Local Government
Port Hedland
Region
Pilbara
Cnr Wilson, Short & Anderson St Port Hedland
Port Hedland Railway Station (remains)
Port Hedland
Pilbara
Constructed from 1911, Constructed from 1912
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| (no listings) |
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHP - Does not warrant assessment | Current | 27 Jul 2012 |
| Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | ||||
| Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 31 Dec 1996 | Category 1 | |
The remains of the railway station are significant for the association with the railway connection to Marble Bar (goldfields) opened in 1911 and operating until 1951. The railway was pivotal in the development of the region.
On the Wilson Street side is evidence of stone retaining walls, extensive concrete slab and low stone walls on the Anderson Street side of the site, possibly the remains of the locomotive shed. The site evidences various footings and slab remains amidst unkempt road reserve.
A railway linking Port Hedland to the goldfields (Marble Bar as well as Nullagine and Bamboo Creek) was first advocated in 1892. After a Pilbara local, Walter Kingsmill, was elected to the Legislative Assembly for Pilbara, as Commissioner of Railways he continued his support and the Pilbara Railway League, formed in 1902. Despite agreement that the railway was essential for the development of the region, the government suggested it be built by private enterprise. Legislative support continued, and in 1907, the bill was passed. Construction of the 124 miles of railway between Port Hedland and Marble Bar began in 1909, with Smith Timms the successful tenderers at £123, 212-12s-8d, which was later altered to £140 584. By July 1910 the track was opened as far as Coongan Siding. On January 2, 1911, whilst still under the management of the contractors, trains began the full journey from Port Hedland to Marble Bar, for the purpose of a race meet, returning the passengers the following day.1 The official opening occurred on 15 July 1911. The train was called the ‘Spinifex Express’. The service was initially fortnightly, and the 1913 demand for a weekly service with an overnight stopover was flatly refused. With the ship berthing at the port only a day later, mail and goods were constantly late. It was not until 1925/6 that a weekly service began. During World War Two the railway was important in transporting ammunition to the Corunna Downs airfield. Also transporting water from the Shaw River to Port Hedland prior to the Turner River scheme opening in 1953. The track suffered due to climatic conditions, and in 1947 the Government appointed a committee to investigate the possibility of closing the line, and in 1951 it was closed, with the last train running on 27 October. ‘The locomotive hauling the last Spinifex Express carried an effigy of local Legislative Assembly Member on the front reading ‘Our MLA who gave the railway away’’.
Integrity: Low Degree Authenticity: High Degree (the remains) Changes to place: Considerable demolition- footings and retaining walls all that remains.
Remnants
| Ref ID No | Ref Name | Ref Source | Ref Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Town of Port Hedland MI | 1996 | ||
| J Hardie; "Nor’ Westers of the Pilbara breed: The story of brave ancestors who pioneered the outback Pilbara of Western Australia". | The Shire of Port Hedland, | 1981 | |
| L Gray; "Conservation Plan, Marble Bar Heritage Trail". Ref no. 18 | 2003 |
Historic site
| Epoch | General | Specific |
|---|---|---|
| Present Use | Transport\Communications | Rail: Other |
| Original Use | Transport\Communications | Rail: Other |
| General | Specific |
|---|---|
| TRANSPORT & COMMUNICATIONS | Rail & light rail transport |
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