Morkalla railway line

Last updated

Morkalla railway line
Meringur Railway Station 001.JPG
Meringur Railway Station, relocated to Meringur Pioneer Village
Overview
StatusClosed
Owner Victorian Railways
Locale Millewa
Coordinates 34°18′28″S142°11′10″E / 34.3077°S 142.1861°E / -34.3077; 142.1861 Coordinates: 34°18′28″S142°11′10″E / 34.3077°S 142.1861°E / -34.3077; 142.1861
Termini
History
Opened10 April 1924 (1924-04-10) (to Werrimull)
Extended to MeringurOctober 1925 (1925-10)
Extended to Morkalla1931 (1931)
Closed1988 (1988)
Technical
Line length97.4 km (60.5 mi)
Number of tracks Single track
Track gauge 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
Morkalla railway line

Contents

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342+14 miles (550.8 km)
Red Cliffs
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348+34 miles (561.3 km)
Thurla
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351 miles 42 chains (565.7 km)
Mildura shire siding
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353+14 miles (568.5 km)
10 miles 66 chains (17.4 km) local
Ballast siding
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355 miles (571 km)
Benetook
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360+12 miles (580.2 km)
Pirlta
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366 miles (589 km)
Merrinee
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372+14 miles (599.1 km)
Karawinna
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378 miles (608 km)
Werrimull
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383+12 miles (617.2 km)
Bambill
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388 miles (624 km)
Yarrara
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393+14 miles (632.9 km)
Meringur
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reversing triangle
(1928-1968)
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397+12 miles (639.7 km)
Karween
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402+34 miles (648.2 km)
Morkalla
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The Morkalla railway line was a railway in the Millewa region of north-western Victoria, Australia. [1] It extended west from Red Cliffs railway station on the Mildura railway line into wheat farming areas established as soldier settlements after World War I.

The line opened initially with limited services to Karawinna in 1923. An extension to Werrimull was officially opened to general traffic on 10 April 1924, [2] and it was further extended to Meringur in October 1925. [3] The final extension was to Morkalla, which opened in June 1931. As the towns along the line shrank, due to reduced populations caused by increasing farm size and mechanisation, the line became used only on a seasonal basis, and was closed completely in 1988. The Red Cliffs to Meringur section was dismantled during 1990 and 1991.

A very short section of the line near Red Cliffs has been rebuilt in a 610 mm (2 ft) narrow gauge by the Red Cliffs Historical Steam Railway, which operates monthly tourist services, using heritage locomotives. [4]

There were several proposals to extend the line across the border into South Australia to connect with the South Australian Mallee railways, either joining the line to Renmark near Paringa, or as an extension of the Peebinga railway line. [5] There was support from South Australians in the Riverland region to achieve the connection, but it appears not to have been supported by the state government of the day. [6]

Route

The line began at Red Cliffs, 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) south of Mildura. It ran roughly west, 10–12 km south of what is now the Sturt Highway.

Towns and settlements along the line included: [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sturt Highway</span> Australian national highway

Sturt Highway is an Australian national highway in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. It is an important road link for the transport of passengers and freight between Sydney and Adelaide and the regions along the route.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renmark, South Australia</span> Town in South Australia

Renmark is a town in South Australia's rural Riverland area, and is located 254 km (157.83 mi) northeast of Adelaide, on the banks of the River Murray. The Sturt Highway between Adelaide and Sydney runs through the town; Renmark is the last major town encountered in South Australia when driving this route. It is a few kilometres west of the SA-Victoria and SA-NSW borders. It is 31 m (101.71 ft) above sea level. At the 2016 census, Renmark had a population of 4,634.

The Murray Mallee is the grain-growing and sheep-farming area of South Australia. It is bounded to the north and west by the Murray River, called the "River Murray" in South Australia, to the east by the Victorian border, and extending about 50 km south of the Mallee Highway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail transport in South Australia</span> Rail transport in South Australia

The first railway in colonial South Australia was a line from the port of Goolwa on the River Murray to an ocean harbour at Port Elliot, which first operated in December 1853, before its completion in May 1854.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Cliffs, Victoria</span> Suburb of Rural City of Mildura, Victoria, Australia

Red Cliffs is a town in Victoria, Australia in the Sunraysia region. It is located on the Calder Highway, 16 km south of Mildura and 544 km north-west of Melbourne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Werrimull</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Werrimull is a small town and locality in the Rural City of Mildura, part of the Sunraysia region of Victoria. The place by road, is situated about 10 kilometres west of Karawinna and 10 kilometres east of Bambill. It is 79 kilometres (49 mi) west southwest of Mildura, 13 kilometres south of the Sturt Highway opposite Lake Cullulleraine. At the 2016 census, Werrimull and the surrounding area had a population of 112, declining from 320 in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paringa, South Australia</span> Town in South Australia

Paringa is a small town in the Riverland of South Australia. Paringa is famous for its vineyards, almond, citrus and stone fruit orchards, and the steel bridge with a span that can be raised to allow houseboats and paddlesteamers to pass underneath and across the Murray River to Renmark. At the 2006 census, Paringa had a population of 946.

