Cowra railway station is a former railway station on the

Blayney–Demondrille railway line The Blayney–Demondrille railway line is a railway line in New South Wales, Australia. The line is used mainly for grain haulage and is owned by the Transport Asset Holding Entity, a government department of Transport for NSW. However, in 2004 ...

Cowra Cowra is a small town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre and the council seat for the Cowra Shire, with a population of 9,863. Cowra is located approximately above sea level, on the ...

Cowra Shire The Cowra Shire is a local government area in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is located adjacent to the Lachlan River, the Mid-Western Highway and the Lachlan Way. The largest town and council seat is Co ...

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, Australia.

History

The station opened on 1 November 1886, and closed on 25 November 1988. Parts of the station and the locomotive depot are currently used for the

Lachlan Valley Railway The Lachlan Valley Railway Society is an Australian rail preservation society based in the New South Wales Central Western town of Cowra. It was established in 1974 to preserve and operate former New South Wales Government Railways locomotives ...

Description

The complex includes: * the standard roadside station building (1886) * a non-standard platform level timber box with

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

roof (1937) * a type 4 station domicile at 32 Brougham St (1886) * A Mongolian style Yurt that sells muffins (1956) * the railways institute building and examiners hut (1886) * the roundhouse and environs It also includes the water column, the brick-based water tanks, the timber footbridge, turntable, the drop pit jack in the locomotive depot, and the platform signs. The station forecourt and grounds, locomotive depot, roundhouse, gardens, buildings, turntable, footpaths, and approaches (with 1930s yard layout), are protected as an almost complete country locomotive depot. The heritage listing includes all infrastructure, vegetation, and archaeological relics in the Cowra yard, between up and down distant signals, and all infrastructure and vegetation included in the former Cowra locomotive depot.

Heritage listing

Cowra was reached by rail in 1886 from

Young Young may refer to: * Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents * Youth, the time of life when one is young, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood Music * The Young, an American roc ...

, and linked to Blayney in 1888, forming the first cross country line. The station complex forms an interesting and complete group of buildings illustrating the importance of the location through the development of the site, particularly the station building. Many periods of construction, utilising various architectural styles, are evident within the group and in the station buildings, making the present structures unique. The complex forms an important civic group on one of the major approaches to Cowra, having a strong and ongoing relationship to the town. The station building is classed as a civic structure within the town itself. The Institute building is one of the few remaining in the state, and is of high significance for its social value in illustrating the importance of the railways to not only the vocational, but the social, educational, and entertainment life of employees. The examiners hut is a rare example of such a building, and is of high significance. The forecourt parking area and grounds are of significance, as it connects the streetscape to the station complex; although the surface treatment has altered the appearance from the original. The site is in close proximity to the Cowra Railway Hotel, which is one of the few active remaining Railway Hotels in the state of New South Wales. This association enhances the significance of both groups of structures. Cowra railway station was listed on the

New South Wales State Heritage Register The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...

on 2 April 1999, having satisfied the criteria that "the place possesses uncommon, rare, or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales."

References

Bibliography

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Attribution

External links

{{commons category-inline, Cowra Railway Station New South Wales State Heritage Register Cowra Disused regional railway stations in New South Wales Articles incorporating text from the New South Wales State Heritage Register Railway stations in Australia opened in 1886 Railway stations closed in 1988 Blayney–Demondrille railway line