| Wonthaggi railway | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Status | Closed |
| Service | |
| Type | V/Line passenger service |
| History | |
| Commenced | 1909 |
| Opened | 1910 |
| Closed | 1978 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 30 mi (48.3 km) |
The Wonthaggi railway line is a closed railway line located in South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. Its primary purpose was to serve the State Coal Mine but the line also provided passenger and general goods services. The line was opened in 1910 and closed in 1978.
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In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Victorian Railways depended on black coal to fire its steam locomotives. Although black coal deposits around Korumburra in South Gippsland had been exploited since 1891, the seams were narrow, costs of production were relatively high, and in 1900 their production accounted for just a quarter of Victoria's consumption. [1] It was cheaper for VR to purchase coal from Newcastle, New South Wales, however a protracted miners dispute in 1909 threatened supplies and led to an even stronger commitment by the Murray Government to securing local supplies. [2] With the Korumburra mines unable to meet Victorian Railways' demand for 1000 tons of coal a day, [3] a promising seam on the Powlett River which had been tested in 1908 was rapidly developed as a mine site and the government opened the mine for commercial purposes in 1909. While the first shipments were taken by sea from Inverloch, a railway was rapidly constructed to service the new mine.
Originally known as the "Powlett River railway", [4] the Wonthaggi line was built extremely rapidly. A 15+1⁄2-mile (25 km) branch line from Nyora to Woolamai had already been approved, [5] branching from the South Gippsland line (the Great Southern Railway) just east of Nyora railway station, but work had not started. In December 1909, a 14+1⁄2-mile (23 km) extension of the branch from Woolamai to the Powlett River coalfield was given parliamentary sanction.
The line carried its first coal in February 1910, [2] with Baldwin-built 4-6-0 locomotive W 227 given the honour of hauling the first train from the Powlett coalfield. [6] As well as passenger and general goods stations to service the rapidly growing town of Wonthaggi, connections were provided to the State Mine (on the up side of Wonthaggi) and to later additional mine extensions at Dudley and Kirrak. [7]
The mine's production grew rapidly and at its peak in 1926 produced 2,435 long tons (2,474 t ) per day, with Victorian Railways buying 90% of production. [2]
By 1928, twelve return passenger services also ran on the line per week, with a journey time from Flinders Street station to Wonthaggi taking approximately four hours. [8]
The introduction of diesel rail motors in the 1950s saw a reduction in journey times for passenger services on the line to around three hours by 1954, but service frequency was now eleven return passenger services operating per week. [9]
The conversion of Victorian Railways from steam to diesel-electric power during the 1950s and 1960s reduced demand for black coal and in 1968 the mine closed. [10] Passenger services from Nyora to Wonthaggi were withdrawn on 4 December 1977 with the last train being a 153hp Walker railmotor. [11] By this time the general decline of Victorian branch line network saw services being withdrawn from a number of lines, and the Wonthaggi line closed on 21 November 1978 [12] [13] when a final goods train returned to Melbourne with staff equipment from stations along the line.
The track was dismantled in 1988 [14] and the southern section from Woolamai to Wonthaggi has been developed as the Bass Coast Rail Trail.
The Bass Coast Shire is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the southeastern part of the state. It covers an area of 866 square kilometres (334 sq mi) and in June 2018 had a population of 35,327. It includes the towns of Bass, Cape Paterson, Cape Woolamai, Corinella, Coronet Bay, Cowes, Inverloch, Kilcunda, Lang Lang, Newhaven, Rhyll, San Remo, Summerlands and Wonthaggi as well as the historic locality of Krowera. It also includes the popular tourist destination Phillip Island. It was formed in 1994 from the amalgamation of the Shire of Bass, Shire of Phillip Island, Borough of Wonthaggi, parts of the Shire of Woorayl, Shire of Korumburra and City of Cranbourne.
Jumbunna is a town in South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. The name is taken from the eastern Kulin language of the Bunnerong tribe and means "a place to meet and talk".
Korumburra is a town in the Australian state of Victoria. It is located on the South Gippsland Highway, 120 kilometres (75 mi) south-east of Melbourne, in the South Gippsland Shire local government area. At the 2016 census Korumburra had an urban population of 3,639.
