Millicent railway station

Millicent railway station was located on the Beachport railway line. It served the town of Millicent.

Millicent
The Millicent railway station building in 2021.
General information
LocationRailway Terrace, Millicent, South Australia
Coordinates37°35′40″S 140°21′19″E / 37.59455993344363°S 140.3552504545745°E / -37.59455993344363; 140.3552504545745
Operated byAustralian National
Line(s)Beachport line
Distance400 kilometres from Adelaide
Platforms1
Tracks1
Construction
Structure typeGround
Other information
StatusClosed
History
Opened1879
Closed12 April 1995 (freight)
2000 (tourist)
Services
Preceding station Australian National Railways Commission Following station
Snuggery Beachport railway line Rendelsham
towards Beachport

History

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Bluebird 252 "Blue Wren" in Millicent dead end siding, July 1983, ready for piloting to loco out in New marshalling yard

Millicent railway station opened in 1879 with the opening of the narrow gauge railway between the port on Rivoli Bay at what is now Beachport inland via Millicent to Mount Gambier in 1878. The line and jetty at Beachport provided the ability for farms in the district to export wool and grain.[1] The station building consisted of a facility comprising a ticket office and platforms for loading and unloading both passengers and freight.[2] The station was named after the daughter of Augustus Short, the first Bishop of Adelaide, and wife of George Glen, S.M., who owned Mayurra Station, on which the town was established.[3]

The line was converted to broad gauge in the 1950s with the section past Millicent being decommissioned in 1959.[4] [5]

Railway operations were suspended on 12 April 1995 with the conversion of the Adelaide-Melbourne railway line to standard gauge. The tourist Limestone Coast Railway ran from Mount Gambier to Millicent with South Australian Railways Redhen railcars from 1998 until the year 2000.[6]

The railway station housed a radio station until the railway lands were sold off for community facilities and a suburban activity centre in 2023.[7][8]

References

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  1. ^ The Rivoli Bay and Mount Gambier Railway 28 April 1879
  2. ^ Millicent Railway Station
  3. ^ Names of South Australian Railway Stations with their meanings and derivations
  4. ^ Broad gauge Railway Opened, 23 June 1953, via trove.nla.gov.au
  5. ^ Millicent and Beachport Railway Discontinuance Act, 1959. No. 22, Government Printer, 24 May 2011, retrieved 3 August 2015
  6. ^ Johnny's Pages - Old SAR Shunter
  7. ^ Railway station to be sold 14 February 2023
  8. ^ Millicent railway land under offer