Tantanoola railway station

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

Penola
General information
LocationRailway Terrace, Tantanoola, South Australia
Coordinates37°41′48″S 140°27′20″E / 37.69678831656411°S 140.45542264318956°E / -37.69678831656411; 140.45542264318956
Operated byAustralian National
Line(s)Beachport line
Distance414 kilometres from Adelaide
Platforms1
Tracks1
Construction
Structure typeGround
Other information
StatusClosed
History
Opened1880
Closed12 April 1995 (freight)
1 July 2006 (tourist)
Services
Preceding station Limestone Coast Railway Following station
Burrungule Beachport railway line Snuggery
towards Beachport

History

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Tantanoola railway station opened in 1880 as part of the narrow gauge railway line between Mount Gambier and Beachport inland via Millicent. The line and jetty at Beachport provided the ability for farms in the district to export wool and grain.[1] The station consisted of a corrugated iron barrel-vaulted goods shed, which is one of the oldest remaining railway buildings in the South East.[2] Tantanoola was named after the native word "Tantanoola," meaning a hut constructed of brushwood.[3]

The line through Tantanoola was converted to broad gauge in the 1950s.[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 2006.[6]

The station was renovated, after falling into a state of disrepair.[7][8]

References

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  1. ^ The Rivoli Bay and Mount Gambier Railway 28 April 1879
  2. ^ SA Heritage Places Database Search Skip Navigation Links
  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. ^ Tantanoola community in 'dismay' over condition of historic railway station
  8. ^ Tantanoola station a heritage memorial to railways shut down in 20th Century South Australia's southeast