Nokanena Brook Railway Bridge

Author

Shire of Northampton

Place Number

09007

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Location

N of Gwalla St Northampton

Location Details

Also within P4226 Gwalla Precinct

Other Name(s)

Railway Abutments

Local Government

Northampton

Region

Midwest

Construction Date

Constructed from 1911

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type	Status	Date	Documents	More information
(no listings)

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type	Status	Date	Documents
(no listings)

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type	Status	Date	Grading/Management		More information
Type	Status	Date	Category	Description	More information
Municipal Inventory	Adopted	19 Apr 1996	Category 4A	Category 4A SIGNIFICANT AS A HISTORIC SITE Historic site without built features or with association to an historic personage. Recognise the site with a plaque, place name, paving stone or appropriate marker.

Statement of Significance

The railway abutments at the Nokanena Brook have high historic and social significance as part of
Northampton's railway heritage.

History

Work on the state's first government railway line between Geraldton and Northampton commenced in 1874.
However it was not opened for traffic until 1879. The line was primarily constructed to transport lead and copper
from the Northampton Mineral Field to the port at Geraldton. The end of the line and the first railway station in
Northampton was located at Gwalla (Site No. 134). However, following the extension of the line to Ajana, the
station was relocated to a more central position in Mary Street in 1912 (Site No. 77). The Nokanena Brook Railway
Bridge would have been constructed about this time. In the mid 1950's the W.A.G.R. reviewed the whole rail
network in a move to discontinue services on unprofitable branch lines. On 29th April 1957, despite local protests,
the services on the Geraldton -Ajana and Wokarina- Yuna branches were suspended. Although railway sleepers
and rails were sold off to local farmers, many of the railway bridges, including this one remained intact.
Unfortunately time, weather, and pests have contributed to their deterioration- in this case, a fire resulted in severe
damage and warranted the demolition of the bridge which had been used as a walkway until then.

Chronology Entries
1877 The first 28km of the Northampton Railway was opened.
26/07/1879 The Geraldton-Northampton Railway was completed and officially opened by Governor Grd.
1957 The Geraldton-Northampton-Ajana Railway was closed, the last train ran on 29 April.
1962 The Geraldton-Northampton railway line was removed.
Source Pages
Geraldton Guardian

Integrity/Authenticity

Orig'l Fabric: Original Timber Bridge burnt and demolished

Condition

Site

References

Ref ID No	Ref Name	Ref Source	Ref Date
	Joyce, J; "Western Australian's First Government Railway, 1879-1957".	Australian Historical Society (W.A. Division) Perth,	1979
	Austin, J.M; "Construction of the Geraldton-Northampton Railway", Vol 3	Western Rails,	1979

Place Type

Historic Site

Uses

Epoch	General	Specific
Original Use	Transport\Communications	Road: Bridge
Present Use	Transport\Communications	Road: Bridge

Historic Themes

General	Specific
TRANSPORT & COMMUNICATIONS	Rail & light rail transport

Creation Date

17 Jul 1997

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

01 Jan 2017

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.