Thirroul railway station is a heritage-listed railway station on the
South Coast railway line in
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
, Australia. It serves the northern
Wollongong
Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near wate ...
suburb of
Thirroul
Thirroul () is a northern seaside suburb of the city of Wollongong, Australia. Situated between Austinmer and Bulli, it is approximately 13 kilometres north of Wollongong, and 73 km south of Sydney. It lies between the Pacific Ocean ...
. It was added to 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.
History
![Railway Station - Thirroul 1891-1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Railway_Station_-_Thirroul_1891-1.jpg)
In the 1870s when settlement of the area began, all the area north of
Wollongong
Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near wate ...
was known as
Bulli and Thirroul was called North Bulli. Before white settlement the area was the land of the Thurrural tribe. There were many different ways of spelling the name which translates to "the place or valley of the cabbage tree palms".
[
Robbinsville was a former name for the village of Thirroul. The village was called Robbinsville after Frederick Robbins, who owned land in the area. The name was adopted at a meeting of inhabitants of the area in February 1880. Thirroul became known as a tourist resort "Thirroul has long been popular for surfing, and cottages of ]Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
people cluster thickly along the ocean side."[Argus, ]Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
27 December 1923, p. 6[
An isolated section of the ]Illawarra
The Illawarra is a coastal region in the Australian state of New South Wales, nestled between the mountains and the sea. It is situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the South Coast region. It encompasses the two cities of Wollongo ...
Railway was built in 1887 from near Stanwell Park to Yallah
Yallah is a western suburb in the City of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, located on the western shore of Lake Illawarra. It contains a mixture of rural, commercial and light industrial areas.
Etymology
''Yallah'' is an Australian Abo ...
as a single line, and was finally connected to the northern (Sydney) section of the railway on 3 October 1888. The station opened on 21 June 1887 as Robbinsville, Robbinsville having a small timber station building with timber platform, and was renamed Thirroul in November 1891.
When the line was duplicated from Scarborough to Thirroul in 1915 this caused a new platform to be built on the Up side with a large timber platform building relocated to Thirroul Platform 1 from Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to:
People
* Scarborough (surname)
* Earl of Scarbrough
Places Australia
* Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth
* Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong
* Scarborough, Queensland, su ...
. At the time of its relocation, the building's internal layout included a lavatory, ladies' room, general waiting room, and a combined booking, parcels and ticket office, with an awning at the end as well as on the platform side. A separate timber building contained men's toilets (possibly also relocated from Scarborough). The relocation to Thirroul led to some modifications to the building including new awnings and chimneys.[
At the same time, the original building was extended northward and a footbridge was erected. The original building on Platform 2/3 at Thirroul was altered again in 1939 for the change to an island platform.][
In 1921 the railway institute building was built at the southern end of the Up platform and in 1938 a back platform track was laid in for storage of suburban trains to ]Port Kembla
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 Ha ...
. In 1937 the railway institute building was extended.[
1941 plans show extensive loco depot arrangements at Thirroul with an oil store, ash truck, coal bunker, turntable, weighbridge and offices. In 1986 the line was electrified and a new platform canopy was added to the entry end of Platform 2/3.][
Until the 1960s, ]Thirroul Railway Depot
The Thirroul Railway Depot, at Thirroul, New South Wales, opened in about 1917 and closed in April 1965. During that time it was a major servicing destination for the steam locomotives that ran on the Illawarra Line. The depot was located a li ...
existed to the north of the station.
In 1989 the Platform 1 building was extensively upgraded. In 2005 the existing footbridge was replaced with the existing reinforced concrete footbridge and stairs having lifts to the north end of the platforms. Steel canopies were also provided linking the footbridge to the platform buildings.[
]
Platforms & services
Thirroul has one side platform and one island platform with two faces. It is serviced by NSW TrainLink
NSW TrainLink is a train and coach operator in Australia, providing services throughout New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, along with limited interstate services into Victoria, Queensland and South Australia. Its primary interc ...
South Coast line
The South Coast Line is an intercity rail service operated by NSW TrainLink that services the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The service runs from , and runs the entire length of the eponymous South Coast railway line to . T ...
services travelling between Sydney Central, Bondi Junction
Bondi Junction is an eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 6 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of Waverley.
Bondi Junction is a largely comme ...
and Kiama
Kiama () is a coastal town 120 kilometres south of Sydney in the Illawarra. One of the main tourist attractions is the Kiama Blowhole. Kiama features several popular surfing beaches and caravan parks, and numerous alfresco cafes and restaurants ...
