Kalamunda Zig Zag

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Kalamunda Zig Zag
G class + AD class, Zig Zag, 1937.jpg
G class on the Zig Zag in 1937
Overview
StatusConverted to a public road
Coordinates 31°56′44″S116°03′00″E / 31.945674°S 116.049896°E / -31.945674; 116.049896 (Kalamunda Zig Zag) Coordinates: 31°56′44″S116°03′00″E / 31.945674°S 116.049896°E / -31.945674; 116.049896 (Kalamunda Zig Zag) OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
TerminiRidge Hill
Gooseberry Hill
Service
Type Zig Zag railway
System Western Australian Government Railways
Technical
Line length3 kilometres
Track gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)

The Kalamunda Zig Zag was a zig zag rail line that was part of the Upper Darling Range Railway line in Western Australia, opening in July 1891 and closing in July 1949. Most of it was converted to a public road in 1952, part of which is now a tourist drive called Zig Zag Scenic Drive that offers views of Perth from the hills. [1]

Contents

History

Statham's Quarry Number 2 points Switch point zigzag 01 gnangarra.JPG
Statham's Quarry Number 2 points
Gradient profile map Zigzag1.svg
Gradient profile map

The Kalamunda Zig Zag was completed in July 1891, as part of the Upper Darling Range Railway line in Western Australia which was built by the Canning Jarrah Timber Company from a junction with the Midland line at Midland Junction to Canning Mills to transport railway sleepers to Perth's growing railway system. On 1 July 1903, the line was taken over by the Western Australian Government Railways. [2] [3] To overcome a steep gradient up the Darling Scarp, a zig zag was built between Ridge Hill and Gooseberry Hill stations, being cheaper to build than a continuous gradient line. The Kalamunda Zig Zag closed on 22 July 1949 along with the rest of the line. In 1952 the track was removed and most of the Kalamunda Zig Zag converted into a narrow bitumen road.

Part of this road is now a tourist drive called Zig Zag Scenic Drive, with the zig zag section that descends down the Darling Scarp being one-way in the direction of descent with a speed limit of 40 kilometres per hour (25 mph) and, as of May 2022, closed to motor vehicles between the hours of 8:30 pm and 11 am. [2] [3] [4] [5] This section of road was closed to motor vehicles completely by the City of Kalamunda in May 2020 due to reports of anti-social behaviour at night including hooning, drug use and cruelty to wildlife. [1] [6] After more than 12 months of closure, the road reopened in July 2021 on a 12 month trial basis, with motor vehicle access limited to between 11 am and 8:30 pm. [7] In May 2022, City of Kalamunda councillors voted to keep the road open permanently with the night and early morning motor vehicle curfew to continue, despite concerns about the ongoing cost to do so. [8]

Sections

The sections of the railway that made up the zig zag were:

The gradient is as steep as 1 in 27 with an average of 1 in 38. [2]

Events

Every year the City of Kalamunda holds a "Zig Zag Walk" event, in which the zig zag section is closed to all but pedestrians, providing people with the opportunity to admire the views and see the area's wildflowers; Zig Zag Scenic Drive is a part of the Darling Range Regional Park. The Zig Zag Walk occurs around early October every year. [9] On the last Sunday of October each year, there is a community arts festival called the "Zig Zag Festival" held in Stirk Park, Kalamunda. [10]

The zig zag is also used as a stage in the Targa West Rally. The road is closed to all traffic and the stage is run in reverse road direction, from the bottom to the top. [11]

Related Research Articles

Gooseberry Hill National Park is a national park in Western Australia, in the locality of Gooseberry Hill, 21 km east of Perth. It is at the southern side of the mouth of the Helena Valley on the Darling Scarp. Statham's Quarry is located within the park boundary.

John Forrest National Park Protected area in Western Australia

John Forrest National Park is a national park in the Darling Scarp, 24 km (15 mi) east of Perth, Western Australia. Proclaimed as a national park in November 1900, it was the first national park in Western Australia and the second in Australia after Royal National Park.

Darling Scarp Scarp east of Perth, Western Australia

The Darling Scarp, also referred to as the Darling Range or Darling Ranges, is a low escarpment running north–south to the east of the Swan Coastal Plain and Perth, Western Australia. The escarpment extends generally north of Bindoon, to the south of Pemberton. The adjacent Darling Plateau goes easterly to include Mount Bakewell near York and Mount Saddleback near Boddington. It was named after the Governor of New South Wales, Lieutenant-General Ralph Darling.

Kalamunda, Western Australia Suburb of Perth, Western Australia

Kalamunda is a town and eastern suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located in the Darling Scarp at the eastern limits of the Perth metropolitan area.

Mundaring, Western Australia Suburb of Perth, Western Australia

Mundaring is a suburb located 34 km east of Perth, Western Australia on the Great Eastern Highway. The suburb is located within the Shire of Mundaring.

