The Willunga railway line ran through the southern

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

suburbs from

Adelaide railway station Adelaide Railway Station is the central terminus of the Adelaide Metro railway system. All lines approach the station from the west, and it is a terminal station with no through lines, with most of the traffic on the metropolitan network eithe ...

to Willunga, over long (longer than the current

Gawler Gawler is the oldest country town on the Australian mainland in the state of South Australia. It was named after the second Governor (British Vice-Regal representative) of the colony of South Australia, George Gawler. It is about north of the ...

line, ). The line was opened in Willunga by the Governor of South Australia Sir Henry Galway on 20 January 1915, and initially had 16 stopping places between Adelaide and Willunga. It closed beyond Hallett Cove in 1969 and was dismantled in 1972. The

Seaford railway line The Seaford railway line is a suburban commuter line in Adelaide, South Australia. History Before the extension of the line to Noarlunga Centre in 1978, the Willunga line ran from Hallett Cove station on a different route through Reynella, ...

continues from Hallett Cove along a different alignment before rejoining the route of the old line between Seaford Road and Griffiths Drive. The original corridor remains as the long Coast to Vines Rail Trail. There is some evidence of

railway track A railway track (British English and UIC terminology) or railroad track (American English), also known as permanent way or simply track, is the structure on a railway or railroad consisting of the rails, fasteners, railroad ties (sleeper ...

remaining on this trail, notably near the

South Road South Road and its southern section as Main South Road outside of Adelaide is a major north–south conduit connecting Adelaide and the Fleurieu Peninsula, in South Australia. It is one of Adelaide's most important arterial and bypass roads. As ...

crossing at Hackham, the top of the Seaford Hill and a small section of track in a paddock adjacent to

Victor Harbor Road Victor Harbor Road (and its southern sections Adelaide Road, Hindmarsh Road and Torrens Street through Victor Harbor) is a major road in South Australia that runs south from Main South Road at Old Noarlunga on the southern fringes of suburban ...

McLaren Vale McLaren Vale is a wine region in the Australian state of South Australia located in the Adelaide metropolitan area and centred on the town of McLaren Vale about south of the Adelaide city centre. It is internationally renowned for the win ...

. Occasionally, rails surface through the bitumen at Field Street, McLaren Vale. At Morphett Vale, there is a partially buried platform. There is also some concrete foundations on the platform. These structures are thought to be remains from the Morphett Vale railway station. At the time of its opening, there was a proposal to extend it to Second Valley to connect with coastal steam shipping to

Kangaroo Island Kangaroo Island, also known as Karta Pintingga (literally 'Island of the Dead' in the language of the Kaurna people), is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island. It lies in the state of South Australia, southwest ...

for holidays, with the route already approved as far as Normanville and Yankalilla. This extension was never built.

References

{{Closed_Railway_lines_of_Adelaide Closed railway lines in South Australia Railway lines opened in 1918 Railway lines closed in 1969