Morkalla railway line

Morkalla railway line
Morkalla railway line
	Meringur Railway Station, relocated to Meringur Pioneer Village
Overview
Status	Closed
Owner	Victorian Railways
Locale	Millewa
Coordinates	34°18′28″S 142°11′10″E / 34.3077°S 142.1861°E
Termini	Red Cliffs; Morkalla;
History
Opened	10 April 1924 (to Werrimull)
Extended to Meringur	October 1925
Extended to Morkalla	1931
Closed	1988
Technical
Line length	97.4 km (60.5 mi)
Number of tracks	Single track
Track gauge	1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
Morkalla railway line
Morkalla railway line
	Legend
	Mildura railway line
	To Melbourne
	353+1⁄4 miles (568.5 km)
	10 miles 66 chains (17.4 km) local
	reversing triangle
	(1928-1968)
	This diagram: view; talk; edit;

The Morkalla railway line was a railway in the Millewa region of north-western Victoria, Australia.^[1] It extended west from Red Cliffs railway station on the Mildura railway line into wheat farming areas established as soldier settlements after World War I.

The line opened initially with limited services to Karawinna in 1923. An extension to Werrimull was officially opened to general traffic on 10 April 1924,^[2] and it was further extended to Meringur in October 1925.^[3] The final extension was to Morkalla, which opened in June 1931. As the towns along the line shrank, due to reduced populations caused by increasing farm size and mechanisation, the line became used only on a seasonal basis, and was closed completely in 1988. The Red Cliffs to Meringur section was dismantled during 1990 and 1991.

A very short section of the line near Red Cliffs has been rebuilt in a 610 mm (2 ft) narrow gauge by the Red Cliffs Historical Steam Railway, which operates monthly tourist services, using heritage locomotives.^[4]

There were several proposals to extend the line across the border into South Australia to connect with the South Australian Mallee railways, either joining the line to Renmark near Paringa, or as an extension of the Peebinga railway line.^[5] There was support from South Australians in the Riverland region to achieve the connection, but it appears not to have been supported by the state government of the day.^[6]

Route

The line began at Red Cliffs, 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) south of Mildura. It ran roughly west, 10–12 km south of what is now the Sturt Highway.

Towns and settlements along the line included:^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b Waugh, Andrew (March 2003). "Redcliffs – Meringur" (PDF). Victorian Signalling Histories No 58, Version 1.0. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
^ "Red Cliffs-Millawa Line Opens". The Age. 5 April 1924.
^ "New Mallee Railway". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 31 October 1925. p. 27. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
^ "Red Cliffs Historical Steam Railway". Red Cliffs Historical Steam Railway. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
^ "The Man on the Land". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 24 August 1928. p. 16. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
^ "Paringa- Millewa Connection". Murray Pioneer and Australian River Record. Renmark, SA: National Library of Australia. 30 June 1932. p. 4. Retrieved 24 June 2014.

External links

Media related to Morkalla railway line at Wikimedia Commons

[Waugh-1] Waugh, Andrew (March 2003). "Redcliffs – Meringur" (PDF). Victorian Signalling Histories No 58, Version 1.0. Retrieved 24 June 2014.

[2] "Red Cliffs-Millawa Line Opens". The Age. 5 April 1924.

[3] "New Mallee Railway". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 31 October 1925. p. 27. Retrieved 13 June 2014.

[4] "Red Cliffs Historical Steam Railway". Red Cliffs Historical Steam Railway. Retrieved 25 September 2022.

[5] "The Man on the Land". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 24 August 1928. p. 16. Retrieved 24 June 2014.

[6] "Paringa- Millewa Connection". Murray Pioneer and Australian River Record. Renmark, SA: National Library of Australia. 30 June 1932. p. 4. Retrieved 24 June 2014.

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