Line guide
Forrest railway line | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Forrest | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Status | Removed with partial conversion to rail trail |
| Stations | 9 |
| Service | |
| Type | Vic |
| History | |
| Opened | 1889/1891 |
| Closed | 4 March 1957 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 31 km (19 mi) |
The Forrest railway line is a former branch railway in Victoria, Australia. It branched off the Warrnambool railway line at Birregurra, and ran through the foothills of the Otway Ranges to the town of Forrest.
It opened to Deans Marsh on 19 December 1889, and to Forrest on 5 June 1891. [1] It had eight stations at opening: Whoorel, Deans Marsh, Arlett's Corner, Murroon, Dewing's Creek, Gerangamete, Barwon Downs, and Yaugher. [2] On 21 September 1891, four stations were renamed: Arlett's Corner became Pennyroyal, Dewing's Creek became Barwon Downs, Barwon Downs became Yaugher, and Yaugher became Forrest. [3] In the 1940 timetable, trains stopped at the same eight stations as in September 1891, with the train taking fifty minutes to get from Forrest to Birregurra. [4] The line closed in March 1957. [1]
The Forrest railway was a key means of transport for the Otway Ranges timber and coal industries. [5] Prior to the opening of the Great Ocean Road, the Forrest railway, with connecting coaches at Deans Marsh, was also the primary means of reaching the coastal resort town of Lorne. [6]
An extension of the line from Forrest to Barramunga was discussed from the 1890s until at least the 1910s. In 1904, it initially received the support of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways but, following an unfavourable report from an officer of the Railways Department, it did not proceed. [7] [8] [9] Local campaigns for the extension continued for several years thereafter, but were unsuccessful. [10] [11]
The Birregurra-Forrest "Tiger" Rail Trail is a walking and cycling track which follows a section of the alignment of the former Forrest line. [1]
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Colac is a small city in the Western District of Victoria, Australia, approximately 150 kilometres south-west of Melbourne on the southern shore of Lake Colac.
The Shire of Colac Otway is a local government area in the Barwon South West region of Victoria, Australia, located in the south-western part of the state. It covers an area of 3,438 square kilometres (1,327 sq mi) and in June 2018 had a population of 21,503. It includes the towns of Apollo Bay, Beeac, Beech Forest, Birregurra, Colac, Cressy, Forrest, Johanna, Kennett River, Lavers Hill, Warrion and Wye River. It came into existence on 23 September 1994 through the amalgamation of the local government areas of City of Colac, Shire of Colac, part of the Shire of Otway and part of the Shire of Heytesbury.
The Barwon River is a perennial river of the Corangamite catchment, located in The Otways and the Bellarine Peninsula regions of the Australian state of Victoria.
Winchelsea is a town in Victoria, Australia. The town is located in the Surf Coast Shire local government area, the suburb or locality of Winchelsea is predominantly within Surf Coast Shire with a small section within the Colac Otway Shire. Winchelsea is located on the Barwon River 115 km south-west of Melbourne and close to Geelong.
Forrest is a small rural township in the Otway Ranges, Victoria, Australia. At the 2016 census, Forrest and the surrounding area had a population of 230.
Birregurra, is a town in Colac Otway Shire, Victoria, Australia, approximately 130 kilometres (81 mi) south-west of Melbourne. At the 2021 census, it had a population of 942.
Colac railway station is located on the Warrnambool line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Colac, and opened on 27 July 1877.
Deans Marsh is a town in Victoria, Australia, located 23 kilometres (14 mi) inland from Lorne. At the 2016 census, Deans Marsh had a population of 269. Deans Marsh is part of the Otway Harvest Trail, with the Pennyroyal Raspberry Farm and the Gentle Annie Berry Gardens nearby. There are three wineries in the area - Blakes Estate, Alt Road and Heroes Vineyard. The Store is located in the centre of the town, servicing locals and tourists with provisions, local produce, alcohol and a cafe. Also located in Deans Marsh is Yan Yan Gurt West, a sheep farm known for its 1880s woolshed and innovative practices in regenerative agriculture and agroforestry.
Trevor William Pescott is an Australian naturalist, conservationist and writer, based in Geelong, Victoria. He was born in Ballarat and educated in Geelong, qualifying with a Diploma of Civil Engineering from the Gordon Institute of Technology. He was subsequently employed as a municipal engineer with the Shire of Corio until his retirement.
The Port Fairy railway line is a railway serving the south west of Victoria, Australia. Running from the western Melbourne suburb of Newport through the cities of Geelong and Warrnambool, the line once terminated at the coastal town of Port Fairy before being truncated to Dennington. This closed section of line has been converted into the 37 km long Port Fairy to Warrnambool Rail Trail. The line continues to see both passenger and freight services today.
The Shire of Winchelsea was a local government area about 110 kilometres (68 mi) southwest of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of 1,294 square kilometres (499.6 sq mi), and existed from 1860 until 1994.
The Colac & District Football Netball League (CDFNL) is a minor country football league based in the South West of Victoria in the city of Colac. The CDFNL has 10 clubs, all located in the Colac Otway Shire, with the exception of Lorne, which falls within the Surf Coast Shire. The competition incorporates the two sports of Australian rules football and netball.
The County of Polwarth is one of the 37 counties of Victoria which are part of the cadastral divisions of Australia, used for land titles. The county is in the Western District of Victoria and includes the Cape Otway area, bounded by the Gellibrand River in the west and the Anglesea River and Barwon River in the east, in the north by a line from Winchelsea, through Colac to Larpent, and by Bass Strait to the south. The largest town is Colac. The county was proclaimed in 1849.
The Colac Imperials Football Netball Club is an Australian rules football and netball club which competes in the Colac DFL since its founding in 1937.
Wurdiboluc is a rural locality in the Surf Coast Shire, Victoria, Australia. In the 2016 census, Wurdiboluc had a population of 569 people.
Pennyroyal is a rural locality in Victoria, Australia. Most of the locality is situated in the Surf Coast Shire; a small section is situated in the Shire of Colac Otway. In the 2016 census, Pennyroyal had a population of 86.
Benwerrin is a rural locality in the Surf Coast Shire, Victoria, Australia.
Mount Sabine is a rural locality in the Shire of Colac Otway, Victoria, Australia. The small locality is located deep in the Otway Ranges, and is mostly densely forested.
Wongarra is a coastal locality in the Shire of Colac Otway, Victoria, Australia. In the 2016 census, Wongarra had a population of 37.
Norman Houghton is a historian and archivist in Geelong, Victoria, who has published more than 40 books, many focusing on timber tramways and sawmills of the Otway and Wombat Forests of Western Victoria, Australia. Most of his works have been self-published, while he has provided numerous articles to the newsletter and journal of the Light Railway Research Society of Australia.
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