Dorrigo-Glenreagh Railway - historical note

Photo: Rolling stock, Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum

Construction of the railway between Glenreagh on the North Coast line and Dorrigo began in 1924. Intended to bring produce to nearby coastal ports, the line climbs 664m over a length of 69km.

The steep terrain and high rainfall made construction and maintenance of this line quite difficult. Due to the tight curves, a check rail was employed in numerous places. Two tunnels and numerous bridges were required.

From a New England perspective, the line was a first step in creating east-west rail links within New England.

In 1928 legislation was approved for a Dorrigo-Guyra line, providing a base for further western extensions. The first sod on the new line was turned on 20 October 1928 in front of a crowd of between 3,000 and 4,000 people. Deputy Premier Buttenshaw declared:

The Government had decided that no work would be authorized, no sod turned, until they were absolutely safe in saying that the work would be finished. Armidale Chronicle, 24 October 1928.

To Victor Thompson, the day was a step towards something bigger:

The job, however, was not finished, and they would not sit down but must go on with the Great Northern works. Most of them would live to see the turning of the first sod of something much bigger than was now being celebrated - the first sod of the new Northern state, which once established would have a powerful influence on not only the North, but on New South Wales and on Australia (Applause). Northern Daily Leader, 22 October 1928.

Despite these words, construction was was halted in 1932 during the Depression and never re-started. About 13km of embankments and cuttings from the Guyra end are the only evidence of the line.

Deprived of the additional traffic, the Dorrigo line was not profitable for much of its life time and when several washaways occurred in 1972, the Sydney Government decided to suspend services rather than repair the damage.

Today the line survives in the attempts of the Dorrigo Steam Railway and Museum at one end, the Glenreagh Mountain Railway at the other, to re-establish tourist services along what was one of Australia's most scenic lines.

New England's east-west highways - the Kamilaroi

Map: Kamilaroi Highway

Named after the Kamilaroi peoples, the Kamilaroi Highway leaves the New England Highway just north of Willow Tree. From there it runs north-west through Quirindi to Narrabari and then veers west through Wee Waa, Burren Junction, Walgett and Brewarrina ending at Bourke.

Part of the highway goes through contested, marchland territory from a New England perspective. If you look at the road map, the first part is clearly in New England. However, the far western portion has moved in and out of New England's boundaries.

A key influence here lay in Bourke's role as a river port. Dissatisfied with the loss of traffic and especially wool down the Darling River to South Australia, the colonial Government in Sydney pushed what was called the Main Western Line northwest to Bourke, arriving there in 1885. This drew Bourke and surrounding areas more firmly into Sydney's orbit.

During the Northern (the name New England was not adopted for the new state area until 1931)separation agitation in the 1920s, some suggested boundaries did include Bourke. However, the boundaries recommended by the Nicholas Royal Commission (1935) excluded Bourke and the far west portion. Then the 1967 plebescite boundaries followed Nicholas, to the great distress of many nearby areas who wanted to get out from Sydney and saw themselves as part of New England.

At 607k (around eight hours driving time), the Kamilaroi is not an especially long highway by Australian standards. It is also a very interesting road. In the words of the highway site:

The Kamilaroi Highway route to Bourke from the east coast takes you into the agricultural heartland of NSW, cruising through golden fields of wheat, sunflowers and canola; past the rugged mountain ranges of the Nandewars and Mt Kaputar; and on to the sunburnt plains of the Outback grazing runs.

Along the way, the Kamilaroi’s iconic towns and settlements give you every excuse to extend your journey over several days, with each stop presenting its own unique slice of life in the bush.

I think that this is pretty correct.

For related posts about the towns and regions along the highway see:

• Kamilaroi Highway - Werris Creek Railway Monument and Museum
• Kamilaroi Entry Page. This provides an entry point to posts about the Kamilaroi Aboriginal peoples.
• Werris Creek Railway Timeline
• Teaching in New England - Braefield 1916-1923
• The Outstation now Open
• What has Jane Austin got to do with food in Regional Australia?
• Polocrosse & Narrabri
• Experience a slice of the drover's life - Boggabri
• In Search of the Tastiest Tomato