Jarrahdale to Rockingham Railway

Values

• The steam locomotive used on the 1872 line was only the second locomotive to operate in the colony.
• The railway was the first steam operated one in what is now the metropolitan area.
• The place has associations with the development of the timber industry in the Peel area, and it particular with the establishment of Rockingham as the main timber port of the state at the turn of the twentieth century.
• The place had the longest operational life of any timber mill railway – 90 years from 1872 to 1962
• The place was the largest tramway network built in the South West forest areas.

Physical Description

No clear railway formations or other remnant railway fabric are observed at the Rockingham end of the railway. While a clear pathway extending along the route is visble there are no definite railway remnants. To the east of South Western Highway extending towards Jarrahdale the curtilage roughly follows the Alcoa bauxite railway line established in 1963. The Jarrahdale Railway Heritage Trail, established in 1988 as part of the Australian Bicentennial project, also roughly follows the route of the railway with some portions of the trail veering away so the original route can be viewed from the adjacent track. Parts of the original heritage trail is no longer publicly accessible with some portions crossing through private land. It has also been shortened and has changed alignment in some areas to follow the bauxite railway line, veering away from private land and the original route of the Jarrahdale to Rockingham Railway. Between Buckland Road and Nettleton Road what may be a railway formation is visible within the landscape as it follows the heritage trail. Jarrah sleepers are also embedded within the trail. These may relate to the original railway but could possibly have been added at a later date when the trail was being created.

History

During the 1860s the pioneers in the Western Australian timber industry were repeatedly in financial difficulties due to under-capitalisation. In 1868 Governor Weld persuaded the Colonial Office that to establish the timber industry on a sounder basis and to attract capital from the eastern colonies large timber concessions on generous terms should be made available. The Jarrahdale timber concession was the largest of the three concessions made by Weld, covering 500 000 acres in the hills opposite Cockburn Sound. It was negotiated with a syndicate from Ballarat which agreed to establish a mill in the forest, a port at Mangles Bay and a railway between the two. The mill began operating in May 1872, and in November 1872, the 38 km long railway was opened. The steam locomotive used on the line, Governor Weld, was only the second locomotive to operate in the colony (after Ballaarat which started work for another timber company at Wonnerup in 1871). The railway was the first steam operated one in what is now the metropolitan area. When the locomotive arrived it was hauled overland to Jarrahdale by the first rubber-tyred steam traction engine used in the colony. The heavy locomotive caused so much damage to the rails, which were of timber reinforced with iron, that it was withdrawn from service and the tramway was operated by horse teams until a lighter locomotive arrived in 1874. From 1878 the timber rails were progressively replaced by 30 lb iron rails (which remained until lifted in 1950). By 1880 Rockingham had become the colony’s main timber port… During the mid 1880s there was a slump in the Western Australian timber trade although it affected the Jarrahdale operations less than others because of the efficiency of the company’s rail haulage system. However the profitability of its operations fluctuated considerably and there were three changes of ownership between 1872 and 1892. The 1890s saw the rapid expansion of the Jarrahdale operations under its legendary manager Alex Munro. In 1898 a third jetty was built at Rockingham to accommodate shipping for a large order from South Africa for jarrah sleepers. Large orders were also obtained from British cities for hardwood paving blocks. During the 1890s the eight largest Western Australian timber companies all expanded rapidly and competition became fierce. This led to the combination of all eight companies to form Millars’ Karri and Jarrah Co. (1902) Ltd. In 1893 the WAGR South West Railway from Perth to Bunbury was opened, crossing the Jarrahdale-Rockingham line at Jarrahdale Junction (later Mundijong). Timber could then be railed directly to Perth which, after the 1902 amalgamation, increasingly became the main market for timber from the Jarrahdale mills, with the export market being served by other parts of Millars’ combine through Bunbury. The Rockingham line began to be used less and less for shipments from Jarrahdale and the last timber shipment from Rockingham was made in 1908. During the timber boom of the 1920s exports from Jarrahdale were shipped through Bunbury. To retain property rights on the Rockingham line Millars ran occasional trains to Rockingham for firewood supplies and for company picnics. The last of the firewood specials ran in 1940 and the line was removed in 1950. The Jarrahdale to Mundijong line remained in operation until November 1962 when the WAGR commenced construction of a new line to transport bauxite from Jarrahdale to Kwinana. This line followed in many places the route of the timber railway. The Jarrahdale railway had the longest operational life of any timber mill railway – 90 years from 1872 to 1962, and its tramway net-work of about 644 km was the largest built in the South West forests and probably anywhere in Australia.

Condition

Poor condition. Features indiscernible at Rockingham end.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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