Zig Zag Railway

The Zig Zag Railway is an Australian heritage railway, situated near Lithgow, New South Wales. It was opened by the not-for-profit Zig Zag Railway Co-op as an unpaid volunteer-staffed heritage railway in October 1975, using the alignment of the Lithgow Zig Zag line that formed part of the Main Western line between 1869 and 1910. The line climbs the western flank of the Blue Mountains, using railway zig zags to gain height.

Bellevue, Western Australia Suburb of Perth, Western Australia

Bellevue is an eastern suburb of Perth, Western Australia in the local government areas of the City of Swan and the Shire of Mundaring. It is at the foot of the slopes of Greenmount, a landmark on the Darling Scarp that is noted in the earliest of travel journals of the early Swan River Colony.

Upper Darling Range Railway Former branch railway in Western Australia

The Upper Darling Range Railway was a branch railway from Midland Junction, Western Australia], that rose up the southern side of the Helena Valley and on to the Darling Scarp via the Kalamunda Zig Zag. At the time of construction it was the only section of railway in Western Australia to have had a zig zag formation.

Railway Reserves Heritage Trail Trail in Shire of Mundaring, Western Australia

The Railway Reserves Heritage Trail – also on some maps as Rail Reserve Heritage Trail or Rail Reserves Historical Trail, and frequently referred to locally as the Bridle Trail or Bridle Track – is within the Shire of Mundaring in Western Australia.

Mundaring Weir Branch Railway Former railway line in Mundaring, Western Australia

The Mundaring Weir Branch Railway was constructed from Mundaring, Western Australia to the site of the Mundaring Weir, and opened on 1 June 1898.

The Mundaring Branch Railway is a historical section of the original Eastern Railway main line across the Darling Scarp in the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) system.

Mundaring Weir Body of water

Mundaring Weir is a dam located 39 kilometres (24 mi) from Perth, Western Australia in the Darling Scarp. The dam and reservoir form the boundary between the suburbs of Reservoir and Sawyers Valley. The dam impounds the Helena River.

Swan View, Western Australia Suburb of Perth, Western Australia

Swan View is an eastern suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Its local government areas are the City of Swan and the Shire of Mundaring. It is 25 kilometres (16 mi) from Perth in the Perth Hills on the edge of the Darling Scarp, just to the west of the John Forrest National Park, east of Roe Highway and north of the Great Eastern Highway.

Gooseberry Hill, Western Australia Suburb of Perth, Western Australia

Gooseberry Hill is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Kalamunda. It is the site of Gooseberry Hill National Park.

Midland Junction railway station Former railway station in Perth, Western Australia

The Midland Junction railway station was an important junction station on the Eastern Railway of Western Australia until its closure in 1966.

Perth Hills Place in Western Australia

Perth Hills is a term used primarily for marketing purposes to identify the part of the Darling Scarp and hinterland east of the scarp that lies within the Shire of Mundaring, City of Swan, and the City of Kalamunda and as part of the constituent bodies belonging to the Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council of Perth, Western Australia.

Kalamunda Road Road in Perth, Western Australia

Kalamunda Road is a minor arterial road linking the historic suburb of South Guildford with the Darling Scarp suburb of Kalamunda, in Perth, Western Australia.

Stathams Quarry Quarry in Perth, Western Australia

Statham's Quarry is the site of a quarry on the Darling Scarp on the southern side of the entrance of the Helena River valley on to the Swan Coastal Plain in Perth, Western Australia. It is located in Gooseberry Hill and is within the bounds of the Gooseberry Hill National Park.

Midland, Western Australia Suburb of Perth, Western Australia

Midland is a suburb in the Perth metropolitan region, as well as the regional centre for the City of Swan local government area that covers the Swan Valley and parts of the Darling Scarp to the east. It is situated at the intersection of Great Eastern Highway and Great Northern Highway. Its eastern boundary is defined by the Roe Highway. Midland is almost always regarded as a suburb of Perth, being only 16 km (10 mi) away from the city centre.

References

  1. 1 2 "Historic Perth Zig Zag road closed amid concerns about drugs, violence and animal cruelty".
  2. 1 2 3 Bromby, Robyn (1988). Australian Rail Annual 1988. Sutherland: Sherbourne Sutherland Publishing. pp. 115–120. ISBN   1-86275-004-1.
  3. 1 2 History of the Railway Pickering Brook Heritage Group
  4. ↑ Kalamunda Zig Zag Trail Rail Trails
  5. ↑ "Zig Zag Scenic Drive". City of Kalamunda. 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  6. ↑ "Zig Zag Scenic Drive".
  7. ↑ "The Breathtakingly Scenic Zig Zag Drive In The Perth Hills Will Reopen Next Month".
  8. ↑ "Perth's Zig Zag Scenic Drive to stay open with night-time curfew, but Mayor wants WA government to pay".
  9. ↑ "Walk the Zig Zag". Shire of Kalamunda. 2016. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  10. ↑ "Zig Zag Festival". Shire of Kalamunda. 2016. Archived from the original on 31 March 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  11. ↑ "Stage Maps". Targa West. 2017. Archived from the original on 31 March 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2022.

Further reading

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