Deniliquin railway station

Railway Station in New South Wales

Deniliquin

Deniliquin Railway Station on opening day.

General information
Location| Australia
Coordinates| 35°31′52″S 144°57′26″E﻿ / ﻿35.5311°S 144.9571°E﻿ / -35.5311; 144.9571
Line(s)| Deniliquin
Distance| 322.91 kilometres from
Southern Cross
Platforms| 2
Tracks| 3
Other information
Status| Closed
Station code| DQN
History
Opened| 4 July 1876
Services
| Preceding station  |  | Disused railways  |  | Following station

|
|
|
|

Southdown  |  | Deniliquin line |  | Terminus
| List of closed railway stations in New South Wales |

Track layout

Legend

|  |  |

|  |

to Echuca

|
|
|
|

|  |

|  |
|  |

|  |

Wood Street

|  |

|  |
|  |

|  |
|  |

|  |
|  |

|  |
|  |

|  |
|  |

|  |

Harfluer Street

|  |

|  |
|  |

|  |
|  |

|  |
|  |

|  |
|  |

|  |
|  |

|  |
|  |  |  |  |  |

Deniliquin railway station was a railway station serving the town of Deniliquin, New South Wales, Australia. The station was opened on 4 July 1876 by the Deniliquin and Moama Railway Company[1] and was bought by Victorian Railways in 1923.[2] The station was the terminus of the Deniliquin railway line. The station building was demolished and is not in use anymore.

## History

[edit]

Residents of Deniliquin lobbied for the railway due to the high costs of freight transfer, with one estimate that the cost of sending a ton of goods from Echuca to Deniliquin was quoted at more than twice the cost of bringing the same goods from London to Melbourne.[2] In March 1874, the Government of New South Wales passed an Act which allowed private enterprise to construct a railway from Moama to Deniliquin, connecting with the Victorian Railways line at the bridge over the Murray River near Echuca.[3] Work commenced on the line in late 1875.[2] The line cost around £4000 per mile to construct.[4]

The Deniliquin and Moama Railway Company's locomotive No.1, with Mixed Train, at Deniliquin on the Opening Day, 4 July 1876

Deniliquin railway station was opened on 4 July 1876 where a large crowd of people assembled to greet the arrival of the first train at 2 pm, celebrated by performances from the town's brass band.[5] A ceremony took place in the station's large good shed to mark the opening of the line, attended by up to 700 people including the directors of the railway company as well as John Hay, MP for The Murray.[5][4]

The station and the line was bought by Victorian Railways in 1923,[6] as part of the 1922 Border Railways Act.

On 8 April 1924 a significant fire originating in the booking office of the station led to the almost complete destruction of both the station building and the neighbouring railway hotel.[7][8]

The station nowadays is unrecognisable, with no platforms intact and the yard ripped up. There have been a number of calls from within Deniliquin and along the former line from Echuca for the rail to be returned. The station building was demolished some time in 1984.[9] The silos are intact but unreachable by train.[citation needed]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Bozier, Rolfe. "Deniliquin Station". NSWrail.net. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
2. ^ a b c Joss, David. "Deniliquin-Moama Railway Fact-sheet" (PDF). Visit The Murray. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
3. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 January 1920). "Private Railways". Year Book Australia, 1921. abs.gov.au. Retrieved 20 July 2008.
4. ^ a b "Opening of the railway from Deniliquin to Moama". The Sydney Morning Herald. 5 July 1876.
5. ^ a b "Opening of the Deniliquin and Moama Railway". The Riverine Herald. Echuca, Victoria. 6 July 1876.
6. ^ "Infrastructure – Line Data Deniliquin line". Vicsig. Archived from the original on 30 August 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
7. ^ "Railway Station Burned". The Argus. Melbourne, Victoria. 9 April 1924. p. 19.
8. ^ "Fire at Deniliquin". The Riverine Herald. Echuca, Victoria. 9 April 1924.
9. ^ "Railways to wreck station building". Deniliquin Pastoral Times. 14 August 1984.