Andrew O'Keefe (died 1904) was a construction engineer in
Gippsland
Gippsland () is a rural region in the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia, mostly comprising the coastal plains south of the Victorian Alps (the southernmost section of the Great Dividing Range). It covers an elongated area of east of th ...
, in southeastern
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. He built several railways and a weir. The
O'Keefe Rail Trail is named after him.
O'Keefe's parents immigrated from Ireland in 1854 due to famine, bringing him and his sister Mary. He worked on several construction projects, before tendering for and building the 28-mile
Heathcote to Sandhurst railway line, which was completed in July 1888. The line was part of the
Wandong to Bendigo line, and arose as part of
Railway Construction Act No 821, since dubbed the "Octopus Act". It ran until 1958, when lack of passenger or freight demand saw it taken out of service.
O'Keefe's other projects included:
*the
Eaglehawk to Bendigo tram line
*
Laanecoorie Weir
*1889
South Gippsland railway line
The South Gippsland railway line is a partially closed railway line in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. It was first opened in 1892, branching from the Orbost railway line, Orbost line at Dandenong railway station, Dandenong, and exte ...
between to
He died in 1904, leaving ten children.
References
Sources
*''O'Keefe Rail Trail'', City of Greater Bendigo, 2000.
1904 deaths
Australian railway civil engineers
Year of birth missing
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