HERITAGE PLACE NAME OF PLACE: RAILWAY STATION BUILDINGS (FORMER) ADDRESS/LOCATION OF PLACE: Skene Street DUNKELD

STUDY NUMBER: 429 HERITAGE OVERLAY NUMBER:

PRECINCT: Dunkeld

LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA: Southern Grampians Shire

ACCESS DESCRIPTION: CFA 433J; VicRoads 229 S4; located on the south side of Skene Street between Templeton and Dunlop Streets, two blocks south of the Glenelg Highway. SIGNIFICANCE RATING: Local

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Dunkeld Railway Station building (former), Dunkeld-Ararat Railway Reserve, Skene Street, Dunkeld Image Date: 08/03/03

EXTENT OF LISTING: To the extent of: 1. All the surviving buildings and works and all of the land in the original railway reserve. HERITAGE PLACE NAME OF PLACE: RAILWAY STATION BUILDINGS (FORMER) ADDRESS/LOCATION OF PLACE: Skene Street DUNKELD

STUDY NUMBER: 429 HERITAGE OVERLAY NUMBER:

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Railway Station in The former Dunkeld Railway Station buildings are located on the Dunkeld - Ararat reserve buildings which survive collection Skene Street, Dunkeld, on the site of the former Railway Station. The are a railway line. of single storey masonry structures, located on either side of the former is simple single The station building and platform survive, with timber picket fence intact. The building a and doors, correlating the internal structure storey structure with an asymmetrical arrangement of windows to The roof is hipped and covered with slate of waiting rooms and offices, all opening onto the platform. the platform, and has cast iron posts and shingles. A shallow concave verandah in corrugated iron extends over curved brackets.

the of windows and Other similar buildings are on the site. These are mainly asymmetrical in arrangement is known, but doors, with slate shingle roofs, but without verandahs. The exact function of these structures not worker's accommodation. may include offices, storerooms and perhaps HISTORY: political activism. The advent of railways in the Western District was much anticipated and created a strong community of whatever The location of the lines, stations and sidings could make or break the viability of a without station, scale. The township of Yuppeckiar, halfway between Dunkeld and GIenthompson and a weatherboard station for withered while the other two consolidated. The settlement of Moutajup had a tiny particularly concerned that it should become about fifty years from 1900 (Clabburn, 37). Hamilton was a . The main business of the railways railway hub and be on the main line to South and was increasingly diverse the nineteenth transportation of passengers and primary produce. The produce became as factories in smaller and the century progressed. Importantly, key new industries such as butter towns in the 1880s, much wool, the Glenthompson Brickworks were located close to railway transport. But even for "By the Western District's principal product, was still transported by wagon to ports on the coast export. and of freight charges endof the-eentury, wool cartage-had been mainly taken_ov_er_by_the_Railways,hut the issue crmstantly-orrthe-minds-of—people Glong Pattaml whether it was cheaper to transport viaTIVfdlbourne, or was in the Hamilton district" (Garden, 136).

details of the proposed railway In 1870 Thomas Higinbotham, Engineer in Chief of released The line between Hamilton and Warrnambool which would pass through the township of Penshurst. for construction begin. It period of announcement was the beginning of a twenty-year long wait to was a Adelaide, prolonged and vigorous campaigning because it was hoped that the line would continue on to 92-7). The first rail link the early confirming Hamilton as the capital of the Western District (Garden, was could head north-west to Horsham and - line, soon extended to Ararat. From Ararat, the line regions of through the Wimmera to , or head south-west through Hamilton to the pastoral Branxholme south-eastern South Australia. There was also a push for a link from Portland through to wheat trade. Hamilton, which could extend further into the Wimmera-Mallee, thereby capturing the growing

construction of the line from Ararat to Hamilton, with In 1873 a Bill was passed giving the go-ahead for the a finally reached link from Hamilton to Portland. The Hamilton-Ballarat line was surveyed in 1875 and of trunk also Hamilton, via Glenthompson on 26th October 1877 (Garden, 1984, 97). A number routes were 1890) and the opened in the late 1880s, including the Hamilton to Koroit (via Penshurst) line (in August began (Garden, 137). Penshurst to Dunkeld link although these proved to be uneconomic and so closures soon the railways of large By the 1920s and 1930s, rail services were in general decline as road traffic deprived a part suffered (Garden, 138). of their revenue. Each of the lines feeding Hamilton usual, The Dunkeld station complex began in 1877 and included the station building including, as was a goods sheds, residence for the station master, other service buildings opening onto the platform, and various 2 HERITAGE PLACE STATION BUILDINGS (FORMER) NAME OF PLACE: RAILWAY DUNKELD ADDRESS/LOCATION OF PLACE: Skene Street HERITAGE OVERLAY NUMBER: STUDY NUMBER: 429

