Barmera railway line

Continues fromAdelaide-Wolseley lineServiceSystemSouth Australian RailwaysOperator(s)South Australian Railways: 1913-1978
Australian National: 1978-1990HistoryOpenedTailem Bend-Wanbi: 6 January 1913
Wanbi-Paruna: 1 May 1913
Paruna-Meribah: 7 May 1913
Meribah-Paringa: 2 October 1913
Paringa-Renmark: 1927
Renmark-Barmera: 1 August 1928Closed1990TechnicalTrack gauge1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)

Route map

Legend former Tailem Bend-Barmera line Barmera Glossop Karoom Berri Spring Cart Gully Calperum Renmark Paringa Bridge across Murray River Paringa to Chowilla Dam site ( 1967 only ) Wonuarra ( formerly Koora ) Yamba 197.25 mi 317.44 km Taldra 195.25 mi 314.22 km Ingalta 192.5 mi 309.8 km Noora 188.5 mi 303.4 km Pungonda 187 mi 301 km Nangari 183.25 mi 294.91 km Taplan Nadda 172 mi 277 km Meribah 164.75 mi 265.14 km Paruna Brown's Well district ↑ Loxton railway line 151.75 mi 244.22 km Alawoona Yinkanie railway line 139.9 mi 225.1 km Wanbi 215.2 km Mindarie 128.25 mi 206.4 km Halidon 115.5 mi 185.9 km Borrika 111.5 mi 179.4 km Lowaldie Waikerie line │ Peebinga line 105.25 mi 169.38 km Karoonda 95.25 mi 153.29 km Wynarka 89.5 mi 144 km Kulde 84.5 mi 136 km Naturi Pinnaroo railway line to Pinnaroo & Ouyen Adelaide-Wolseley line to Wolseley & Western SG line to North Melbourne 75.25 mi 121.1 km Tailem Bend Adelaide-Wolseley line to Adelaide This diagram: view talk edit

The Barmera railway line was the second railway built to develop the Murray Mallee region of South Australia, in 1913. It followed the success of the Pinnaroo railway line in 1906. Both lines branched east from Tailem Bend to the north of the main Melbourne–Adelaide railway. The Brown's Well line was the more northerly, and extended into country which had not been developed much before the railway, partly due to the absence of any viable transport route for produce. The original terminus of the Brown's Well railway was at Meribah, not far from the Victorian border.

Such was the optimism about this region, that three lines from the Brown's Well line to the Murray River, and an additional line between it and the Pinnaroo line, were approved even before it was completed.^[1] It was extended further to Renmark and Barmera in the 1920s, along with construction of another spur from Wanbi to near Moorook in 1925.^[2]

The initial sidings and mileages from Adelaide were:—Tailem Bend, 75¼ miles; Naturi, 84½; Kulde, 89½; Wynarka, 95¼; Karoonda, 105¼; Lowalde, 111½; Borrika, 115½; Halidon, 128¼; Wanbi, 139¼; Alawoona, 151¾; Paruna, 164¾; Meribah, 172.^[3] As the locomotives were powered by steam, reliable water supplies were required as well. There are no significant rivers or lakes in the Mallee, so government bores and tanks were required. The following bores were available on the Brown's Well railway: Yalwarra bore, at 14½ miles (bad water, not suitable for railway use); Wynarka, 20 miles; Karoonda, 29 miles 66 chains; Borrika, 40 miles; Sandalwood, 47 miles 43 chains; Halidon, 55 miles 19 chains; Crecy, 58 miles 20 chains; Wanbi, 64 miles 60 chains; Cobera, 71 miles; Alawoona, 76 miles, 22 chains; Wolowa, 84 miles; Meribah, 96 miles 64 chains. The bores were situated at an average distance of 7 miles apart.^[3]

Part of the Barmera line plus most of the Loxton railway line spur from Alawoona were converted to standard gauge and remained as the Loxton line, used to carry part of the seasonal grain harvest. The section from Barmera to Alawoona closed in 1990. The Loxton line closed on 20 July 2015, with all grain traffic now taken by road.^[4]

Almost as soon as the railway to the Brown's Well district had been completed to Meribah (May 1913), it was extended 40 miles (64 km) north to the Murray River at Paringa. The extension was approved before the original length had been completed, with an additional cost estimate of £135,750 to serve an additional 296,000 acres (1,200 km²).^[1] The official opening to Paringa was on 2 October 1913.^[5] The intervention of World War I delayed the construction of the Paringa Bridge to extend the railway to Renmark until 1927.^[6] It later was also extended to Barmera with the first passenger service running on 1 August 1928.^[7]

In the 1960s, a branch line was built which joined the main line south of Paringa, near the Wonuarra siding. It was 27.3 kilometres (17.0 mi) long, and went northeast to Murtho to the south bank of the Murray River. It was built to support construction of the proposed Chowilla Dam. The dam construction was cancelled in 1967 and never built. The railway line was removed without ever being used.^[8][9]

• Rail transport in South Australia#Branches from the Melbourne line