The Kalamunda Zig Zag was a zig zag rail line that was part of the

Upper Darling Range Railway The Upper Darling Range Railway (also known as the Upper Darling Range Branch) was a branch railway from Midland Junction railway station, Midland Junction, Western Australia, that rose up the southern side of the Helena Valley and on to the D ...

line in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, opening in July 1891 and closing in July 1949. Most of it was converted to a public road in 1952, part of which is now a tourist drive called Zig Zag Scenic Drive that offers views of

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

from the hills.

History

The Kalamunda Zig Zag was completed in July 1891, as part of the Upper Darling Range Railway line in Western Australia which was built by the Canning Jarrah Timber Company from a junction with the Midland line at

Midland Junction Midland is a suburb in the Perth metropolitan region, as well as the regional centre for the City of Swan local government area that covers the Swan Valley and parts of the Darling Scarp to the east. It is situated at the intersection of Gr ...

to Canning Mills to transport railway sleepers to

's growing railway system. On 1 July 1903, the line was taken over by the

Western Australian Government Railways Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) was the operator of railway services in the state of Western Australia between October 1890 and June 2003. Owned by the state government, it was renamed a number of times to reflect extra responsi ...

.History of the Railway
Pickering Brook Heritage Group To overcome a steep gradient up the

Darling Scarp The Darling Scarp, also referred to as the Darling Range or Darling Ranges, is a low escarpment running north–south to the east of the Swan Coastal Plain and Perth, Western Australia. The escarpment extends generally north of Bindoon, to th ...

, a

zig zag A zigzag is a pattern made up of small corners at variable angles, though constant within the zigzag, tracing a path between two parallel lines; it can be described as both jagged and fairly regular. In geometry, this pattern is described as a ...

was built between Ridge Hill and Gooseberry Hill stations, being cheaper to build than a continuous gradient line. The Kalamunda Zig Zag closed on 22 July 1949 along with the rest of the line. In 1952 the track was removed and most of the Kalamunda Zig Zag converted into a narrow

bitumen Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...

road. Part of this road is now a tourist drive called Zig Zag Scenic Drive, with the zig zag section that descends down the Darling Scarp being one-way in the direction of descent with a speed limit of and, , closed to motor vehicles between the hours of 8:30pm and 11am. This section of road was closed to motor vehicles completely by the

City of Kalamunda The City of Kalamunda is a local government area in the eastern metropolitan region of the Western Australian capital city of Perth about east of Perth's central business district. The area covers , much of which is state forest rising into ...

in May 2020 due to reports of anti-social behaviour at night including

hoon A hoon is an Australian term describing a person who deliberately drives a vehicle in a reckless or dangerous manner, generally in order to provoke a reaction from onlookers. Hoon activities (or hooning) can include speeding, burnouts, dough ...

ing, drug use and cruelty to wildlife. After more than 12 months of closure, the road reopened in July 2021 on a 12 month trial basis, with motor vehicle access limited to between 11am and 8:30pm. In May 2022, City of Kalamunda councillors voted to keep the road open permanently with the night and early morning motor vehicle curfew to continue, despite concerns about the ongoing cost to do so.

Sections

The sections of the railway that made up the zig zag were: *Ridge Hill (lower section of Kalamunda Zig Zag) *Number 1 Points *Number 2 Points

Statham's Quarry Statham's Quarry (also known as Darling Range Quarry, and then Perth City Council's Darling Range Quarry after 1920) is the site of a quarry on the Darling Scarp on the southern side of the entrance of the Helena River valley on to the Swan Coas ...

known also as Perth City Council Siding from 1920 *Number 3 Points *Number 4 Points (upper section of Kalamunda Zig Zag) The gradient is as steep as 1 in 27 with an average of 1 in 38.

Events

Every year the

holds a "Zig Zag Walk" event, in which the zig zag section is closed to all but pedestrians, providing people with the opportunity to admire the views and see the area's wildflowers; Zig Zag Scenic Drive is a part of the Darling Range Regional Park. The Zig Zag Walk occurs around early October every year. On the last Sunday of October each year, there is a community arts festival called the "Zig Zag Festival" held in Stirk Park, Kalamunda. The zig zag is also used as a stage in the

Targa West Targa West was a rally racing, rally event held in and around Perth, Western Australia between 2005 and 2021. The event takes its name from the Targa Florio, a former motoring event held on the island of Sicily, as well as more recent Australian ...

Rally. The road is closed to all traffic and the stage is run in reverse road direction, from the bottom to the top.

References

External links

*{{commons category-inline
Zig Zag Community Arts Festival page
Closed railway lines in Western Australia Gooseberry Hill, Western Australia Railway lines opened in 1891 Railway lines closed in 1949 Railways with Zig Zags Roads in Perth, Western Australia

History

Sections

Events

References

Further reading

External links