Kalgoorlie Railway Station

Statement of Significance

Kalgoorlie Railway Station, comprising a stone and corrugated iron Station Building and Parcels Office in the vernacular style, and War Memorial, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:

- the place, is the only remaining, and continuously operating railway station on the Trans Australia Railway Line, in Western Australia. It demonstrates changes to the railway transport system from 1896/7 to 2001;

- the place forms a cultural environment in Forrest Street, Kalgoorlie, and terminates the northern vista up Wilson Street from Hannan Street. It is a landmark on the Trans Australian Railway Line and contributes to the townscape and character of Kalgoorlie-Boulder;

- the place is an example of the transport requirements of the Eastern Goldfields during the 1880s and 1890s goldrushes in Western Australia when large numbers of people, heavy machinery, ore and timber had to be moved to the fields by the most efficient means. The place illustrates the importance of the railway in the development of the goldfields;

- the place illustrates the growth of Kalgoorlie as the administrative and transport centre of the Eastern Goldfields. The place was the junction of a major railway system during the gold boom era;

- the place is believed to be one of the few remaining stone railway station buildings on the Eastern Goldfields line, and certainly the only one constructed of stone from the Ashlar Quarry in Kalgoorlie;

- the War Memorial is central to the northern vista along Wilson Street and has aesthetic value for the local community as the recognisable commemoration of those who served Australia during World War One. The memorial is associated with sculptor Pietro Porcelli and Major-General Sir Talbot-Hobbs, and is a focal point of the Anzac Day ceremony held in Kalgoorlie each year; and,

- the place, with its Ashlar stone construction in a vernacular style, and its prominent position, is highly valued by the Kalgoorlie-Boulder community as an identifiable built representation of the significant railway presence in the town since 1896.

Physical Description

Kalgoorlie Railway Station (1896+); Station Building (1896+); Parcels Office (1900); War Memorial (1923)

Kalgoorlie Railway Station is located within the railway reserve, three blocks north of, and parallel to Hannan Street, in the Kalgoorlie townsite. The building is located on a bitumen platform that extends east and west along the south side of the railway track. The railway reserve runs parallel with Forrest Street in Kalgoorlie. Wilson Street is terminated by Forrest Street and the railway station at its northern end.

The station building is set back a considerable distance from Forrest Street and has a bitumen carpark and one-way access road. Central within the vista north along Wilson Street, is a War Memorial, surrounded by a fence. With a minimum setback to Forrest Street, the Parcels Office is located on the east side of the railway station building. Framing the west side of the railway station is a steel pedestrian overpass, and a row of railway houses in Forrest Street, set relatively close to the road, and opposite the railway station's Railway Institute.

The station building is constructed of local stone, in warm mellow gold, pink and cream tones. Referred to as ‘Ashlar stone’, it was reportedly extracted from a local quarry owned by Ashlar. The stone in the original section of the building has recently been repointed after render was removed from the face of the stone. There is evidence of several periods of construction. Extensions on the east end (refreshment rooms) are constructed of a similar stone, although differences are obvious in the texture, face finish, size, laying pattern and workmanship. The stone is regular in form, particularly in the quoining around the window and door openings, and the arched headers over the openings. A concrete rendered plinth is in place around the perimeter of the building.

The roof is clad with long sheets of colorbond sheeting in a custom orb profile, and fixed with tek screws. The roof has a low-pitched gable pavilion extending the length of the building, parallel with the platform, and is gabled at the east end. The south frontage (Forrest St) features a gable each end of the west end building’s verandah, a gable portico to the entry at the east end of the building, and a gable roofed monitor window extending parallel with the building, over the east end.

There are two entries into the railway station building, the main passenger entry is central within the western section of the frontage, signalled by the clock mounted on the verandah roof. The second entry is at the east end, in the 1902 extension, signalled by a dominant gable roofed portico that extends beyond the building line.

The door and window openings along the north (platform) and south (Forrest Street) frontages form a regular rhythm. Most of the windows are timber framed double hung sashes in single format, except those in a central position where the timber framed windows are six paned fixed windows with a three-paned arched fanlight. On the platform side of the building (north), similar windows are in the same positions as those in the south elevation. However, on the platform side of the building from the waiting room eastwards, all the windows have a timber infill panel below the sill. The panel infill features diagonal timber boards. On the arched windows the two separate panels have the diagonals meeting at the centre on the upward slant. On the south side of the building the sills are concrete. The main entry doors into the waiting room are a set of double panelled doors with glazed panels in the top sections, and a three paned arched fanlight above, similar to the arched windows. Directly opposite, another set of similar doors opens onto the railway platform. The doors throughout have six panels. All the doors have new hardware, and it may be that some doors are new material.

