Colac railway station

Colac
PTV regional rail station
Westbound view of the station building looking from disused Platform 2, June 2008
General information
Location	Gellibrand Street, Colac, Victoria 3250 Shire of Colac Otway Australia
Coordinates	38°20′36″S143°35′13″E / 38.3433°S 143.5869°E / -38.3433; 143.5869
Owned by	VicTrack
Operated by	V/Line
Line(s)	Warrnambool (Warrnambool)
Distance	153.40 kilometres from Southern Cross
Platforms	1
Tracks	4
Connections	Bus
Construction
Structure type	Ground
Parking	Yes
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Status	Operational, staffed part-time
Station code	COL
Fare zone	Myki not available. Paper ticket only.
Website	Public Transport Victoria
History
Opened	27 July 1877;148 years ago (1877-07-27)
Services
Five services in each direction on weekdays Three services in each direction on weekends Preceding station V/Line Following station Birregurra towards Southern Cross Warrnambool line Camperdown towards Warrnambool
Location Colac Location within Victoria

Colac railway station is a regional railway station on the Warrnambool line, part of the Victorian railway network. It serves the town of the same name, in Victoria, Australia, and was opened on 27 July 1877. ^{[1] [2]}

History

When Colac station opened, it was the terminus of the line from Birregurra. On 2 July 1883, the line was extended to Camperdown. ^{[1] [2]}

Goods facilities included a brick goods shed, and a steel portal framed shelter was added when the Freightgate centre during the 1980s. During 1988, a number of sidings were removed, including the oil siding at the up end, and No. 6 road. ^[3] In 2008, the points for the crossing loop were removed. ^[2]

Colac was the starting point and interchange station for the 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge Crowes line, which was opened in March 1902 ^[4] to serve farming and timber-harvesting areas in the Otway Ranges. The line was built in two stages, with the first section to Beech Forest opening on 1 March 1902, and the second to Crowes, on 20 June 1911.

The line was closed in sections: Ferguson to Crowes on 9 December 1954, followed by a reopening to Weeaproinah on 19 January 1955, and full closure on 30 June 1962. ^[5]

In December 2010, a siding was provided for the stabling of track maintenance machines. ^[6]

Platforms and services

Colac has one platform and is served by V/Line Warrnambool line trains. ^[7]

Platform 1:

•   Warrnambool line   services to Warrnambool and Southern Cross

Transport links

Christian's Bus Company operates three routes via Colac station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:

•  1 : Colac – Elliminyt ^[8]
•  2 : Colac – Colac West ^[9]
•  3 : Colac – Colac East ^[10]

References

1. Colac Vicsig
2. Colac Station Rail Geelong
3. "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division). August 1988. p. 253.
4. "Crowes Line". Vicsig. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
5. Houghton, Norman. "Colac-Beech Forest-Crowes Railway Conservation Management Plan" (PDF). Colac–Otway Shire. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 August 2008. Retrieved 2 November 2008.
6. "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division). February 2011. p. 56.
7. Warrnambool - Melbourne via Colac Public Transport Victoria
8. 1 Colac to Elliminyt Public Transport Victoria
9. 2 Colac to Colac West Public Transport Victoria
10. 3 Colac to Colac East Public Transport Victoria

External links

• Victorian Railway Stations gallery