, as well as local services from Waterfall
A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...
to Port Kembla
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 Ha ...
. Some Port Kembla services also terminate at Thirroul.
Transport links
Dion's Bus Service
Dion's Bus Service is an Australian bus company operating services in Wollongong.
History
Dion's Bus Service was founded in 1923 when Thomas Dion commenced operating a service from Wollongong to Balgownie followed by a service to Bellambi. operate two routes via Thirroul station:
*90: Austinmer
Austinmer () is a northern village of Wollongong on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. It sits in the northern Illawarra region, south of Stanwell Park and immediately north of Thirroul.
The town's main beach is Austinmer Beach, a ...
to Wollongong
Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near wate ...
*91: Austinmer to University of Wollongong
The University of Wollongong (abbreviated as UOW) is an Australian public research university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney. As of 2017, the university had an enrolment of ...
Premier Charters operate one route via Thirroul station:
*2: Stanwell Park to Wollongong
Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near wate ...
Description
The Thirroul station precinct includes the station buildings on Platform 1 and 2/3 (completed 1887 with 1915 alterations), the Railway Institute building (completed 1921 with 1937 alterations), the former toilet block (1915), two platforms (1887 with 1915 alterations), and modern steps, lifts, platform canopies and a footbridge (2005). The heritage listing includes the signals to the south of railway institute building.[
Thirroul Railway Station is located between Station Street (on the east) and Railway Parade (to the west), and is entered on the west through a park between the station and Lawrence Hargrave Drive, and from Station Street on the east via a modern covered footbridge with lifts and ]stairs
Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps which enable passage ...
. There are station car parks on the western side of Station Street, and on the eastern side of Railway Parade. The station has a perimeter platform on its western side and an island platform to the east. The station's perimeters are defined with white powder-coated aluminium fencing. Platform 1 is the western perimeter platform. Platform 2/3 is the eastern island platform.[
;Platform 1 Building (1887, 1915)
A ]weatherboard
Clapboard (), also called bevel siding, lap siding, and weatherboard, with regional variation in the definition of these terms, is wooden siding of a building in the form of horizontal boards, often overlapping.
''Clapboard'' in modern Americ ...
building with a cantilevered skillion platform awning
An awning or overhang is a secondary covering attached to the exterior wall of a building. It is typically composed of canvas woven of acrylic, cotton or polyester yarn, or vinyl laminated to polyester fabric that is stretched tightly over a lig ...
with curved steel brackets
A bracket is either of two tall fore- or back-facing punctuation marks commonly used to isolate a segment of text or data from its surroundings. Typically deployed in symmetric pairs, an individual bracket may be identified as a 'left' or 'r ...
on bolted steel posts. The awning has timber valances to both north and south ends. The building has a complex gabled corrugated steel roof, 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 ...
ends to north and south, and projecting bay with gable end located towards the north end of the building on the street side (west elevation) only. Gable ends feature rectangular timber louvred vents, simple timber bargeboards and finial
A finial (from '' la, finis'', end) or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature.
In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a d ...
s. There are two brick chimneys
A chimney is an architectural ventilation structure made of masonry, clay or metal that isolates hot toxic exhaust gases or smoke produced by a boiler, stove, furnace, incinerator, or fireplace from human living areas. Chimneys are typic ...
. The awning extends for a bay beyond the north end of the building to allow cover to the ticket window which is located at the end of the building, with a separate skillion roof
A shed roof, also known variously as a pent roof, lean-to roof, outshot, catslide, skillion roof (in Australia and New Zealand), and, rarely, a mono-pitched roof,Cowan, Henry J., and Peter R. Smith. ''Dictionary of Architectural and Building Te ...
. The building has modern timber panelled doors with 9-paned fanlight
A fanlight is a form of lunette window, often semicircular or semi-elliptical in shape, with glazing bars or tracery sets radiating out like an open fan. It is placed over another window or a doorway, and is sometimes hinged to a transom. Th ...
s above. The waiting area at the north end of the building has 2 pairs of modern timber panelled double doors, one facing the platform, and the other facing north, beneath a cantilevered awning with steel brackets and a corrugated steel skillion roof. The double doors have 12-paned fanlights (2 lines of 6 panes).[
The platform building contains waiting rooms, offices for the Station Master, parcels office and toilets and ladies waiting room. The waiting area at the north end of the building has been modernised. This has 2 pairs of modern timber panelled double doors, one facing the platform, and the other facing north, beneath a cantilevered awning with steel brackets and a corrugated steel skillion roof.][
;Platform 2/3 Building (1887, 1915)
A single storey weatherboard platform building with a gabled corrugated steel roof and cantilevered skillion roofed ]awnings
An awning or overhang is a secondary covering attached to the exterior wall of a building. It is typically composed of canvas woven of Acrylic fiber, acrylic, cotton or polyester yarn, or vinyl laminated to polyester fabric that is stretched tig ...
