Stockade railway station

Last updated

Stockade
General information
Locationadjacent Hoods Road
Northfield
Operated by South Australian Railways
Line(s) Northfield railway line
Distance15 km from Adelaide
Platforms1
Tracks1
Construction
Structure typedemolished
History
OpenedJune 1857
ClosedJuly 1961

The Stockade railway station, the terminus station of the then Stockade railway line (later the Northfield railway line), was opened on 1 June 1857. It was built to service the colony's prisoner camp, and to transport bluestone mined by convicts to building projects in downtown Adelaide. After a century of service, it was closed in 1961, and the quarry area was later redeveloped as a park.

Contents

Development

The station and single line were opened in 1857 to carry prisoner-mined stone from the quarries behind Yatala Labour Prison (itself originally known as "The Stockade"). [1] [2] It was also used to transfer prisoners and supplies to the prison, which was first opened in 1854. The station was built as the terminus of a branch of what is now the Gawler railway line, making it one of South Australia's oldest rail lines. It was originally planned to extend the line eastward beyond the Stockade to Modbury, passing through the suburb of Valley View, though this never came to fruition. [3] By the 1870s, the extraction of rock was well-developed, and in 1878, for example, the quarry supplied 25,000 tons of stone. [4]

Closure

After World War II, quarrying based on prisoner labour was stopped, as goods production based on a prisoner's learning of a trade increased. Further, with the rise of automobile ownership, the South Australian Railways realised that passenger service on the line was uneconomic as patron numbers were low. In July 1961, Stockade was closed, the turntable removed, and the line cut back to the nearby Northfield railway station, which was itself relocated at this time from the eastern to the western side of Briens Road. [4] Today, the area around the former station and quarry has now been redeveloped as the Stockade Botanical Park. [5] [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Port Adelaide Enfield</span> Local government area in South Australia

The City of Port Adelaide Enfield (PAE), located across inner north and north-western suburbs of Adelaide, is one of the largest metropolitan councils within South Australia. It was established on 26 March 1996 by the amalgamation of the City of Port Adelaide and the City of Enfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belair, South Australia</span> Suburb of Adelaide, South Australia

Belair is a suburb in the south eastern foothills of Adelaide, South Australia at the base of the Mount Lofty Ranges.

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

The Adelaide rail network is a metropolitan suburban rail system serving the city of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. It consists of 89 railway stations across 7 lines, which served a patronage of 15.6 million people over the year 2018-19. Keolis Downer under contract from the Government of South Australia operates the Adelaide suburban rail system. The operations are set to be handed back to the hands of the public by January 2025.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yatala Labour Prison</span> Prison in Northfield, South Australia

Yatala Labour Prison is a high-security men's prison located in the north-eastern part of the northern Adelaide suburb Northfield, South Australia. It was built in 1854 to enable prisoners to work at Dry Creek, quarrying rock for roads and construction. Originally known as The Stockade of Dry Creek or just The Stockade, it acquired its current name from a local Kaurna word relating to inundation by water, which was used for the Hundred of Yatala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gawler line</span> Commuter railway line in Adelaide, South Australia

The Gawler line, also known as the Gawler Central line, is a suburban commuter railway line in the city of Adelaide, South Australia. The Gawler Line is the most frequent and heavily patronised line in the Adelaide rail network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cavan, South Australia</span> Suburb of Adelaide, South Australia

Cavan is a suburb north of Adelaide, within the City of Salisbury local government area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northfield, South Australia</span> Suburb of Adelaide, South Australia

Northfield is a suburb of the greater Adelaide, South Australia area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dry Creek railway station</span> Railway station in Adelaide, South Australia

Dry Creek railway station is located on the Gawler line. Situated in the inner northern Adelaide suburb of Dry Creek, it is 10.6 kilometres (6.6 mi) from Adelaide station.

Grand Junction Road is the longest east–west thoroughfare in the Adelaide metropolitan area, traversing through Adelaide's northern suburbs approximately 8 kilometres north of the Adelaide city centre.

Bowmans is a locality in South Australia's Mid North. At the 2006 census, Bowmans had a population of 203. It is named after R and C Bowman who were "pastoralists in area."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ridleyton, South Australia</span> Suburb of Adelaide, South Australia

Ridleyton is an inner northern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the City of Charles Sturt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northfield railway line</span> Former railway line in Adelaide, South Australia

The Northfield railway line was a railway in northern Adelaide running Dry Creek and Northfield. The line branched east from the Gawler railway line just north of Dry Creek station. In earlier years, it saw mixed freight including livestock in and meat out of the Gepps Cross abattoirs and sale yards. In its later years, it was operated as part of the metropolitan passenger rail network and served three stations: Cavan, Pooraka, and Northfield.

Pooraka railway station was located approximately 12.9 km by rail from Adelaide on the former 3.9 kilometres (2.4 mi) long Northfield branch line that opened in June 1857. The station opened as Abattoirs railway station on 12 July 1913, when the adjacent Gepps Cross Abattoirs also opened. The station's livestock sidings extended for most of the 970 metres of the line between Port Wakefield Road and the Gawler Road.

Northfield railway station was located 14.3 km (9 mi) from Adelaide station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pooraka, South Australia</span> Suburb of Adelaide, South Australia

Pooraka is a suburb in Adelaide, South Australia. It is 12 km (7.5 mi) north of the central business district.

A stockade is an architectural element.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dry Creek (South Australia)</span> River in South Australia

Dry Creek or Dry Creek Drain is a seasonal stream in South Australia which passes through the Adelaide suburbs of Wynn Vale, Modbury, Walkley Heights and Pooraka. The nearby suburb of Dry Creek and Dry Creek railway station are named after the stream.

Cavan railway station was located 12.1 kilometres (7.5 mi) by rail from Adelaide on the now closed Northfield branch line. Its elevation was 13 metres (43 ft) above sea level.

Stockade Botanic Park is a public reserve off Hoods Road in the City of Port Adelaide Enfield's suburb of Northfield. It was formerly associated with a prison quarry but has now been redesigned with water features, an amphitheatre, and picnic areas.

References

  1. "Dry Creek River Trails | Dry Creek Linear Park | Walking SA". Walking SA. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  2. Maurovic, Richard (2011). Samphire and stone : a history of the Dry Creek to Stockade railway. Port Adelaide, S. Aust. : National Railway Museum. ISBN   9781864770810.
  3. "ATDB • View topic - 150th Anniversary of the Stockade (Northfield) Line". www.busaustralia.com. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  4. 1 2 "150th Anniversary of the Stockade (Northfield) Line (A Brief History of the Dry Creek to Stockade Railway)". Catchpoint. May 2007. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  5. "Stockade Botanical Park". www.weekendnotes.com. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  6. "Stockade Botanic Park" (PDF).

34°50′29″S138°37′43″E / 34.8415°S 138.6286°E / -34.8415; 138.6286