Morkalla railway line

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Morkalla railway line
Meringur Railway Station 001.JPG
Meringur Railway Station, relocated to Meringur Pioneer Village
Overview
StatusClosed
OwnerVictorian Railways
LocaleMillewa
Coordinates34°18′28″S 142°11′10″E / 34.3077°S 142.1861°E / -34.3077; 142.1861Coordinates: 34°18′28″S 142°11′10″E / 34.3077°S 142.1861°E / -34.3077; 142.1861
TerminiRed Cliffs
Morkalla
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 tracksSingle track
Track gauge1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
Morkalla railway line

Legend
To Mildura
342+1⁄4 miles (550.8 km)
 Red Cliffs
Mildura railway line
To Melbourne
348+3⁄4 miles (561.3 km)
351 miles 42 chains (565.7 km)
 Mildura shire siding
353+1⁄4 miles (568.5 km)
10 miles 66 chains (17.4 km) local
 Ballast siding
355 miles (571 km)
 Benetook
360+1⁄2 miles (580.2 km)
 Pirlta
366 miles (589 km)
 Merrinee
372+1⁄4 miles (599.1 km)
 Karawinna
378 miles (608 km)
 Werrimull
383+1⁄2 miles (617.2 km)
 Bambill
388 miles (624 km)
 Yarrara
393+1⁄4 miles (632.9 km)
 Meringur
reversing triangle
(1928-1968)
397+1⁄2 miles (639.7 km)
 Karween
402+3⁄4 miles (648.2 km)
 Morkalla
This diagram:
  • view
  • talk

The Morkalla railway line was a railway line in the Millewa region of northwestern Victoria, Australia.[1] It extended west from Red Cliffs railway station on the Mildura railway line into the wheat farming areas established as soldier settlements after World War I.

The line opened initially with limited services to Karawinna in 1923, before being extended to Werrimull in 1924, and was officially opened to general traffic on April 10.[2] It was soon extended to Meringur in October 1925.[3] It was later extended to Morkalla in 1931. As the towns along the line shrank with reduced populations due to increased farm size and mechanisation, the line became less used and was eventually closed completely in 1988. The Red Cliffs to Meringur section was ripped up during 1990 and 1991.

A very short section of the line has since been reopened by the Red Cliffs and District Historic Railway, which operates monthly tourist services using heritage engines near Red Cliffs.

There were several proposals to extend the line across the border into South Australia to connect with the Mallee railways either on the line to Renmark near Paringa or to extend the Peebinga railway line, however none of these proposals eventuated to extend the line beyond Morkalla.[4] There was support from South Australians in the Riverland region to gain this connection for trade, however it appears not to have been supported by the state government of the day.[5]

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]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Andrew Waugh (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. ^ "THE MAN ON THE LAND". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 24 August 1928. p. 16. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  5. ^ "PARINGA- MILLEWA CONNECTION". Murray Pioneer and Australian River Record. Renmark, SA: National Library of Australia. 30 June 1932. p. 4. Retrieved 24 June 2014.

External links[]

Media related to Morkalla railway line at Wikimedia Commons

Retrieved from ""