Wonthaggi is a seaside town located 132 kilometres (82 mi) south east of Melbourne via the South Gippsland and Bass highways, in the Bass Coast Shire of Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. Known originally for its coal mining, it is now the largest town in South Gippsland, a regional area with extensive tourism, beef and dairy industries.
Kilcunda is a seaside town located 117 kilometres (73 mi) south east of Melbourne between Phillip Island and Wonthaggi near Dalyston via the South Gippsland Highway on the Bass Highway, in the Bass Coast Shire of Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. Known originally as a train station near Wonthaggi, it is now the location of a very popular swimming hole at the Bourne Creek Trestle Bridge and at the 2016 census, Kilcunda had a population of 578.
The Bass Coast Rail Trail is a rail trail located in the Bass Coast Shire of Gippsland, Victoria, Australia.
The Great Southern Rail Trail is a 109-kilometre rail trail from Nyora to Welshpool in South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. Sections of the trail are flat or gently undulating trail through lush dairy farmland, areas of remnant bush and lowland scrub. There is a big climb on the section between Loch and Leongatha. The section between Fish Creek and Foster climbs past Mount Hoddle and goes through dense forest with occasional magnificent views of Wilsons Promontory and Corner Inlet.
The Gippsland line is a railway line serving the Latrobe Valley and Gippsland regions of Victoria, Australia. It runs east from the state capital Melbourne through the cities of Moe, Morwell, Traralgon, Sale and terminating at Bairnsdale.
The South Gippsland railway line is a partially closed railway line in Victoria, Australia. It was first opened in 1892, branching from the Orbost line at Dandenong, and extending to Port Albert. Much of it remained open until December 1994. Today, only the section between Dandenong and Cranbourne remains open for use. The section of the line from Nyora to Leongatha was used by the South Gippsland Tourist Railway until it ceased operations in 2016. The section from Nyora to Welshpool, with extension trail to Port Welshpool and a portion of the former line at Koo Wee Rup, have been converted into the Great Southern Rail Trail.
The South Gippsland Railway was a tourist railway located in South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. It controlled a section of the former South Gippsland railway line between Nyora and Leongatha, and operated services from Leongatha to Nyora, via Korumburra, the journey taking about 65 minutes.
Nyora is a railway station on the former South Gippsland line in South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia.
Korumburra is a heritage listed railway station on the former South Gippsland line in South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. Passenger operations on the line ceased beyond Cranbourne station in July 1993. The station was part of the South Gippsland tourist railway between 1994 and 2015 but is no longer in use.
Woodleigh was a railway station on the Wonthaggi line, in Victoria, Australia.
Kernot was a railway station in Victoria, Australia, built on the Wonthaggi railway line. Not long after the line opened the station was equipped with a 10,000-gallon tank and crane, and was located within walking distance of the Kernot General Store which closed at the same time as the line did in 1978.
The Outtrim railway line is a closed railway situated in the South Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. It was a 6-mile (10 km) branch of the former South Gippsland railway and connected with the main line near Korumburra railway station. The line was primarily built to allow the exploitation of black coal deposits in the Outtrim area.
The former Victorian Railways, the state railway authority in Victoria, Australia, built a number of experimental 2 ft 6 in narrow-gauge lines around the beginning of the 20th century. Although all were closed by the early 1960s, parts of two have been reopened as heritage railways.
The Noojee railway line is a closed railway line in Victoria, Australia. Branching off from the Gippsland line at Warragul station, it was built to service the timber industry in the upper Latrobe River area, transporting timber as well as providing a general goods and passenger service to townships in the area. The final section of the line between Neerim South and Noojee traversed increasingly hilly terrain and featured a number of large timber trestle bridges. Extensively and repeatedly damaged by bushfires over the years, the line was closed in the 1950s and dismantled. The last remaining large trestle bridge on the line has been preserved and has become a popular local tourist attraction.
Outtrim is a locality in Victoria, Australia. It is located south of Korumburra off the Korumburra to Wonthaggi Road and is southeast of Melbourne.
Dalyston is a seaside town located 125 kilometres (78 mi) south east of Melbourne via the South Gippsland and Bass Highways, in the Bass Coast Shire of Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. Known originally as a train station at Powlett River near Wonthaggi, it is now the location of the Victorian Desalination Plant, and at the 2011 census, it had a population of 606. It's Bass Coast’s fastest-growing suburb, with the 2011 census showing Dalyston’s population more than doubled from 278 residents in 2006 to 606 in 2011.
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