Peebinga railway line

The Peebinga railway line was a railway line in the South Australian Railways network. It opened on 18 December 1914, originating from a junction with the Barmera line at Karoonda. The line extended eastward through the Murray Mallee region, ultimately terminating at Peebinga, located just two kilometres from the Victorian state border. The railway was officially closed on 7 December 1990.

Peebinga railway line
Overview
Status	Closed and Removed
Locale	Murray Mallee
Coordinates	34°56′5″S 140°54′17″E
Termini	Karoonda Peebinga
Continues from	Barmera line
Service
System	South Australian Railways
Operator(s)	South Australian Railways Australian National
History
Opened	18 December 1914
Closed	7 December 1990
Technical
Line length	106.2 km (66.0 mi)
Track gauge	1600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
Route map To Tailem Bend & Adelaide Karoonda Waikerie railway line Loxton railway line Nunkeri Yurgo Marama Kulkami bulk grain silos Mulpata Wirha Gurrai bulk grain silos Karte Kringin Mootatunga Peebinga bulk grain silos

Route

The six railway lines of the Murraylands
Order built	Line	Year opened	Year closed	Length (km)	Length (mi)
1	Tailem Bend–Pinnaroo	1906	2015[note a]	86.6	139.4
2	Tailem Bend–Barmera	1913 / 1928[note b]	1996[note c]	159.5	256.6
3	Karoonda–Peebinga	1914	1990	66.0	106.2
4	Karoonda–Waikerie	1914	1994[note d]	73.8	118.7
5	Alawoona–Loxton	1914	2015[note e]	22.0	35.5
6	Wanbi–Yinkanie	1925	1971	31.5	50.6
Total				439.4	707.0
Notes Previously a broad-gauge through line into Victoria, the line was closed at the border in 1996 before being converted to standard gauge in 1998. Construction of the Barmera line was paused at Paringa in 1913 pending funding of a bridge over the River Murray. The line was completed to Barmera in 1928. A branch line was built to support construction of the proposed Chowilla Dam in 1966–67. Some 27.3 kilometres (17.0 miles) long, it branched from the Barmera line 8 kilometres (5 miles) south of Paringa and proceeded to Murtho on the south bank of the River Murray. Construction of the dam was deferred in 1967 and subsequently cancelled; later the line was removed without being used. Paringa–Barmera closed in 1984; Alawoona–Paringa closed in 1990; Tailem Bend–Alawoona closed in 1996. Galga–Waikerie closed in 1990. Converted to standard gauge in 1996.

The railway line ran eastward from Karoonda, then veered northeast, helping to open agricultural lands between the Pinnaroo line, which had been operational since 1906, and the Barmera line, which was still under construction when approval for the Peebinga line was granted. The Peebinga line was 106.2 kilometres (66.0 mi) long, with construction costs estimated at £207,000, plus £56,690 for rolling stock. Although the net operating loss was projected at £11,804 per annum, this was deemed acceptable as it enabled agriculture on 621,000 acres (2,510 km²) of previously undeveloped land.

Towns with railway stations and schools were established along the route, but none have survived as towns today. These towns included:

• Nunkeri
• Yurgo
• Marama (with a 1930 hall still standing on Karoonda-Lameroo road)
• Kulkami (with bulk grain silos on Karoonda-Lameroo road)
• Mulpata
• Wirha (located near Billiat Road)
• Gurrai (with bulk grain silos)
• Karte
• Kringin (near Peebinga Conservation Park)
• Mootatunga (near Peebinga Conservation Park, 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) west of Browns Well Highway)
• Peebinga (with bulk grain silos located 5 km east of Browns Well Highway)

Possible extension

In 1927-28, consideration was given to extending the Peebinga railway line across the state border into Victoria and then northward to Morkalla. This extension would have connected with what later became the Victorian Railways' Morkalla railway line, which at that time terminated at Meringur.