The interior of the station building was completely refurbished in 1993. There is no evidence of any original fitouts or furnishings. The ceilings have been replaced with plasterboard and ceiling roses are in place. It is unknown if these are replicas of the originals. The hard plaster walls have been restored and repainted. In the waiting room, MDF panelled board forms a dado around the room to sill height. The counter is panelled timber with roller shutter screens. It is difficult to tell whether the architraves and skirtings are original or replicas. The patterned ceramic tiled floor is a result of the 1993 refurbishment. The rooms west of the waiting room are a series of small rooms, providing a kiosk, kitchen for the train crew caterers (Delray), storerooms and public toilet facilities. All except the storerooms have been refurbished.

The offices east of the waiting room are a series of interconnected rooms with plasterboard lined partitioned spaces with matching skirtings and semi glazed flush panel doors, or full panelled doors. The office of the standard gauge infrastructure manager, Wesnet Rail Pty Ltd, located at the east end was also restored in 1993. The open plan area has moveable partitions. The roof structure is revealed and the monitor window further highlights the structure. Airconditioning ducts and fluorescent lighting are also suspended from the roof space. The roof structure is supported on engaged columns at regular intervals along the north and south walls.

The platforms are bitumen with concrete returns along the railway line edges. There is evidence of many repairs to the bitumen, but it is in good condition. The platform extends to the east and west from the station building and these extensions have the appearance of an island platform. A second platform (south) at the east end of the station building is fenced along the railway line, and provides for carparking for railway employees. The main roof of the station building extends over the platform adjacent to the station building, which is supported by columns and functional four-way timber struts, and then extends east and west forming separate gable roofs supported by series of central posts. The timber posts are rectangular and tapered to the top, above a moulded timber detail. A number of the posts have railway line reinforcement each side. Every alternate post also has an original rainhead and downpipe angled in from the roof edge. There is evidence of termite damage in some of the posts.

A free standing ticket booth is extant on the west platform. It is a timber framed and clad box like construction with glazed panels above the vertical tongue and groove dado lining. The entire booth has been painted, including the glazing.

The Parcels Office, a separate building located in front of the station building at the eastern end, is timber framed and clad with vertical sheets of painted corrugated iron on the external walls and on the gable roof. The gable ends each have two horizontal sets of 4 timber-slatted vents. The western wall of the building is lined with sheets of vertical profile asbestos. The underside of the cantilevered boxed canopy along that side and the series of sliding doors are clad with vertical profile metaldeck sheeting. There is a concrete apron along the west side. There is a flat roofed extension across the south frontage on Forrest Street, and the area under the cantilevered canopy along the east side has been enclosed with vertical corrugated iron sheeting. The original 12 pane windows are double hung sashes in timber frames. There are vertical metal bars fitted on the interior. The more recent enclosure at the front has aluminium sliding windows with wire mesh fitted externally. The interior has concrete floor, and the ceiling is flat lined with asbestos sheets as are the walls. The original scales are extant, central on the north wall. A row of timber columns is in place along the centre of the building, in a line beneath the roof ridge. The area to the east of the building is fenced with galvanised mesh fencing extending along the Forrest Street frontage.

A World War One memorial comprising stone plinth and bronze statue is situated in a central position in the station forecourt. The statue is enclosed within a decorative iron fence.

Kalgoorlie Railway Station is in good condition. It has been used continuously since 1896 as a railway station and, although change has taken place to facilitate the continued function, there has been relatively minimal intervention to the original fabric. This includes the entire reroofing of the place and the 1993 restoration. The place has retained a high degree of integrity and moderate to high degree of authenticity.

History

Kalgoorlie Railway Station, constructed in ‘Ashlar’ stone and iron, was built in 1896 by railway contractors Wilkie Brothers. The place comprises a station building, covered platforms and parcels office. It has been extended and internally altered a number of times over the years, including extensions to the Refreshment Rooms in 1902. Kalgoorlie Railway Station underwent renovation and restoration in 1993.

