Blair St station, Bunbury, given interim heritage listing

15/10/96

The State Government has moved to protect the heritage values of Bunbury's old Railway Station building.

Heritage Minister Richard Lewis said the Blair Street station would be placed on the Heritage Council of Western Australia's interim register of heritage places.

Mr Lewis said the former railway station was a vital reminder of the role the railways played in the development of Bunbury and the surrounding region.

"The railway station helped shape the centre of Bunbury, as is evidenced by the relative prosperity of the nearby hotels and commercial buildings," Mr Lewis said.

"The building also has historical value as a reminder of the by-gone era of the railways and is one of the few surviving examples of turn-of-the-century railway buildings.

"The station has much to tell us about an era when rail networks were the most important mode of transport."

Mr Lewis said construction of the railway station was prompted by the gold boom of the 1890s.

"Its construction was part of a massive infrastructure development program in Bunbury," he said.

"The station was the focus of an expansion of a major regional passenger and freight railway terminus, allied with the development of the harbour."

Mr Lewis said the station was designed in 1904 and built the following year in the heart of the old townsite's business centre.

A single-storey brick building with corrugated steel roof cladding, it is a mixture of Italianate style with Arts and Crafts influences in the decorative timber working.

The building complex is the main surviving part of a railway precinct which at one stage included a goods-shed, locomotive round-house, marshalling yards, rail tracks and signalling devices.

It is now used as a bus terminal, including a cafe and tourist bureau, and the grounds have been raised to platform level as part of the public garden style landscaping of the former yards.

"The railway station has a strong relationship to the historic precinct that remains within the old town centre," Mr Lewis said.

"The building is a reminder of a bygone era, when rail dominated Australian life and was an important part of regional communities.

"It is highly valued by the Bunbury community for its social, cultural and historical associations and as such the building deserves the protection of the State's heritage laws."

Mr Lewis said the railway station was in good condition and its primary characteristics, the platform, ticketing and bookings hall, public amenities and streetfront forecourt were all intact.

Media contact: Bronwyn Hillman (09) 221 1377