this complex deserves its own post. On the outskirts of the Donald township, straddling its own track, are the rusting remains of the Donald Inland Freezing Company's buildings. Covering 10 acres most of the buildings are abandoned or converted to other uses. The freezing section was turned into a yabby (freshwater crayfish) production plant 'Oz Crays' during the 1980s (now derelict), and the north-most section is home to 'Kooka's Country Cookies' (established in 1990s). Only the portion of the rail-line to the grain silos is utilised.

Freezer works on the left of the line, and the slaughterhouse on the right

Donald was the line’s terminus, until 1893 when the tracks pushed northwards. A 50' turntable was constructed. In 1914 the 4 locomotive engine shed was destroyed by fire, volunteers manually pulled a large DD engine from the shed while the other 3 could not be reached. A million bushel silo was erected in 1963. Passenger services ceased in 1993, and the Queen Anne style brick station building and passenger platform are no longer in use, but the station remains an active freight centre with a sizable yard and the large corrugated iron goods shed. 

Donald station building, with the silos looming behind

Donald was a changeover point for drivers and a large crew of railway workers were based in the town, a large contingent lived in Donald, and it saw the construction of a Railways Institute in 1963, across from the station yard. The building and grounds are now derelict since the rationalisations of the 1970s and 80s saw most of the job positions disappear.

The V.R. institute & bowling green

Donald marks the southern boundary of the 'Mallee', and as the line proceeded northwards it traversed wide plains of marginal farming land. During droughts week-long dust storms caused sand drift to accumulate on the tracks, derailling some trains.
Buloke is only mentioned on some maps. The siding was on a crossing of the Sunraysia Highway near the southern shore of Lake Buloke.

Litchfield was a wooden portable building and platform at the wheat siding. By January 1990 the platform had been removed, now only the silos and a small goods platform remain.

The decaying platform at Litchfield

From the level-crossing at Massey

Massey
Watchem was opened in 1893 (it was goods only in 1892), when the line reached Birchip. A grain shed was erected in 1894, the concrete silos were built in 1939, with the steel bins added later. The Oat Growers Shed was erected in 1959. Bunkers were created in 1982. The stockyards were demolished in the late 1960s. The long demountable station building had an extra roof attached to the present roof, to form greater protection, and a verandah for passengers, prior to 1912. Passenger services ended in May 1990. The building was removed to High Street during 1991 to become a residence, only the long wide platform now remains.

Morton Plains was established in 1893 when the line was extending from Donald to Birchip. Passenger traffic peaked in 1923/4 then declined to the point it ceased in October 1966. Stock yards were erected in 1900. The silo opened in 1941.

Morton Plains, looking remarkably like a reverse of the Massey photo

A Bulldog goods train at Birchip in the late 1910s (V.R.S. photo)

Birchip was the line's terminus from March 1893 until September 1899, when the track extended to Woomelang. The  Queen Anne station building with terracotta roof is used by the local electrician, and the nearby silos for grain.

Birchip station, the same design as at Donald

Karyrie (station no. 204) alternate suggested names were 'Woodlands' and 'Towma', but Railway Commissioners stuck with local homestead 'Karyrie'. It boasted a gangers residence until 1953 when the passenger service ended. Stock facilities existed from 1907 till 1953. Wheat was only stacked at Karyrie in bags. The station closed in January 1954.

The line reached Kinnabulla (station no. 205) in 1899 and passengers, stock and grain used the station until 1973 when the buildings, platform and facilities were removed or demolished, and Kinnabulla remained solely for grain transportation. Talking with the daughter of one of the Kinnabulla gangers last week, she reminisced about her time when there were 3 ganger family houses and a stationmaster.

Sheepyards at Kinnabulla with the fences made from railway sleepers

Curyo, Curyo is the Aboriginal word for a kind of small kangaroo. It was the name chosen for Hugh Mann and James Falconer’s pastoral station north of Birchip, which was taken up in 1847. The Curyo railway station was a 24 hour manned small demountable structure, on an important loop which survives as a block point. A town and community grew around the railway, but in April 1976 the station was de-staffed and the residence demolished, the changeover loop dismantled in August 1988, and the platform leveled in July 1989.

Curyo weighbridge & silos

Watchupga was officially opened in September 1899. Passenger services and stock handling  finished in 1966. It was de-staffed in February 1970.

Woomelang remained a terminus from 1899 until 1903, when the line was finally put right through to Mildura. A large standard wooden building was erected with several large tanks, a pumping plant, turnable and engine sheds. The station closed in 1993, when passenger services were discontinued on the Mildura line. The boarded-over station building, two passenger platforms and a goods shed (loosing its roof) remain.

Entrance to the Woomelang Station

 Lascelles probably opened in 1911 as a staffed station.

Gama

Torpey's Siding There were 3 Torpey families amongst the original settlers to the area in 1901.

The railway crossing at Torpey's Rd

The rail-line was built through thick Mallee scrub from Woomelang to Nowingi in 1902-03. Turriff was named after the manager of the Corrong pastoral station - John Turriff.

Turriff

Speed had a typical Victorian Railway portable  station building, which like Watchem, had the added roof and verandah added to the original roof. In 1989 the structure was removed to the Speed field day site for use as their office. Only the the platform, grain siding and silos remain.

Steps to nowhere - the remains of the platform at Speed

At Tempy the rail-line is bordered by the silos on one side and a roadside park on the other, roughly where the station yard once was. In the park are a number of human-powered, non-mechanical playground toys (like the rocking horse opposite). They were originally at Monash in South Australia which had a large range of non-mechanical playground/fun-park equipment: spring-loaded see-saws, flying foxes, giant slides...Public liability forced the park to tame down the collection and remove the more 'dangerous' toys.

Further information and photographs at

 Victorian Railway Stations and When there were Stations and Neville Gee's "VR stations and stopping places" and John Sargent's "Country railway stations Victoria" series and Mark Bau's VR.net site.