Cannawigara railway station was located on the Adelaide-Wolseley railway line in the locality of Cannawigara, 282 kilometres from Adelaide railway station by rail.
Cannawigara | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Former Australian National regional rail | |||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||
| Coordinates | 36°15′02″S 140°40′11″E / 36.2506°S 140.6698°E | ||||||||||
| Elevation | 68m | ||||||||||
| Owned by | South Australian Railways 1886 - 1978 Australian National 1978 - 1998 Australian Rail Track Corporation 1998 - present | ||||||||||
| Operated by | South Australian Railways 1886 - 1978 Australian National 1978 - 1990 | ||||||||||
| Line(s) | Adelaide-Wolseley | ||||||||||
| Distance | 282 kilometres from Adelaide | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 1 | ||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Structure type | Ground | ||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||
| Status | Closed and demolished | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | 30 August 1911 | ||||||||||
| Closed | 31 December 1990 (passengers) 31 December 1992 (freight) | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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History
editOpening and upgrades
editCannawigara railway station was located between Wirrega and Bordertown on the Adelaide-Wolseley line, and it was on the Nairne to Bordertown section of the line which opened in 1886.[1] The line opened in stages: on 14 March 1883 from Adelaide to Aldgate, on 28 November 1883 to Nairne, on 1 May 1886 to Bordertown and on 19 January 1887 to Serviceton.[2] However, the locality did not receive a siding until 30 August 1911.[3] In its early years, both names Cannawigra and Cannawigara were used to describe the railway station.[4][5] Some controversy arose when the location was permanently changed to Cannawigara during the early 1940s, though this name was already being used by the railway department.[6][7] The name is a corruption of the word Camiaguigara, a Tatiara clan which lived in the area.[8] On 29 December 1943, a fire near Cannawigara along the railway line destroyed 180 acres of clover pasture, and it was found to have been caused by a freight train.[9][10] Facilities to assist trucks loading onto trains were built in the years following World War Two, including stock yards and loading ramps in 1947, and a weighbridge in 1950.[11][12][13]
Closure and present day
editIn 1978, the station and all associated infrastructure was included in the transfer of South Australian Railways to Australian National. The last service to use the station was the Bluebird railcar passenger service to Mount Gambier, known as the Blue Lake. When AN ceased all intrastate passenger services in South Australia including the Blue Lake, the station closed to passengers on December 31, 1990.[14] The siding was fully closed on 31 December 1992 and all station infrastructure was later demolished, leaving the mainline track and signals. [15]
References
edit- ^ "THE OVERLAND RAILWAY". Adelaide Observer. Vol. XLIII, no. 2316. South Australia. 20 February 1886. p. 33. Retrieved 30 September 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Newland, Andrew; Quinlan, Howard (2000). Australian Railway Routes 1854 - 2000. Redfern: Australian Railway Historical Society. p. 53. ISBN 0-909650-49-7.
- ^ "CANNAWIGRA SIDING". The Express and Telegraph. South Australia. 29 August 1911. p. 1 (5 o'clock.). Retrieved 18 August 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Day, Alfred N. (1915). "Names of South Australian Railway Stations with Their Meanings and Derivations" (PDF). R. E. E. Rogers. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ "ENEMY NAMES OFF THE MAP". The Register (Adelaide). South Australia. 1 November 1916. p. 11. Retrieved 18 August 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Cannawigra to "Cannawigara"". Border Chronicle. South Australia. 20 December 1940. p. 2. Retrieved 18 August 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ ""Cannawigra" or "Cannawigara"?". Border Chronicle. South Australia. 14 February 1941. p. 1. Retrieved 18 August 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Place Names of South Australia - C". The Manning Index of South Australian History. State Library of South Australia. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ "Fire Near Wirrega". Border Chronicle. South Australia. 14 January 1944. p. 1. Retrieved 18 August 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Coroner's Finding on Wonga Vale Fire". Border Chronicle. South Australia. 11 February 1944. p. 2. Retrieved 18 August 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Sheep Yards and Ramp for Cannawigara Siding". Border Chronicle. South Australia. 2 November 1945. p. 1. Retrieved 18 August 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Trucking Yards at Cannawigara". Border Chronicle. South Australia. 8 May 1947. p. 1. Retrieved 18 August 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "16-Ton Weighbridge for Cannawigara". Border Chronicle. South Australia. 21 December 1950. p. 5. Retrieved 18 August 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Masson, Johnny. "MOUNT GAMBIER MARSHALLING YARDS". Trove NLA. Johnny's Pages - Old SAR Shunter. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ "SOUTH CTC" (PDF). Australian Rail Track Corporation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 August 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.