on both sides. There are no chimneys to the roof. The awnings have curved steel brackets mounted on steel posts and timber valances to both north and south ends. The building features timber framed double hung windows. Note: This building is thought to be the original station building, however, extended and lateres in 1915 for duplication works with new platform awnings, and latered again in 1938 for changes to the island platform.[
The platform building contains waiting rooms, offices for the Station Master, parcels office and toilets and ladies waiting room.][
;Thirroul Railway Institute Building (1921, 1937)
This is a single storey weatherboard and fibro freestanding building with a gabled corrugated steel roof, located at the south end of Platform 1. The building has a gabled entry ]porch
A porch (from Old French ''porche'', from Latin ''porticus'' "colonnade", from ''porta'' "passage") is a room or gallery located in front of an entrance of a building. A porch is placed in front of the facade of a building it commands, and form ...
on its northern elevation supported on timber posts on short concrete posts. The concrete posts are capped with concrete made to resemble sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
. On its southern elevation, the building has a skillion roofed veranda
A veranda or verandah is a roofed, open-air gallery or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front and sides of the structure.
Although the form ''veran ...
the full width of the elevation, supported on timber posts on short concrete posts with caps made to resemble sandstone. The building's walls are timber up to window sill level with fibro above. The building features timber framed double hung windows with 9-paned top sashes
Sashes Island is an island in the River Thames in England at Cookham Lock near Cookham, Berkshire. It is now open farmland, but has Roman and Anglo-Saxon connections.
The island is located between Hedsor Water and the present navigation cha ...
. The gable ends to north and south elevations are timber shingled to the apex with pairs of small decorative timber brackets below the line of shingles, and timber battened fibro below. There are timber panelled double entry doors to the main entry on the north elevation. On the south elevation, in the southeast corner beneath the veranda roof, there is an addition with walls of vertical timber boards.[
;Former toilets (1915)
To the north of the railway institute is a small freestanding weatherboard gable-roofed former toilet building with a timber infilled gabled veranda facing south. There is a timber-framed window opening on the east side with frosted glass to the lower part and glass louvres to the upper part. There are rectangular timber vents to north and south gable ends. Note: this building may also have been relocated from Scarborough in 1915.][
;Platforms (1887, 1915)
1 perimeter platform, 1 island platform – both with brick edges with concrete capping, asphalt surfaces][
;Footbridge, steps, lifts (2005)
Covered footbridge, steps and lifts towards the northern end of the station.][
;Platform canopies (2005)
On both Platforms 1 and 2/3 to the north of the platform buildings, modern canopies on steel posts with concrete bases and corrugated Colorbond roofs connect the platform buildings to the footbridge, steps and lifts towards the northern end of the platforms.][
;Landscape and natural features
Views of the Illawarra escarpment are available from the platforms at Thirroul Railway Station.][
;Moveable items
Signals located south of the railway institute building. Contents of Railway Institute building.][
;Condition
The platform buildings, Railway Institute building, former toilet block, moveable items and platforms were reported to be in good condition as at 29 July 2009.][
Both platform buildings were extensively altered in 1915, and interiors modernised recently. The extant railway station structures are externally intact as a group developed from 1887 to 1937.][
]
Modifications and dates
* 1912: Crossing loop added
* 1915: Former Scarborough platform building relocated to Thirroul Platform 1 with new awning and chimneys. Existing 1887 building on Platform 2/3 altered for line duplication, with new platform awnings and extension.
* 1921: Railway institute building built
* 1937: Railway institute building was extended.
* 1939: Platform 2/3 building altered for changes to island platform
* 1941: Extensive loco depot arrangements at Thirroul with oil store, ash truck, coal bunker, turntable, weighbridge and offices.
* 1986: Line electrified. New platform canopy added to the entry end of Platform 2/3.
