Campaign to have Narrogin railway stn preserved successful

20/6/96

The State Government has moved to permanently protect Narrogin's historic railway station following a major campaign by local residents to save the building for community purposes.

Heritage Minister Richard Lewis said the station, built in 1906, would be permanently placed on the State Register of Heritage Places following a recommendation by the Heritage Council of Western Australia.

Mr Lewis said the Fairway Street station was the former gateway to Narrogin and had played a major role in Narrogin's history and also the development of the State's rural railway infrastructure.

"It has an important place in the hearts of the Narrogin community, for both social and economic reasons," he said.

"The Narrogin Railway Station was at the centre of the WA Government Railways (WAGR) operations in the Great Southern for almost 80 years.

"As with many railway stations, it contributed to the community's sense of place, providing a focus for the township."

The Minister said the ongoing importance of the place to the local community was shown by the formation of a Narrogin Friends of the Railway Committee.

"The group successfully lobbied Westrail for the retention of the station for community purposes," he said.

"The State Government and the Heritage Council of WA recognise the heritage values of the building and have moved to protect them."

Mr Lewis said that in 1881 a coach journey between Perth and Albany took five days. As a result, the Government began looking for faster transport options.

At the time, Narrogin was little more that a few dirty tracks and a wayside inn. A feasibility study suggested a railway line through the town would be the best option.

The line was built privately under the land grant system, where those involved in the construction were granted land along the route of the line.

They hoped to sell the land to about 5,000 migrants they believed they could attract to the area, but the response was poor and eventually the line was bought out by the WAGR.

Mr Lewis said from the beginning, Narrogin was the railway maintenance and administrative heart for the WAGR's Great Southern operations.

The new brick and iron station was built in 1907 to replace the original timber building.

Narrogin boomed as a result of the railway activity and there were daily goods and passenger trains from Perth to Albany and Albany to Perth, as well as branch lines to other rural areas.

Mr Lewis said the station's refreshment room and bar remained open for midnight trains and was frequented by locals as well as passengers.

"At one stage in the 1950s there were more than 400 Westrail staff in Narrogin and the station was handling up to 10,000 tons of freight daily," he said.

Staff numbers dropped off with the dramatic decline in the importance of railways in rural areas as it struggled to compete with road transport.

The station features two island platforms connected to the town by a wooden footbridge, with the station buildings on the eastern side. The internal layouts of these buildings has changed over the years to suit the needs of the station.

The railway station is in generally sound condition and has a relatively high degree of authenticity.

Media contact : Bronwyn Hillman 222 9595 or 221 1377