26). "The opening of the April with riotous celebrations (Clabbum, The complex opened on 25 only 7 months and signal boxes. celebrations. In fact the line operated for Dunkeld-Penshurst line in 1890 saw more wild 1898" (Clabburn, 26). was ripped up in granted Edwin in 1877 with license being to opened opposite the Dunkeld station a been The Railway Hotel was Parker Street from 1871. He had also licensee of the Family Hotel in Collins in 1878. He had been the Hotel's main rival (SMRRB, 1870, the Royal Mail Hotel, the Family the butcher and then the publican at married Mary Pook before he first from Brixton in Surrey and had 1871, No. 151; Marriott, 168). He was immigrated in 1858 No. 75; Richard William in 1857. His wife with his young brother, born in immigrated to child, Richard William Edwin, who was Jane Sophia. They had another bringing their baby, daughter, licensee of the Family Hotel in 1876 in 20396). Edwin Collins is named as the Dunkeld in 1862 (PI, Reg. No. coach and parcels, a role the hotel is noted as a depot for passengers Hamilton Spectator's Almanac when 1882, aged 51 with his wife the 82). Collins died at Dunkeld in superseded by the railway (Clabburn, No. 1226; soon to be continuing the Railway Hotel (PI, Reg. Adolphus Augustus Collins to run Sophia Collins, Mary and his son Lineker, the second husband of Jane 1901 until 1907 Adolphus Winter and Charles Marriott, 169). From the licensee of the Family Hotel Railway Hotel. Then, in 1908 he became the licensee of the 169). Lott owned it until 1924 when it was was of the Railway Hotel (Marriot, Lott became owner and licensee Station complex has been exists and much of the Dunkeld Railway delicensed. The Railway Hotel no longer demolished or removed. THEMATIC CONTEXT: national economies 3 Developing local, regional and 3.8.6 Building and maintaining railways and cities 4 Building settlements, towns rural Australia 4.5 Making settlements to serve CONDITION: ve-ry-gond-condition The building are ri INTEGRITY: have fair degree of integrity, complex. Station building and platform a Very low degree of integrity as a STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: What is significant? located former railway land in Skene former Dunkeld Railway Station are on The buildings which survive at the constructed in 1877 after the completion of railway station and associated structures were which is Street Dunkeld. The principle building is the railway station, extension in the previous year. The hipped the Dunkeld-Ararat railway and constructed of masonry. The of windows and doors, single-storey asymmetrical in its arrangement roof extending over the platform. The with shallow curved corrugated iron main roof is clad in slate shingle, a buildings, without verandahs also exist cast iron. A number of similar platform verandah and roof plumbing are condition, and retain a high buildings appear to be in very good alongside the former railway line. All the degree of integrity.

How is it significant? historical significance to the township of buildings of architectural and The former Dunkeld Railway Station are Dunkeld and the Southern Grampians Shire.

Why is it significant? significance series of typical 1870s Station buildings are of architectural as a The former Dunkeld Railway Victoria. They are of historical with the developing regional railways in buildings constructed in association HERITAGE PLACE NAME OF PLACE: RAILWAY STATION BUILDINGS (FORMER) ADDRESS/LOCATION OF PLACE: Skene Street DUNKELD

STUD NUMBER: 429 HERITAGE OVERLA NUMBER:

significance because the arrival of the railway and its infrastructure represented an important stage in the development of the town and its hinterland which had hitherto relied on horse or bullock drawn transport. The and of the district, and for business station was used extensively to convey freight into out to carry passengers and pleasure. COMPARISON:

015 Railway Station (Former), Pineal' Street, Coleraine 302 Railway Station Complex, Station St, Glenthompson ASSESSED B: AEN ASSESSMENT DATE: 01-Mar-04

EXISTING LISTINGS: HERITAGE STUD RECOMMENDATIONS: 0 W 5 I VHR I RNE I L P S 0 No R I L REFERENCES: P A T 1984 97, Don Garden Hamilton, A Western District History 98, 135-8 Elsie Clabburn, Iris Field, Betty Dunkeld and District, A Short History 1989 26, 37 Gordon & Kathleen Dickie Shire of Mount Rouse Shire of Mount Rouse Centennary 1964

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