The Mullewa–Meekatharra railway was a section of the Northern Railway in

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

History

The ''Mullewa–Cue Railway Act 1894'', an act by the

Parliament of Western Australia The Parliament of Western Australia is the bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia, which constitutes the legislative branch of the state's political system. The parl ...

assented to on 23 November 1894, authorised the construction of the railway line from Mullewa to Cue. Earlier in 1894, a syndicate of interstate investors headed by Charles G. Lush had proposed to build a private line, however on 30 May 1894, John Forrest the premier had stated that the government had decided to construct the line. The contract to construct the first section of the railway line from Mullewa to Cue was awarded to Baxter & Prince on 16 December 1895, with the line officially opened on 1 July 1898.Opening dates for sections from 12. Construction of the W.A. Government Railways network, 1879 - 1931, pages 208-210 The ''Cue–Nannine Railway Act 1896'', assented to on 27 October 1896, authorised the construction of the railway line extension from Cue to Nannine. The second section from Cue to Nannine was awarded on 22 April 1901, now to the Western Australian

Public Works Department This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...

(PWD). The line was officially opened on 1 June 1903. The ''Nannine–Meekatharra Railway Act 1909'', assented to on 6 February 1909, authorised the construction of the railway line extension from Nannine to Meekatharra. The contract for the final section from Nannine to Meekatharra was awarded on 29 October 1909, now to Smith & Timms. This section was opened on 11 August 1910.

Branch lines

The Mount Magnet to Sandstone was a branch railway that connected with the Mullewa to Meekatharra railway line at Mount Magnet. The ''Mt. Magnet-Black Range Railway Act 1907'', assented to on 20 December 1907, authorised the construction of the railway line, while the ''Railway (Mt.Magnet-Black Range) Discontinuance Act 1948'', assented to on 21 January 1949, permitted its discontinuation. More specifically, the act permitted the removal of the line to be used for the construction or maintenance of other railway lines in the state, or to be sold by the ministry of railways. The ''Meekatharra-Horseshoe Railway Act 1920'', assented to on 31 December 1920, authorised the construction of the railway line from Meekatharra to the Horseshoe mine, north-west of Peak Hill. The private -long railway was short-lived, existing from 1927 until 1933, when the company mining

manganese Manganese is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese was first isolated in the 1770s. It is a transition m ...

went into receivership. The Meekatharra to Wiluna railway was an extension of the line in operation between 1932 and 1957. Constructed of this extension was authorised through the ''Meekatharra-Wiluna Railway Act 1927'', which was assented to on 23 December 1927. The Cue to Big Bell branch railway line was authorised for construction through the ''Cue-Big Bell Railway Act 1936'', assented to on 3 November 1936. Prior to this, on 5 March 1936, the Western Australian government had entered an agreement with the

American Smelting and Refining Company ASARCO (American Smelting and Refining Company) is a mining, smelting, and refining company based in Tucson, Arizona, which mines and processes primarily copper. The company has been a subsidiary of Grupo México since 1999. Its three largest o ...

to build the railway to Big Bell.

As part of the Northern Line

The Mullewa station was connected to both Geraldton, through the Geraldton to Mullewa railway line, and to Perth, and Meekatharra was not the final location of the line, but Wiluna – further east.

Conditions

The Mullewa to Meekatharra line was regularly affected by

washaway A washaway is a particular kind of landslide that can affect construction structures such as cuttings, embankments and bridges. They are thus a hazard to railways and road traffic. The biggest danger with washaways is that they may be difficu ...

s during wet weather.

Closure

The Mullewa to Meekatharra line was closed on 1 May 1978. The ''Railways Discontinuance Act 1980'', assented to on 15 October 1980, authorised he discontinuance of the railway line from

Pindar Pindar (; ; ; ) was an Greek lyric, Ancient Greek lyric poet from Thebes, Greece, Thebes. Of the Western canon, canonical nine lyric poets of ancient Greece, his work is the best preserved. Quintilian wrote, "Of the nine lyric poets, Pindar i ...

to Meekatharra.

Sections

Mullewa to Meekatharra line sections: * Mullewa, opened 1894 – * Mullewa–

– opened 1 July 1898 – closed November 1996 * Pindar– Cue – opened 1 July 1898 – closed 29 April 1978 *:

Mount Magnet Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, ...

– junction with Sandstone branch railway – 1 August 1910 – closed 28 May 1949 * Cue– Nannine – opened 1 June 1903 – closed 29 April 1978 *: Cue – branch line to

Big Bell, Western Australia Big Bell is a ghost town in Western Australia located approximately south west of the town of Cue. The town was established in 1936, and was home to the Big Bell Gold Mine.Wiluna Branch Railway – opened 2 November 1932 – closed 5 August 1957

Legacy

While all other trace of the former railway has disappeared from contemporary Western Australian railway maps, the section from Mullewa to Pindar is designated as "Not in use" on the Public Transport Authority and

Arc Infrastructure Arc Infrastructure, formerly Brookfield Rail and WestNet Rail, is a rail infrastructure manager and access provider in Western Australia with a long-term lease on the network from the Government of Western Australia. It operates approximately 5 ...

and maps. A number of buildings and installations associated with the railway line continue to exist and are heritage listed. The Mullewa railway station group is on the Western Australian

State Register of Heritage Places The State Register of Heritage Places is the heritage register of historic sites in Western Australia deemed significant at the state level by the Heritage Council of Western Australia. History In the 1970s, following its establishment of the N ...

, consisting of the station, goods shed and water tank. The station was completed in 1915 and remained operational until 1974. Further east along the line, at Yalgoo, the railway station group is also on the State Register of Heritage Places. It consists of two water tanks, a station and a hotel. At Mount Magnet, the railway station and platform, railway dam, railway bridge and the railway workers houses are on the

Shire of Mount Magnet The Shire of Mount Magnet is a local government area in the Mid West region of Western Australia, about north-northeast of the state capital, Perth. The Shire covers an area of , and its seat of government is the town of Mount Magnet. The Shir ...

heritage list. In the town of Cue, the railway station is also on the State Register of Heritage Places, which also includes workers cottages, the loading ramp and the station master's house. At Meekatharra, the railway buildings, consisting of the station, a goods shed and a station masters house are on the

Shire of Meekatharra The Shire of Meekatharra is a local government area in the Mid West region of Western Australia, about halfway between the town of Port Hedland and the state capital, Perth, Western Australia. The Shire covers an area of , and its seat of gover ...

heritage list. Meekatharra's rail infrastructure was actually enlarged after the line to Wiluna closed in 1957 as it became an important hub for transporting equipment for the developing iron ore mines in the Pilbara. This only changed with the roads in the region improving in the 1970s, which moved transport from the rail to the road.

References

External links

http://heritage.wa.gov.au/register/PDF_Files/R%20-%20A-D/13253%20RwCottBluffPt(P-AD).PDF
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mullewa-Meekatharra railway Railway lines in Mid West (Western Australia) Railway lines opened in 1910 Railway lines closed in 1978 Former Western Australian Government Railways railway lines 1910 establishments in Australia