Halbury is a former railway town in South Australia, west of the Clare Valley, halfway between Balaklava and

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. At the 2006 census, Halbury had a population of 363.

Etymology

Halbury is situated in the Hundred of Hall, named after politician

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Railway

Halbury was a stop on the

Port Wakefield railway line A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

, an isolated narrow gauge horse-drawn railway connecting to the port at

Port Wakefield Port Wakefield may refer to. Australia *Port Wakefield, South Australia, a town and locality * Port Wakefield railway line, part of the now-closed Balaklava-Moonta railway line in South Australia * Port Wakefield Circuit, a former motor racing cir ...

from Balaklava and Hoyleton. Halbury was where this railway crossed the Gulf Road from

and Burra to the port. The Gladstone railway line ran from Hamley Bridge through Balaklava to Blyth and further on into the Mid North of the state. The line was originally narrow gauge , but was converted to

broad gauge A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways. Broad gauge of , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union (CIS ...

in 1927. Due to various reasons, this particular line became obsolete and the tracks were dismantled in the late 1980s. After Halbury, the railway line veered to the north-east, travelling on to the towns of Hoyleton, Kybunga and further north to Blyth. The railway siding at Halbury was opened in 1870 and closed to all goods and parcels traffic in 1981. Station brand: "HY". Station code number 1274. Railway distance from Adelaide: 74 miles, 1 chain.

Shamus Liptrot Cycling Trail

The former Halbury to Balaklava railway line was re-opened as a 12 km low-gradient cycling trail in 2016, named after elite junior local cyclist Shamus Liptrot who died in 2011, several years after suffering serious injuries in a cycling accident. The trail extends from Balaklava to Halbury, Shamus's home town. The trail is the central link of the 26 km Copper Trail, which extends from Leasingham in the Clare Valley, to Port Wakefield at the head of the Gulf St Vincent.

Railway Signboard Project

In 2022, to commemorate the railway history of the area, a group of Christian railway enthusiasts reinstalled an exact replica of the original Halbury railway station sign. The text on the plaque affixed to the sign reads: ''"This is the site of the Halbury railway siding, 74 Miles, 1 Chain. 1870 – 1981. Sign made and reinstalled Easter 2022 by J. Leigh and E. Green, Railway Infrastructure Services. This sign would not be here if not for Lorraine Zaharuiko, 1984-2021. John 3:16-21."''Halbury Railway sign plaque 18Apr2022.jpg

Government

The township of Halbury in the west of the locality is in the Wakefield Regional Council

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

. The hillier east of the locality is part of the District Council of Clare and Gilbert Valleys.

Gallery

File:Former railway yard, Halbury.JPG, Former railway yard site File:Halbury War Memorial gate, Halbury.JPG, War Memorial gate File:Hellfire Creek ford, Halbury.JPG, Ford at Hellfire Creek File:Company well memorial, near Halbury.JPG, Copper Trail monument, east of Halbury File:Halbury Railway 01 18April2022.jpg, The new Halbury railway station sign, as installed File:Halbury Railway sign plaque 18Apr2022.jpg, The plaque affixed to the new railway station sign

References

External links

{{authority control Towns in South Australia