Melbourne Sojourn: Sydney Central to Menangle

Sydney's central station was opened in 1906. Prior to that Sydney station was located in Redfern.

"On the first day of rail - 26 September 1855 - 750 first class tickets at 4 shillings each were sold for the run between Parramatta and Sydney. There were no ticket barriers and there were no platform indicators."..Central Station - self guided tour

Setting out by Diesel

Despite the clock tower showing the wrong time, the train pulled out, on schedule, at 7.42.

Seat 16, Car D on the XPT service 12 July 2012 was a window seat on the western side of the train. Due to trackwork on the Victorian stretch from Albury to Melbourne, we changed to Coach travel by road.

Mortuary Station

The sandstone Mortuary Station, came into site just as we were pulling away from the platform. According to the billboard advertising its renovation, it was designed by Florence May Taylor, Australia's first female Architect. Funeral corteges, including Henry Parkes' arrived here by carriage and then travelled on to Rookwood. In Henry Parkes' case, in 1896, the cortege travelled onto Faulkonbridge...more.

The train passed the old maintenance sheds now the Carriageworks Arts centre. Old homes which faced onto the road that ran parallel to the track. Living in close proximity to the track and station was once desirable. The grand houses faced the railway tracks as we wizzed through the stations of Stanmore and Petersham.

Enroute the train passes over and under bridges, over roads and rivers, under roads and through tunnels. At Summerhill, I mised the Historic Railway Bridge and disused goods line below.

Strathfield

After whizzing through Ashfield and Burwood, the train stopped to take on passengers at Strathfield. We slowed down at Flemington to change tracks, with a wait at Regents Park.

At Carrama the Cottamandra wattle was being cleared from the side of the tracks.

After Fairfield Station, there was a large substation at the Cabramatta Station. Cabramatta is renowned for its Vietnamese cuisine.

Before Warwick Farm, we passed over another bridge. After the 1898 Irish uprising, political prisoners were transported to New South Wales and given 40 acre land grants in this area in 1809...more

Liverpool station is a quaint old building, possibly the original one opened in 1856..more.

Next we wizz through Casula, where a 1950s power station, adjoining the tracks has been converted into an Arts Centre...more.

Beyond a stretch, where new tracks are being laid, we pass Macquarie Lakes Golf Course. New car yards pass into and out of view. These cars used to arrive at White bay. There are also shipping containers stored along the way to and around Leaumeah station. New concrete sleepers are piled by the side of the track.

Next stations :- Cambelltown, Macarthur, named after John Macarthur, new Olive farms, near Mount Annan Botanical gardens, where African Olive trees are classified as weeds.

Menangle Park Paceway is located at the next station, which shares its name. There are trotters being excercised in the surrounding fields.

We were now in the countryside...Menangle to Melbourne

Page Created 20 July 2012. Page updated 7 May 2015.