Rawlinna Townsite

Statement of Significance

Rawlinna, a complex with a number of structures, has very high cultural heritage significance for the following reasons: the role of the place in the development of interstate transport and communications and its ties to Federation; it is the most complete collection of Commonwealth buildings on the Trans Australian Railway (TAR) in Western Australia; the variety of the remaining buildings which demonstrate the way of life for people in isolated settlements; and the place is representative of the various settlements along the Trans Australian Railway Individual buildings: The railway house ( 1921/4) is the oldest surviving building in Rawlinna and the oldest Commonwealth Railways (CR) house in Western Australia. It is representative of the first effort by the CR to provide permanent housing for its employees on the TAR and is the only one of the twenty such houses built at Rawl inna that is extant. The Post and Telegraph Office ( 1929/30) is the only such building in WA along the 1929 East-West telegraph route and is important for its role in communications to and from WA for over sixty years. The Railway Station ( 1942) is one of only two Trans Australian Railway station buildings in situ in Western Australia and its size reflects the importance of Rawlinna as a depot on the TAR. Its hollow concrete block construction is typical of the post-l 940s facilities along the line and the station building was the first such structure in Rawlinna. The Provision Store (1943) is the on ly remaining CR store in Western Australia and demonstrates the method of supply to isolated communities along the railway. The concrete water tower (J 944) demonstrates the demand for water for steam locomotives in a region with no permanent water courses. It is the only elevated water tank remaining on the TAR in WA. The Railway Barracks (1957) represents the provision of 'resthouse' accommodation required in the era before through-crew workings and represents this style of building provided along the line. The former PMG House (c. 1943) forms a representative part of the community settlement. The school (1963) has some significance as part of the infrastructure required to support the population in Rawlinna. The power plant (1965) and desalination plant (1970) have some significance as they still provide the services for which they were built. (The Hall (1983) has little heritage significance. The Transfield owned and other transportable buildings are of little or no significance. ] Rarity: Rawlinna has rarity value as it is the most complete Trans Australian Railway settlement along the 726km of that line in Western Australia. Individual structures remaining have specific rarity value that heightens the overall rarity value of the settlement as a whole. Rawlinna has rarity value for the buildings that remain from the era of the East-West telegraph route. Representativeness: Rawlinna is representative of the Commonwealth Railways' constructed settlements along the Trans Australian Railway. As one of only two such places in Western Australia that have more than a single railway structure remaining, Rawlinna's collection of structures is the best representative of these settlements and the former way of life along the Line.

Physical Description

Rawlinna is situated on the Trans Australian Railway and the buildings are located around the station siding and track triangle. Most structures are to the south of the line with the water tank, desalination plant and barracks located in or adjacent to the triangle. The Post and Telegraph Office is of brick construction with a hipped cgi roof and a separate verandah. It is in fair condition. The Station (with its 1968 extensions), Barracks and Provision Store are of hollow concrete block construction. The station building and store are in fair condition and vacant. The store includes a cellar and concrete loading ramp. The barracks building is of a 'U' shaped floor plan layout with a cgi hipped roof. It is in good condition and used as accommodation. The original railway house is a timber framed structure, clad with weatherboard and with a verandah on two sides. It is occupied by kangaroo shooters. The school is a single storey two roomed pavilion with verandahs. It is timber framed with asbestos wall cladding. The water tank is an elevated concrete structure. Additional modem structures such as the Transfield resthouse and recent transportable buildings are scattered through the site.

