Morkalla railway line
Meringur Railway Station, relocated to Meringur Pioneer Village
Overview
StatusClosed
OwnerVictorian Railways
LocaleMillewa
Coordinates34°18′28″S 142°11′10″E / 34.3077°S 142.1861°E / -34.3077; 142.1861
Termini
History
Opened10 April 1924 (1924-04-10) (to Werrimull)
Extended to MeringurOctober 1925 (1925-10)
Extended to Morkalla1931 (1931)
Closed1988 (1988)
Technical
Line length97.4 km (60.5 mi)
Number of tracksSingle track
Track gauge1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
Morkalla railway line
To Mildura
342+1⁄4 miles (550.8 km)
 Red Cliffs
Mildura railway line
To Melbourne
348+3⁄4 miles (561.3 km)
 Thurla
351 miles 42 chains (565.7 km)
 Mildura shire siding
353+1⁄4 miles (568.5 km)
10 miles 66 chains (17.4 km) local
 Ballast siding
355 miles (571 km)
 Benetook
360+1⁄2 miles (580.2 km)
 Pirlta
366 miles (589 km)
 Merrinee
372+1⁄4 miles (599.1 km)
 Karawinna
378 miles (608 km)
 Werrimull
383+1⁄2 miles (617.2 km)
 Bambill
388 miles (624 km)
 Yarrara
393+1⁄4 miles (632.9 km)
 Meringur
reversing triangle
(1928-1968)
397+1⁄2 miles (639.7 km)
 Karween
402+3⁄4 miles (648.2 km)
 Morkalla

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

  1. 1 2 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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