Boulder Railway Station, Subway & Loopline

Child Places

• 16652 Boulder CWA Hall
• 24921 Boulder Subway Bridge

Statement of Significance

*demonstration of a way of life, custom, process or function . . The .'whole reason for being• of this complex, given the statistics of daily passenger movement at its prime establishes the importance of this precinct and its operation to the functioning of the gold extraction.for the Nation. *historical significance of development or cultural phases; association.with important figures The elements comprising this assessment provide a vital component of the phase of gold mining during the gold boom, and of the Golden Mile, internationally recognised in gold mining history. · • environmental importance ;townscape or landscape value; high degree of unity of setting. The railway provides a demarcation between the town centre and the extensive linear gold workings stretching between Kalgoorlie and Bouldet' and with care bas the potential in terms of utility for the. cities as well as tourism, to.. generate a fine buffer between townscape and·industry as well as a practical and useful link joining the twin cities. •scientific/ archaeological importance Given its provenance, the site should be investigated to determine 'its potential for archaeological material. •educational/research value A viable railway in this location will provide a highly visible educational facility marking a vital transport component of the goldmining industry and of the twin cities. *social significance In providing the transport link tor all elements of a working population including passenger transport, mining equipment and freight, the rail installation is a marker of the social significance for Kalgoorlie-Boulder. *scarcity value; a particularly fine (or unique) example. The station building isa fine example of almost unaltered 1898 railway architecture The former station masters' house is the only railway house built in Boulder.

Physical Description

STATION Accommodation included Ticket Hall, ticket office with fireplace and built in fittings, parcels office, cloak room, instrument room, station master's office with fireplace, general waiting room with seating, ladies waiting room with seats and toilet facilities, porter's room with fireplace. The station building is built from Coolgardie Brick, and is in good condition as is the main platform. The larger ticket office and porter s rooms at each end of the building provide gable ended returns and cavity brickwork is indicated on the drawings. The foundations md footings were prepared prior to the main contract being let, and are unusual in the extreme depth, almost 2 metres to the trench base of the footings. Roof is corrugated galvanised iron generally of standard construction, the roof of the platform awning being lean-to, without adornment of a ·valance or such like. The. gable ends are trimmed with a barge support beam and post capped with a finial and boss,:and infi lling of boarding is provided. The fascia to the approach side roof overhang are strutted from corbelled brickwork. The windows generally are double ·hung with the public windows having the transom bars shaped into an arch form to reflect the arch over the entrance door. Of interest is the emphasis on rainwater collection with six 1000 gallon water tanks in two enclosed yards; and two 400 gallon water tanks for' public use. Three internal doors have been added: - one from the Station Masters' .office to the General Waiting Room, a second from the General Waiting Room·to the Ladies' Waiting·Room_ and the third from the Ladies' Lavatory area to the Porters' Room. Date unknown. . A separate toilet building at the south end of the complex is not shown on the drawings. PLATFORM The island platform is hardly used and is crumbling at the edges.. It is planted with gardens which are somewhat overgrown. · - . GOODS SHED . The large corrugated iron.goods shed, 100' by.42', has been painted and is still in reasonable condition. TRACK Tracks and platform edge are leased from Westrail by the Golen Mile Loopline Soc., and are now operational. · · SUBWAY See G B Hill & Partners Heritage Assessment prepared for the Heritage Council of Western Australia STATION.'MASTER'S RESIDENCE The plans designated Contract No.40 indicate a standard plan for a residence, with cavity brick external walls, galvanised corrugated iron roof and otherwise unremarkable for the period. This building has been clad with weatherboard .

History

Assessment 1996 Construction: 1898 The railway from Kalgoorlie was extended to Boulder and beyond in a loop to the mines in order to serve the min.es of the Golden Mile. Opening in November 1897, the carriage of passengers was an afterthought as no stations or platform facilities had been provided -yet by the end of the month the railway was carrying 9 000 passengers per week. ·THE.STATION . ·Opened in February 1898, it was built of Coolgardie pressed brick. The largest station in the area apart from Kalgoorlie, Boulder saw trains every few minutes during shift changes at the mines as well bringing much freight which had been shipped to Fremantle and then railed to the Goldf1elds. At the turn of the century there were 61 trains a day, each up to 10 coaches in length. In addition to the freight from overseas for the mines the main freight was local firewood . Thus it was symbolic of the richness of the Golden Mile. Originally there were three railway lin.es and buildings on the island platform in addition to the Structures remaining. The-passenger subway from the station to Burt St is still visible .Today it sees a dailt tourist train. · . The goods shed appears to date from the same era. . ' The former station masters' house is nearby and dates from 1898 :Until recent years the brick construction was clearly visible and has only recently been clad in another material with its associated alterations to the windows. When the railway first began operation, the_ Station Master was given a ·’D’ freight wagon, and he ran the station operations from this together with a mattress for his accommodation. . . The subway, just north of the station, was built in 1902 to allow trams to pass under the railway. For detail on this structure refer to G B Hill Heritage Assessment.

Uses

Historic Themes

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