* 1989: Platform 1 building extensively refurbished
* 2005: Existing footbridge and stairs replaced, steel canopies provided linking the footbridge to the platform buildings.[
]
Heritage listing
Thirroul Railway Station – including the platform buildings, former weatherboard toilets, Railway Institute building, platforms and moveable items is of State heritage significance. Thirroul Railway Station is of State historical significance as a railway station representing two separate periods of the construction of the Illawarra line – the initial 1887 construction and 1915 duplication of the line – and for its role as a transport hub for Thirroul since 1887. Thirroul Railway Station has historical significance for its role in the development of Thirroul as a seaside resort in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Thirroul Railway Station is also of historical significance as a former major locomotive depot on the Illawarra line, evidenced by the railway institute building and moveable items.[
The Thirroul Railway Station platforms, platform buildings and Railway Institute building are of aesthetic significance as early railway station buildings and structures, the platform buildings not being typical of their type due to major 1915 alterations for duplication of the line. The railway institute building, altered in 1937, is a rare example of this type of railway structure. The active use of the former railway institute building at Thirroul for the Thirroul Railway Institute Preservation Society indicates the social significance of this building. The platform buildings are good examples of early (1887) platform buildings with later (1915) adaptations. The Railway Institute building is rare as there are no examples of this type of building on the Illawarra line, and very few remaining in NSW.][
Thirroul 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 following criteria.[
The place is important in demonstrating the course, or pattern, of cultural or natural history in New South Wales.
Thirroul Railway Station is of historical significance as a railway station representing two separate periods of the construction of the Illawarra line – the initial 1887 construction and 1915 duplication of the line – and for its role as a transport hub for Thirroul since 1887. The Thirroul Platform 1 building is of historical significance as a building dating from the initial construction of the Illawarra line, altered in 1915 for duplication of the line. Thirroul railway station has historical significance for its role in the development of Thirroul as a seaside resort in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Thirroul Railway Station is also of historical significance as a former major loco depot on the Illawarra line, evidenced by the Railway Institute building and moveable items. The railway station buildings and structures show evidence of having developed over time since 1887.][
The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales.
The Thirroul Railway Station's 1887 platform buildings are of aesthetic significance as examples of weatherboard platform buildings, not typical of the standard design types due to major 1915 alterations for duplication of the line (including the relocation of the Platform 1 building from Scarborough). The 1921 Railway Institute building, altered in 1937, is a rare example of this type of structure.][
The place has strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group in New South Wales for social, cultural or spiritual reasons.
The active use of the former railway institute building at Thirroul for the Thirroul Railway Institute Preservation Society indicates the social significance of this building.][
The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales.
The Thirroul Railway Institute building is rare, as there are very few extant examples in the NSW railways network, though there are other examples at Central, ]Cooma
Cooma is a town in the south of New South Wales, Australia. It is located south of the national capital, Canberra, via the Monaro Highway. It is also on the Snowy Mountains Highway, connecting Bega with the Riverina.
At the , Cooma had a po ...
, and Orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
*Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum
* ...
. The Platform 1 building is one of only four extant weatherboard platform buildings of this type on the Illawarra line (other examples at Albion Park
Albion Park is a suburb situated in the Macquarie Valley in the City of Shellharbour, which is in turn one of the three local government areas that comprise the Wollongong Metropolitan Area, New South Wales, Australia. Although it is surround ...
, Bulli and Dapto
Dapto is a suburb of Wollongong in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia, located on the western side of Lake Illawarra and covering an area 7.15 square kilometres in size. As at the , the suburb had a population of 10,730.
History
...
). The most intact examples of the four extant are those at Albion Park and Bulli. The Platform 2/3 building is a rare example of a weatherboard platform building, of which there are only four of this type extant on the Illawarra line (other examples at Austinmer
Austinmer () is a northern village of Wollongong on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. It sits in the northern Illawarra region, south of Stanwell Park and immediately north of Thirroul.
The town's main beach is Austinmer Beach, a ...
, Oatley (altered), and Penshurst
Penshurst is a historic village and civil parish located in a valley upon the northern slopes of the Kentish Weald, at the confluence of the River Medway and the River Eden, within the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England.
The village is situa ...
).[
The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural or natural places/environments in New South Wales.
The platform buildings are representative examples of 1887 weatherboard platform buildings of their types, though with 1915 alterations.][
]
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
Attribution
External links
*
Thirroul station details
Transport for New South Wales
{{Transport for New South Wales railway stations, South Coast=y, state=collapsed
Buildings and structures in Wollongong
Easy Access railway stations in New South Wales
Railway stations in Australia opened in 1887
Regional railway stations in New South Wales
New South Wales State Heritage Register