A long-forgotten station near the Breakwater bridge is just one of the histories Norm Houghton has unearthed in his new book on the Warrnambool line.
The stopping point for wool scourers opened in 1889 before “falling on evil days” and in closing in 1898, the South Geelong historian explained.
“When the 1890s bank crash happened the wool scourers weren’t doing as much business,” he said.
“There’s nothing to see there now. When they rebuilt the tracks in 2016 they got rid of everything that was left.”
Mr Houghton’s new book, To Warrnambool, stopping all stations, delves into the history of all 56 stops on the line from 1876 onwards.
“In those days the roads were poor and it was horse and cart,” he said.
“The only way you could move anything around with any certainty was by rail.”
The book also explores history of Marshall Railway Station, which served as a junction for the original Geelong Racecourse “in the middle of nowhere” before it moved to its current location in Breakwater.
The station was also vital in the construction of Geelong’s 1913 sewerage system using pipes from a nearby cement factory, now a heritage-listed site.
“They used to send out 300,000 tonnes of cement a year out to Melbourne, Gippsland and Mildura,” Mr Houghton said.
Mr Houghton, who received an Order of Australia Medal in January for his historical work, lives just down the road from a rail crossing – fitting, given his interest in all things train-related.
“We can’t keep pictures straight on the wall, but we knew that when we bought the house 30 years ago,” he laughed.
Details: trainworld.net.au
Luke Voogt
