Cootamundra railway station is located on the

Main South line The Main South Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, is a railway line that runs north and south from Lyttelton in New Zealand through Christchurch and along the east coast of the South Island to Inverca ...

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 town of

Cootamundra Cootamundra, nicknamed Coota, is a town in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and within the Riverina. It is within the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. At the 2016 Census, Cootamundra had a population of 6,782. I ...

. The property 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

Cootamundra station opened on 1 November 1877 when the

was extended from Harden-Murrumburrah. It served as the terminus until the line was extended to Bethungra on 15 April 1878.Cootamundra Railway Precinct
NSW Environment & Heritage On 1 June 1886, Cootamundra became a junction station when the Tumut & Kunama line opened as far as

Gundagai Gundagai is a town in New South Wales, Australia. Although a small town, Gundagai is a popular topic for writers and has become a representative icon of a typical Australian country town. Located along the Murrumbidgee River and Muniong, Hon ...

. On 1 September 1893, the Lake Cargelligo line opened as far as Temora. In 1901, an island platform was built, this has since closed but remains in situ. In 1943, the line through Cootamundra was duplicated with the largest overhead signal gantry in the Southern Hemisphere was erected. It has since been relocated and now stands preserved in the station surrounds. 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 ...

has a base immediately south of the depot.

Description

The station building is a type 5, first-class brick station originally dating from 1884 with alterations in 1904–05, 1915 and 1943. The platforms are faced in brick. A refreshment room sits on the up platform, dating from 1890 with 1904 additions. The branch platform has an additional

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 li ...

at the

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 Mounta ...

end, which is considered particularly fine. The complex also include a fibrous cement clad flat roofed signal box (1942), railway barracks (1932) and a type 3 gatekeeper's residence located in Cowcumba Street. The level crossing, steel pedestrian footbridge at south end, turntable, triangle junction and the station's trees, signs and lights are also heritage-listed.

Services

Cootamundra is served by two daily

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 (Australia), Victoria, Queensland and South Austral ...

XPT services in each direction operating between

and

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 metro ...

, and a twice weekly

Xplorer between Griffith and

split from Canberrra services at

Goulburn Goulburn ( ) is a regional city in the Southern Tablelands of the Australian state of New South Wales, approximately south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Canberra. It was proclaimed as Australia's first inland city through letters pate ...

. NSW TrainLink also operate road coach services from Cootamundra to

Mildura Mildura is a regional city in north-west Victoria, Australia. Located on the Victorian side of the Murray River, Mildura had a population of 34,565 in 2021. When nearby Wentworth, Irymple, Nichols Point and Merbein are included, the area h ...

Tumbarumba Tumbarumba ( ) is a small town in New South Wales, Australia, about southwest of the state capital, Sydney. Tumbarumba is located on the periphery of the Riverina and South West Slopes regions at the western edge of the Snowy Mountains. The s ...

Queanbeyan Queanbeyan ( ) is a city in the south-eastern region of New South Wales, Australia, located adjacent to the Australian Capital Territory in the Southern Tablelands region. Located on the Queanbeyan River, the city is the council seat of the ...

, Bathurst,

Dubbo Dubbo () is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the Newell, Mitchell, and Go ...

and

Condobolin Condobolin is a town in the west of the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia, on the Lachlan River. At the , Condobolin had a population of 3,486. History Prior to European settlement, the area was inhabited by the Wiradjuri pe ...

Heritage listing

Cootamundra is a major railway complex with a variety of buildings and an unusually designed first class station building not seen elsewhere. It is of significance both in the townscape and in the development of railways. The railway yard extending for almost the length of the town along its eastern boundary is a major element in the development of the town and the station buildings are at the terminus of one of the main streets in the town. The station building and its major platform awning are of particular significance with very fine detail in both the building and the cast iron columns and brackets of the canopy. The station building has been substantially altered over its history and is an excellent example of the development of a major facility and the homogeneous way in which buildings can grow. Of particular interest is the marking of the station entry with a tower over the entry vestibule. Another important feature of the site is the particularly fine awning to the branch platform with extensive use of cast iron panels and columns. This is one of the finest such awnings in the State. The other elements of the site contribute to the understanding of it and illustrate how a major railway centre operated and was developed. The site also contains a number of mature trees that provide a pleasant setting for the complex. Cootamundra railway station was listed on the

on 2 April 1999 having satisfied the following criteria. The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. This item is assessed as historically rare. This item is assessed as scientifically rare. This item is assessed as arch. rare. This item is assessed as socially rare.

References

Attribution

External links

*
Cootamundra station details
Transport for New South Wales {{Transport for New South Wales railway stations, Southern Region=y, state=collapsed Easy Access railway stations in New South Wales Railway stations in Australia opened in 1877 Regional railway stations in New South Wales New South Wales State Heritage Register Articles incorporating text from the New South Wales State Heritage Register Main Southern railway line, New South Wales