History

Assessment 2002 1920s railway house, Post & Telegraph office ( 1929), Railway Station ( 1942), Provision Store ( 1943), Water Tower (1944), Railway Barracks (1957), PMG House (1943), School (1963), Power plant and desalination plant ( 1965 & 1970), associated track and 'tumbling tommy' memorial. In 2002, the ownership of the various structures reflects their current use. Those structures owned by the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) have been retained for railway operations and communications purposes. The company Loongana Lime, who operate a lime quarry to the north of Rawlinna own most of the buildings - employee accommodation and facil ities (the company headquarters being at Parkeston). The Education Department of Western Australia owns the former school building, though it is disused and has been vandal ised. There are two privately owned residences. Former Commonwealth Railways House (1921/4) No. 120 is privately owned and in 2001 was used by kangaroo shooters. Another house, formerly the PMG technician's residence (c.1943), is vacant and is privately owned by Mr Hogg. Post and Telegraph Office (finr) ( 1929/30) and the Railway Station Building (1942) with toilet block are owned by ARTC but managed by Loongana Lime, though all are vacant. Provision Store (1943), the concrete water tower (1944) and hall (1983) are no longer used but are owned by Loongana Lime. Locomotive barracks (1957) and locomotive barracks (unknown date) and adjacent transportable units are used for accommodation by owners Loongana Lime. The Power House and generators (1965) and the desalination plant (J 970) are owned by Loongana Lime and used for original purposes. The school building (1963), owned by the Education Department of Western Australia, is disused Six transportable houses (1986 onwards) on south side of the track. Three of these are owned by ARTC but are licenced to be managed by track maintainers Transfield. Commemoration plaque, time capsule, (1995) with 'tumbling tommy' (c.1916) and portion of aircraft beacon (c. l 929) are sti11 in situ . Railway tracks (I915) and long siding (1965) are owned by ARTC who have responsibility for east-west rail route but Loongana Lime own and operate the siding to the quarry from a point beyond the northern apex of the rail triangle. When the Federation of Australian colonies was being considered Western Australia was the most reluctant colony. The Premier, (Sir) John Forrest, believed that a railway linking WA to the other states of Austral ia would help to unify the various Western Australian factions. A vote for the new Transcontinental Railway was passed by Federal Parl iament on 6 December 1911. Construction of the 1,051 miles (1,692 km) standard gauge railway, to run from Kalgoorlie to Port Augusta commenced in 1912. Once construction was underway a new entity to be known as the Commonwealth Railways was created. Of the new railway 43% (726km) was in the state of Western Australia and construction was completed on 17 October 1917 at a point near Ooldea. Rawl inna was one of the major railway settlements on the new railway. It was created at a point 235 miles (378km) from Kalgoorlie and 816 miles ( l 313km) from Port Augusta. Rawlinna was to be the largest railway township on the Western Australian section of the line. Materials for the various structures at Rawlinna were acquired from various sources including second hand materials for the engine shed from the Electric Light Company building in Coolgardie. Plans were compiled by the Commonwealth Railways (CR) Engineer-in-Chief and sent to the Supervising Engineer in Kalgoorlie . There is no evidence found of the construction of these early buildings being undertaken by other than CR employees. Once the railway opened, outside contractors were often used. Mr Norris Bell, the CR Commissioner located families to Zanthus, Rawlinna and Loongana on the western side as part of the planning for services such as schools. The Rawlinna school, the first on the Trans line was opened on 9 February 1920. Twenty dwellings for gangers and fettlers were completed at Rawlinna between 1921 and 1924. It was considered to be a main depot and was the first settlement to replace the framed tents. From 1927 the Post Master General's Department (PMG) commenced the installation of the overland telegraph on railway poles. Using three copper wires it replaced the Eucla route. In 1928 the PMG and CR agreed on a site for the Repeater Station at Rawlinna. The first East-West phone circuit opened in 1930. All poles and wires disappeared in the 1990s, being replaced by Telecom's east-west optic fibre. In June 1938 a new faster passenger timetable was introduced with the advent of the new larger capacity "C" class locomotives. With a water capacity of two and a half times the earlier engines and nearly twice the coal capacity, fewer stops were made for locomotive servicing and so these facilities were removed from some locations, thus increasing the importance of the remaining servicing locations such as Rawlinna. On the afternoon of 5 September 1941 the station building burnt down. The building and contents were completely destroyed. As a busy railway depot, Rawlinna needed a station building and approval was given to replace the station with a structure similar to that at Tarcoola. H. Martin and Company of Perth won the tender for the new building, using hollow concrete blocks. It was completed by October 1942. That same month a tender to construct the new provision store, lamp room, closets and urinal was let to H. Martin & Company. Like the new station it was to be made of hollow concrete blocks. In 1944 a 50,000 gallon reinforced concrete water tank was constructed by J . O'Mal ley Dixon. The PMG erected a cottage for Senior Technician in 1951. A later reduction in PMG staff resulted in the residence of the other technician being rented out to a rabbit merchant in charge of rabbit chilling plant. It was eventually sold to CR. The through running of the new GM class of diesel-electric locomotives commenced in October 1951. This withdrawal of steam locomotives reduced the need for locomotive servicing staff along the whole of the Trans line. By March 1952, Rawlinna only had six employees at the locomotive depot, compared with twenty a few months earlier. Extensions to the PMG Repeater Station were carried out by F. J. Power of Southern Cross for £6,794 and were completed by May l953. In November 1963, the old school was vacated and the children moved into the new school building. The Locomotive Journal in 1957 noted the opening of the new concrete block barracks at Rawl inna. An electrodialysis plant to desalt underground water at Rawlinna was commissioned in 1970. A 1975 inspection of western Trans-line settlements by various authorities recommended that the Trans-line settlements be consolidated west of the border on Rawlinna and Coonana. At that time there were twenty houses at Rawlinna. At the end of 1995 the school was closed. By January 1996, there was only one family left in town. The store was closed but mail still arrived for the family and the surrounding stations courtesy of the supply trains 'Tea & Sugar I Bomber'. Whilst Rawlinna closed as a railway town in 1996, the station community in the district was still functioning. In the late 1990s Loongana Lime transferred its mining operations from Loongana to Rawlinna and now has ownership of most of the infrastructure. .

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