Wanbi is a
township
A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...
on the
Karoonda Highway
Karoonda Highway is a state-controlled highway in South Australia linking the Murray River towns of Murray Bridge and Loxton. It was created after local councils called for the renaming of the B55 road route.
Route
Karoonda Highway begins a ...
in the Australian state of
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
, about east of the state capital of
Adelaide
Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
and about north-east of the municipal seat of
Karoonda.
stumps
In cricket, the stumps are the three vertical posts that support the bails and form the wicket. '' Stumping'' or ''being stumped'' is a method of dismissing a batsman.
The umpire ''calling stumps'' means the play is over for the day.
Part of ...
and sand", was built in 1932, when commercial activity was increasing and a general store, cream depot and several houses – most housing South Australian Railways
South Australian Railways (SAR) was the organisation through which the Government of South Australia built and operated railways in South Australia from 1854 until March 1978, when its non-urban railways were incorporated into Australian Natio ...
employees – were present.
Like much of the central and northern parts of the Murraylands
The Murraylands is a geographical region of the Australian state of South Australia (SA); its name reflects that of the river running through it. Lying due east of South Australia's capital city, Adelaide, it extends from the eastern slopes ...
, the sandy soil, inferior for cropping, was not attractive to would-be farmers. When it became evident that settlement was unlikely to proceed outward from the river to such areas, the state government
A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonom ...
decided – in contrast to its policy elsewhere of building railways following settlement – that the Mallee could only be opened up for settlement if the railway were built first. Wanbi railway station was established in 1912 on the broad-gauge railway line built to Paringa.[Later extended over the River Murray to Barmera.] Thirteen years later, it became a junction
Junction may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Junction'' (2012 film), an American film
* ''Junction'' (2024 film), an American film
* ''Jjunction'', a 2002 Indian film
* ''Junction'' (album), a 1976 album by Andrew Cyrille
* Junction (E ...
when the Yinkanie branchline was opened. Wanbi became busier, meeting some of the needs of the branchline communities and railway staff alike. However, in the mid-1960s, the Moorook citrus-fruit cooperatives ceased sending their product by rail from Yinkanie, removing a large portion of the paying freight handled at the terminus. Along the line, grain and superphosphate lingered on, together with some general freight, until 1971, when the branch was closed. In 1996, the mainline through Wanbi, en route to Loxton[Later shortened to Tookayerta.] was converted to standard gauge. In 2015, that line also closed.
Notes
References
Towns in South Australia
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