FORMER ARCADIA RAILWAY STATION
MAIN ROAD ARCADIA, GREATER SHEPPARTON CITY
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Statement of Significance
Arcadia Station took its name from the nearby Arcadia pastoral run (1839) and was constructed in 1880 when the line was opened. Initially a stationmaster was present, but in 1938 a person-in-charge (presumably a caretaker) was provided in lieu of a stationmaster. A goods shed, sheep and cattle loading yards were built by 1887. A number of sidings were provided at the station and in the 1930s a sawmill operated within the rail yards, immediately adjacent to the tracks. By the 1970s there was no one in charge of the station and it closed to passengers in 1974, with the passenger platform being demolished the following year. It was closed to all traffic in 1977 and the sidings abolished. Historic plans and images show the station had substantial facilities including station office and waiting room, lamp room, toilets, van goods shed, a separate truck goods shed opposite the station with its own platform, and several roads (sidings).
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FORMER ARCADIA RAILWAY STATION - History
The North Eastern Railway to Seymour and on to Wodonga, was commenced as an extension to the suburban Essendon line, which was commenced by the private Melbourne to Essendon Railway Company in 1858 (Australian Railway Historical Society Victorian Division Inc. , 2018). In 1860, the company announced their
intention to extend the line “…to Seymour, on the River Goulburn, passing through Broadmeadows, Donnybrook, Beveridge and Kilmore; and, if carried into effect, will open up the most fertile agricultural country in Victoria, and prove of immense benefit to the pastoral and agricultural interests in this colony” (The Argus, 1860). However, four years later the company had exhausted all of their funds and its lines were later taken over by the Victorian Railways, under the Government of Victoria in 1867 (RBA Architects, 2018). The North Eastern railway line was then constructed by the Victorian Railways Department from Essendon to the south bank of the Goulburn River, two miles from Seymour. By April 1872 regular services had commenced between Melbourne and Seymour (Gould, 1990), however the bridge across the Goulburn was delayed for a lack of piers and girders (Huddle, 2006). A bill was approved in 1878 to construct the Goulburn Valley Railway from Mangalore Shepparton (Victoria Parliament, 1878). The railway led to the rapid development of the town and region as a food producing area (Shepparton, 2008). Seymour also benefitted from the railway, with 400 people directly
employed by the railway occupying the town. Along with their families, their total population or railway people amounted to a third of the population of Seymour (Huddle, 2006).
Victorian railways boomed throughout the following four decades, with railways expanding across the state (Museum Victoria, 2012). By the turn of the century Shepparton was central to a large network of regional branch lines including the Toolamba-Echuca line, lines to Cobram, Nathalia, Dookie, Picola and Katamatite. While
these lines were all later closed, Mooroopna Station remains as a stop for passenger trains operating on the Shepparton Railway Line (Monash University, 2015).
Numerous small structural works were required along the railway to construct the permanent way, drain surrounding gullies and creeks and form crossings. These included standard culvert designs of one, two or three cells, sometimes up to seven. They are of simple arched designs in brick or stone sourced from quarries along the line, whether bluestone from Malmsbury or Granite from Harcourt (Ward, A.C. & Associates, 1988).
Construction of the stations, platforms, good sheds, and office and passenger facilities were all undertaken in the mid to late nineteenth century. Level crossings were another important feature of the railways (The Ballarat Star, 1870).
A number of former stations, stopping places and sidings have existed only temporarily along the line including the dedicated siding for Noorilim homestead (later called Dargalong), ballast quarry sidings south of Mangalore for reconstruction of the North East Railway, and former stations at Arcadia, Wahring, Tabilk and Toolamba.
Arcadia Station took its name from the nearby Arcadia pastoral run (1839) and was constructed in 1880 when the line was opened. Initially a stationmaster was present, but in 1938 a person-in-charge (presumably a caretaker) was provided in lieu of a stationmaster. A goods shed, sheep and cattle loading yards were built by 1887. A number of sidings were provided at the station and in the 1930s Peter Baldi operated a sawmill within the rail yards, immediately adjacent to the tracks (Arcadia.org).
By the 1970s there was no one in charge of the station and it closed to passengers in 1974, with the passenger platform being demolished the following year. It was closed to all traffic in 1977 and the sidings abolished.FORMER ARCADIA RAILWAY STATION - Interpretation of Site
Historic plans and images show the station had substantial facilities including station office and waiting room, lamp room, toilets, van goods shed, a separate truck goods shed opposite the station with its own platform, and several roads (sidings). The mature peppercorn trees define the station area, while the raised mound adjacent to the track denotes the position of the former platform, which has been trimmed of its edging to allow clearance to through trains.
Heritage Inventory Description
FORMER ARCADIA RAILWAY STATION - Heritage Inventory Description
The Arcadia Station grounds retain peppercorn and other trees which reflect the site’s use, as well as the pedestrian and goods platform mounds. The station ground has been reused as a recreation area with a tennis court and CFA fire station building taking up part of the site. There are likely to be buried foundations from the former station building, outbuildings and signal and points installations. Note: No inspection or survey of the site was undertaken during the preparation of the due diligence assessment due to the client not providing permission to enter railway land. As a result the assessment is based n historical sources, aerial photography and viewing the site from adjacent publicly accessible roads.
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NORTH MELBOURNE POTTERYVictorian Heritage Inventory
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STONY CREEK SLIPWAYVictorian Heritage Inventory
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SEASONING WORKS SITE AND TERRACOTTA LUMBERWALLVictorian Heritage Inventory
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