History
In 1897 the Jarrah Wood and Saw Mills Company leased the W.A. Timber Company's former timber concession in the South West of Western Australia. The section of the W.A. Timber Company's Ballaarat Tramway route south of the Bunbury-Busselton railway was reused by the Jarrah Wood and Saw Mills Company for the construction of a railway between Wonnerup and Jarrahwood [1] in 1898–99.
The line operated until 1903, and was bought by the WAGR in 1907. [2] Residents in the Nannup region were advocating for the extension to the railway in 1905 [3] [4] [5] and in 1909 the Jarrahwood to Nannup line was completed and opened. [6]
As operated by the WAGR, the line was 38 miles 64 chains (38.80 miles, 62.44 km) from Wonnerup to Nannup and saw three trains per week in each direction during the 1940s. [7]
The line was closed in 1984. [8] A re-commissioning study was conducted in 1989 [9] but did not result in the reinstatement of the railway.
Busselton is a city in the South West region of the state of Western Australia approximately 220 km (140 mi) south-west of Perth. Busselton has a long history as a popular holiday destination for Western Australians; however, the closure of the Busselton Port in 1972 and the contemporaneous establishment of the nearby Margaret River wine region have seen tourism become the dominant source of investment and development, supplemented by services and retail. The city is best known for the Busselton Jetty, the longest wooden jetty in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Eastern Railway is the main railway route between Fremantle and Northam in Western Australia. It opened in stages between 1881 and 1893. The line continues east to Kalgoorlie as the Eastern Goldfields Railway.
The townsite of Wonnerup is located 219 kilometres (136 mi) south of Perth and 10 kilometres (6 mi) east of Busselton. It was gazetted a townsite in 1856, deriving its name from the nearby Wonnerup Inlet.
Denmark is a coastal town located on Wilson Inlet in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, 423 kilometres (263 mi) south-south-east of the state capital of Perth. At the 2016 census, Denmark had a population of 2,558; however, the population can be several times the base population during tourist seasons.
The Flinders Bay Branch Railway, also known as the Boyanup to Flinders Bay Section ran between Boyanup and Flinders Bay, in South Western Western Australia. The section from Flinders Bay to Busselton has now been converted into a rail trail for bushwalkers and cyclists, called the Wadandi Trail.
Kirup, originally named Upper Capel, then Kirupp, is situated between Donnybrook and Balingup on the South Western Highway, 228 kilometres (142 mi) south of Perth, Western Australia in the upper reaches of the Capel River valley.
Nannup is a town in the South West region of Western Australia, approximately 280 kilometres (174 mi) south of Perth on the Blackwood River at the crossroads of Vasse Highway and Brockman Highway; the highways link Nannup to most of the lower South West's regional centres. At the 2011 census, Nannup had a population of 587.
Railways in Western Australia were developed in the 19th century both by the Government of Western Australia and a number of private companies. Today passenger rail services are controlled by the Public Transport Authority through Transperth, which operates public transport in Perth, and Transwa, which operates country passenger services. Great Southern Rail operates the Indian Pacific.
The Shire of Nannup is a local government area in the South West region of Western Australia, approximately 280 kilometres (174 mi) south of the state capital, Perth and 60 kilometres (37 mi) southeast of the coastal resort town of Busselton. Its seat of government is the town of Nannup, where about half of the Shire's population reside.
The Old Bunbury railway station was the main railway station for Bunbury from 1894 until 1996. It was the terminus for the Australind passenger railway service from Perth. It was replaced in May 1985 by the current Bunbury Terminal in East Bunbury.
List of Closed railway stations in Western Australia - this list deals with former railway stations in Western Australia, some of which only platforms or fences might be the only visual remains.
Jarrahwood is a small town located in the South West region of Western Australia, near the Vasse Highway between the towns of Busselton and Nannup. The population in 2016 was 20.
Yelbeni is a small town 222 km east-northeast of Perth, Western Australia along the Nungarin-Wyalkatchem Road situated in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. At the 2006 census, Yelbeni had a population of 118.
W.A. Timber Company was a syndicate of Victorian investors granted a timber concession of 181,500 acres on Geographe Bay in the south west of Western Australia in 1870.
Western Australian Government Railways railway system during its peak operational time in the 1930s to 1950s was a large system of over 6,400 kilometres (4,000 mi) of railway line.
The WAGR E class was a two-member class of 2-4-4-2T double-Fairlie locomotives operated by the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) between 1881 and 1892.
The Ballaarat Tramline, also known as the Lockville - Yoganup Railway, was the first railway in Western Australia, constructed in 1871 by the Western Australian Timber Company. The railway was used to transport timber from forests in the South West to the company's jetty at Lockville using the Ballaarat steam engine.
The Ballaarat steam engine was built in Ballarat, Victoria in 1871 and was the first 3 ft 6 in gauge locomotive built in Australia. It was purchased by Western Australian Timber Company, which was awarded one of only three WA milling concessions granted. The company had 181,500 acres to mill at Yoganup near Busselton.
The Northcliffe Branch, also known as the Northcliffe Section or Picton to Northcliffe Line, is the railway route between Picton and Northcliffe in Western Australia.
WAGR G class G233 Leschenault Lady is a preserved 2-6-0 steam locomotive, built in 1898 by James Martin & Co of Gawler, South Australia, for the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR). It is the third oldest Australian-built steam locomotive still in operational order, after Victorian Railways Y class 112 and WAGR A class 15.
