Charlton | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The station c. 1910, with three tracks running between passenger and goods shed platforms | ||||||||||||||||
| General information | ||||||||||||||||
| Line(s) | Kulwin | |||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Other information | ||||||||||||||||
| Status | Closed | |||||||||||||||
| Services | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
Charlton [1] is a closed railway station on the Kulwin railway line, located in the town of Charlton, Victoria, Australia. The platform remains intact although it is unused, with freight trains passing through on the way to Sea Lake and other destinations north.
Charlton is located in the northwest of Victoria, 254 km from Melbourne. Before European settlement, the area was inhabited by the Jagera people. The first European settlers were Robert Cay and William Kaye, who established the Charlton station in 1848, likely named after the village of Charlton Marshall in Greenwich, England. The run was divided into East Charlton and West Charlton, separated by the Avoca River, with each section governed by different commissioners of crown lands. When a town developed on the eastern side of the river, it became known as East Charlton. In 1863, an inn was built, and by 1867, a bridge was constructed across the Avoca River, facilitating the spread of the settlement to both sides of the riverbank. This rendered the name "East Charlton" redundant, but it wasn’t until 1879 that the name was officially changed to Charlton, following the renaming of another town formerly called Charlton to Chute. In the 1870s, large landholdings were opened to selectors, leading to the establishment of grain-growing industries. This development resulted in the construction of two flour mills in the area. The Shire of Charlton was created on 28 May 1895, and in 1897, the Shire issued a commemorative medal for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, with C.A. Foreman serving as Shire President and E.F. Gilchrist as Shire Secretary. Today, Charlton is primarily known for its large grain silos, reflecting the focus of its local industry. Additionally, it hosts the largest beef cattle feedlot in Victoria, with wool and fat lamb production also contributing significantly to the local economy. [2]
