Peebinga Railway Line
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The Peebinga railway line was a railway line in the South Australian Railways network. It opened on 18 December 1914, originating from a junction with the Barmera line at Karoonda. The line extended eastward through the Murray Mallee region, ultimately terminating at Peebinga, located just two kilometres from the Victorian state border. The railway was officially closed on 7 December 1990.
Route
The six railway lines of the Murraylands | |||||
Order built |
Line | Year opened |
Year closed |
Length (km) |
Length (mi) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Tailem Bend–Pinnaroo | 1906 | 2015 | 86.6 | 139.4 |
2 | Tailem Bend–Barmera | 1913 / 1928 | 1996 | 159.5 | 256.6 |
3 | Karoonda–Peebinga | 1914 | 1990 | 66.0 | 106.2 |
4 | Karoonda–Waikerie | 1914 | 1994 | 73.8 | 118.7 |
5 | Alawoona–Loxton | 1914 | 2015 | 22.0 | 35.5 |
6 | Wanbi–Yinkanie | 1925 | 1971 | 31.5 | 50.6 |
Total | 439.4 | 707.0 | |||
Notes
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The railway line ran eastward from Karoonda, then veered northeast, helping to open agricultural lands between the Pinnaroo line, which had been operational since 1906, and the Barmera line, which was still under construction when approval for the Peebinga line was granted. The Peebinga line was 106.2 kilometres (66.0 mi) long, with construction costs estimated at £207,000, plus £56,690 for rolling stock. Although the net operating loss was projected at £11,804 per annum, this was deemed acceptable as it enabled agriculture on 621,000 acres (2,510 km) of previously undeveloped land.
Towns with railway stations and schools were established along the route, but none have survived as towns today. These towns included:
- Nunkeri
- Yurgo
- Marama (with a 1930 hall still standing on Karoonda-Lameroo road)
- Kulkami (with bulk grain silos on Karoonda-Lameroo road)
- Mulpata
- Wirha (located near Billiat Road)
- Gurrai (with bulk grain silos)
- Karte
- Kringin (near Peebinga Conservation Park)
- Mootatunga (near Peebinga Conservation Park, 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) west of Browns Well Highway)
- Peebinga (with bulk grain silos located 5 km east of Browns Well Highway)
Possible extension
In 1927-28, consideration was given to extending the Peebinga railway line across the state border into Victoria and then northward to Morkalla. This extension would have connected with what later became the Victorian Railways' Morkalla railway line, which at that time terminated at Meringur.
References
- ^ "Railway Extension". The Register. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 21 December 1912. p. 7. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
- ^ Quinlan, Howard; Newland, John (2000). Australian Railway Routes 1854 - 2000. Redfern: Australian Railway Historical Society. p. 55. ISBN 0-909650-49-7.
- ^ Bromby, Robin (2006). Ghost Railways of Australia. Sydney: Lothian Books. pp. 74–75. ISBN 0-7344-0923-0.
- ^ Quinlan, Howard; Newland, John R. (2000). Australian railway routes 1854–2000. Redfern, New South Wales: Australian Railway Historical Society, New South Wales Division. pp. 53–54. ISBN 0909650497.
- ^ Map showing lines of railways in South Australia and through mileages (Map). Adelaide: South Australian Railways. 1958 – via National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide.
- ^ "Property Location Browser (Government Towns layer)". Government of South Australia. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
- ^ Google (8 October 2014). "Street View of Marama Hall" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
- ^ "The Man on the Land". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 24 August 1928. p. 16. Retrieved 16 January 2015.