The Millewa is a region of north western Victoria in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Cliffs railway station</span> Former railway station in Victoria, Australia

Red Cliffs is a closed railway station in the town of Red Cliffs, on the Mildura line, in Victoria, Australia. It was established as a passenger station in 1920, with a loop siding being provided around this time. In 1922, a railmotor service commenced between Mildura and Red Cliffs, and a railmotor turntable was provided. The service ended in 1928. In April 1924, the Red Cliffs – Werrimull branch line opened, heading west, and was later extended to Meringur and Morkalla.

The Mildura railway line is a heavy rail line in northwestern Victoria, Australia. The line runs from Yelta station to Ballarat station via the settlements of Mildura, Ouyen and Maryborough in an approximate south-southeasterly direction. Initial sections of the line opened from Ballarat in 1874 and the line reached Mildura in 1903.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meringur</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Meringur is a farming settlement to the west of Mildura in northwestern Victoria, Australia. At the 2016 census, Meringur and the surrounding area had a population of 67 down from 128 in 2011. It is located in the Millewa region at the end of the Red Cliffs-Meringur Road towards the South Australian border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abbotsford Bridge</span> Bridge in New South Wales, Australia

Abbotsford Bridge is a steel Allan truss-type road bridge that carries the Silver City Highway across the Murray River, between Curlwaa in New South Wales, and Yelta in Victoria, Australia. It is the only remaining steel truss bridge with a lift span that crosses the Murray. Opened in 1928, the bridge was built by the NSW Department of Public Works and was designed by Percy Allan. It was the second last vertical-lift bridge to be built over the river, the last being the Nyah Bridge, which opened in 1941.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renmark Paringa Council</span> Local government area in South Australia

The Renmark Paringa Council is a local government area located adjacent to the Victorian border, in the Riverland, South Australia. The area is known for its various fruit production, and is heavily dependent on the River Murray as a water source. The council seat is at Renmark.

Bambill is a locality situated on the Redcliffs-Meringur Road in the Sunraysia region. It is about 6 kilometres east from Yarrara and 9 kilometres west from Werrimull. The area was settled in the 1920s, the Post Office opening on 20 April 1926. The railway opened in 1925, and the station was closed in 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merrinee, Victoria</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Merrinee is a locality situated in the Sunraysia region. It is situated about 7 kilometres west of Pirlta and 11 kilometres east of Karawinna, on the Red Cliffs-Meringur Road.

Morkalla is a locality in the Sunraysia region of Victoria, situated at the farthest west point on the Redcliffs-Meringur Road. It is about 31 km south-east of Yamba in South Australia and 9 km west of Karween, and is 11 km due south of the Sturt Highway.

The Barmera railway line was the second railway built to develop the Murray Mallee region of South Australia, in 1913. It followed the success of the Pinnaroo railway line in 1906. Both lines branched east from Tailem Bend to the north of the main Melbourne–Adelaide railway. The Brown's Well line was the more northerly, and extended into country which had not been developed much before the railway, partly due to the absence of any viable transport route for produce. The original terminus of the Brown's Well railway was at Meribah, not far from the Victorian border.

The Peebinga railway line was a railway line on the South Australian Railways network. It opened on 28 December 1914 from a junction with the Barmera line at Karoonda and ran generally eastward through the Murray Mallee terminating at Peebinga, two kilometres from the Victorian state border. It closed on 7 December 1990.

Wonuarra is a locality southeast of Paringa in the east end of the South Australian Riverland region. The locality is east of the Sturt Highway between Paringa and Yamba and extends from the highway to the state border.

References

  1. 1 2 Waugh, Andrew (March 2003). "Redcliffs – Meringur" (PDF). Victorian Signalling Histories No 58, Version 1.0. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  2. "Red Cliffs-Millawa Line Opens". The Age. 5 April 1924.
  3. "New Mallee Railway". The Argus . Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 31 October 1925. p. 27. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  4. "Red Cliffs Historical Steam Railway". Red Cliffs Historical Steam Railway. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  5. "The Man on the Land". The Argus . Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 24 August 1928. p. 16. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  6. "Paringa- Millewa Connection". Murray Pioneer and Australian River Record . Renmark, SA: National Library of Australia. 30 June 1932. p. 4. Retrieved 24 June 2014.

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