Burra railway station
Burra | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Burra railway station in 1969, when Bluebird railcars provided a comfortable passenger service | |||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | Railway Terrace, Burra, South Australia | ||||||||||
| Elevation | 474 metres (1555 feet) | ||||||||||
| Owned by | South Australian Railways 1860–1978 Australian National 1978–1997 | ||||||||||
| Line(s) | Roseworthy–Peterborough line | ||||||||||
| Distance | 164 kilometres from Adelaide railway station | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Structure type | Ground | ||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||
| Status | Closed | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | 29 August 1870 | ||||||||||
| Closed | December 1986 | ||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 2016 (station building) | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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Burra railway station was built on the Roseworthy-Peterborough railway line to serve the town of Burra, South Australia.
Opening
Burra railway station opened on 29 August 1870 as part of the extension of what was then the Northern Extension Railway to Burra.[1] The railway line was extended further north to Hallett and Terowie in 1880.[2]
Station upgrade
By 1883 the original wooden and corrugated iron station building was proving inadequate for the large numbers of passengers stopping for refreshments. A new stone Victorian-style building, complete with refreshment rooms, was opened in October of that year. An arched roof over the tracks and platforms was retained at that time, not being demolished until 1935. The refreshment rooms remained in service until 1936.[3]
Closure
In 1978, the station and all associated infrastructure was included in the transfer of the assets of the South Australian Railways to the Australian National Railways Commission. Regular passenger services ceased in December 1986. By 1993 the line north of Burra was closed and removed.[4][irrelevant citation] In 1997, Australian Southern Railroad (ASR) acquired a 50-year lease on the rail corridor and total ownership of the rail infrastructure as part of the sale of Australian National's South Australian freight assets to ASR. Grain trains ceased running to Burra in 1999.[5]
Revitalisation
In 2010, restoration works began on the station building, which by then was badly deteriorated.[6] A community group, the Friends of the Burra Railway Station, was formed in 2014 to raise funds and do the work, including the restoration of a dining car that served the Trans-Australian Railway from 1917. The fully restored building includes, as of 2024, Victorian-themed bed-and-breakfast accommodation and a function centre, a museum and a Diprotodon display.[7][8][9][10] Outside the building is the dining car at the platform, a large cast-iron water tank and water columns, and grain silos, now served by road.
References
- ^ "Opening of the Northern Extension Railway". South Australian Register. 30 August 1870. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
- ^ "Opening of the Hallett and Terowie Railway". Evening Journal. 15 December 1880. Archived from the original on 28 July 2024. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
- ^ Burra railway station complex Archived 29 December 2021 at the Wayback Machine
This article incorporates text from this source, which is available under the CC BY 3.0 license.
- ^ "Steam Extravaganza" (PDF). SteamRanger. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
- ^ "Burra Railway". www.burrasa.info. Archived from the original on 28 July 2024. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
- ^ Smyth, Denis (2014), Burra Railway Station, [Denis Smyth], retrieved 17 August 2024
- ^ "Function centre: a unique setting for weddings, celebrations, meetings, cocktail parties, book launches, high teas and conferences". Burra Railway Station. 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
- ^ "Our story: Friends of the Burra Railway Station". Burra Railway Station. 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
- ^ "The 'heritage hero' who can't keep his hands off restoration". ABC News. 9 August 2019. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
- ^ "Burra Railway Station". Visit Burra. 2024. Archived from the original on 26 July 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
Further reading
- Satchell, Meredith (2021). Stories from the Burra Railway Station 1870-2021. Burra: Friends of the Burra Railway Station.