Normanton railway station, Queensland
| Normanton railway station | |
|---|---|
.jpg)
Normanton railway station, 2010
|
|
| Location | Matilda Street, Normanton, Shire of Carpentaria, Queensland, Australia |
| Coordinates | 17°40′22″S 141°04′17″E / 17.6729°S 141.0715°ECoordinates: 17°40′22″S 141°04′17″E / 17.6729°S 141.0715°E |
| Design period | 1870s - 1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | 1889 |
| Official name: Normanton Railway Terminus | |
| Type | state heritage (landscape, built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600395 |
| Significant period | 1889-1960s (historical) |
| Significant components | platform, views to, shed/s, views from, shed - goods, crane / gantry, tank - water, carriage shade (railway), railway station, machinery/plant/equipment - transport - rail |
 Location of Normanton railway station in Queensland
Location of Normanton railway station in Queensland
|
|
Normanton railway station is a heritage-listed railway station at Matilda Street, Normanton, Shire of Carpentaria, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1889. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. It serves as a tourist attraction and station for the Gulflander line.
The railway complex at Normanton consists of the major buildings of an important inland railway terminus of the Normanton to Croydon railway line connecting the port of Normanton with the goldfield at Croydon.
A railway line between Normanton and Cloncurry had been discussed as early as 1883 and was approved by Queensland Parliament in 1886. This was a difficult stretch for carriers and a rail link would have been valuable to pastoral stations in the area and would also have served the Cloncurry Copper Mine. It was at the time intended to eventually link the new line with the Great Northern Railway connecting Charters Towers and the important port of Townsville. However, in November 1885 a major gold strike was reported at Belmore Station, 145 km east of Normanton and by the end of 1886 the population of the Croydon field was 2000 and 6000 in the following year. Transportation was a major problem and access to this field became more important than the link to Cloncurry. It was decided to divert the line to Croydon. Tenders were called in July 1887 and the first section to Haydon began in May 1888. The work was designed and supervised by George Phillips and this section opened on 7 May 1889. The current route of the line was finalised in 1889 and reached Croydon on 7 July 1891, opening on the 20 July.
In 1867 Phillips had taken part in the exploration of the country around Normanton with William Landsborough, working for him a surveyor. Soon afterwards, he surveyed the area chosen as a port to become the town of Normanton. The country was difficult for conventional railway tracks due to flooding, lack of suitable timber and voracious termites. In 1884 Phillips patented a system for taking railways across such country which utilised special U section steel sleepers laid directly on the ground. During floods the line could be submerged without washing out the ballast and embankments normally used, so that it could quickly be put back into service when the waters subsided. The steel sleepers were also impervious to termite attack, and although initially more expensive than timber sleepers, were cheaper to lay and maintain. It was this system that was specified for the Normanton to Croydon line and Phillips was engaged to supervise the construction. After the railway was completed he maintained an interest in the area, serving as Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Carpentaria, inspecting artesian bores and writing a report on ports and railways in 1909.
...
Wikipedia