The discovery of gold at Southern Cross and the subsequent declaration of the area as the Yilgarn goldfield in 1888, has prompted the State Government to commence construction of a railway to serve the area. The line, known as the Yilgarn Railway, began at the head of the Eastern Railway at Northam (the name “Yilgarn Railway’ was replaced with ‘Eastern Goldfields Railway’ in 1899-1900 (WAGR Annual Report, 1900: 2), and included, at that time, the lines from Northam to Kalgoorlie, the Boulder Loopline Railway, and the lines from Kalgoorlie to Kanowna and Menzies). Before the line had reached Southern Cross however, the Coolgardie, and then Kalgoorlie, gold finds were made. The line to Southern Cross was opened on 1 July 1894, and tenders were called for the construction of the line from Southern Cross to Coolgardie. The Wilkie Brothers won the contract with a price of £64,000 compared to the next closest tender of £150,000. The Wilkies gambled on finishing the line quickly and then making money operating it until it was time to hand over to the Government. Handover time was set at November 1896 (Gunzberg and Austin, 1997: 206; Le Page, n.d.: 221-225; Webb, 1993: 208-211).

At this point, there was no intention to extend the line to Kalgoorlie, but the Kalgoorlie Miner and local mine owners and businessmen began a campaign to have the line taken the extra 24 miles. Plans were already underway to construct a branch line to Menzies, and both Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie were vying to be the junction for this line and thus become the centre of the railway system and the centre of the eastern goldfields. One argument for the extension was that it would allow the import of heavy machinery for the opening up of deep mines on the Golden Mile (Wilson, 1977: 173; Webb, 1993: 208-211 and 288-293).

In September 1895, a bill was passed to extend the railway line to Kalgoorlie. The Wilkie Brothers were contracted to immediately continue on when the line reached Coolgardie, which it did on 23 March 1896. The railway line reached Kalgoorlie on 8 September 1896. Included in the contract for the Eastern Goldfields line was the construction of railway station buildings, but the Wilkies had been so busy operating the line for maximum profit that almost all the ballasting and most of the station buildings and goods sheds were still to be constructed, including Kalgoorlie Railway Station. Official handover of the railway line was affected on 31 December 1896 (or 1 January 1897) (Note: various dates are reported for this handover depending on the source. It is not always clear what is being handed over, eg. section of line, entire line, station, etc. Dates can vary by months, but these two dates appear to refer to the station (sources are local histories, and ‘A Brief History of the Western Australian Government Railways, WAGR, 1975). The Government transferred staff to Kalgoorlie on 31 December ready to take up their new duties at Kalgoorlie Railway Station, but a report in the Morning Herald of 1 January 1897 stated that ‘in regard to the accommodation of the Government staff, it will take another fortnight at least before the new railway station is completed’ (Webb, 1993: 303; Gunzberg and Austin, 1997: 238).

In 1897, less than twelve months after the line was opened, it was reported in the Annual Report of the Railways Department that traffic to the goldfields ‘had largely increased’, and duplication of the line from Northam to Kalgoorlie was under consideration (Railway Department Annual Report, 1897: 19). In 1900, the Coolgardie/Kalgoorlie duplication was underway, and ‘the completion of these works, and of the marshalling and new Goods Yard at Kalgoorlie will alleviate the severe strain under which the traffic has been conducted in the Kalgoorlie district’ (Railway Department Annual Report, 1900: 17, 19 & 36). The work done at this time included an overbridge across the station yard, which appears to have been replaced at a later date by a steel structure (Railway Department Annual Report, 1907: 72; physical evidence).

No tender for the construction of the station buildings has been located in the West Australian Government Gazette, from 1896 to 1903, and no mention of construction of station buildings has been found in the annual reports, so it is assumed that Kalgoorlie Railway Station as existing is the building constructed by the Wilkie Brothers (with later alterations). A tender was called for extensions to the Refreshment Rooms attached to Kalgoorlie Railway Station in 1902. The plans located for this latter work indicate that Kalgoorlie Railway Station, as constructed in Ashlar stone, was in existence (Railway Department Annual Report, 1900: 17 & 19; West Australian Government Gazette, 1896-1903; plans of alterations to refreshment rooms, Kalgoorlie Station, WAGR EEL 6236/1, 1902). The Refreshment Room extensions considerably enlarged the facilities at Kalgoorlie Railway Station at the time. A roof over the platform was also added, and a cellar was added to the Refreshment Room bar in 1904 (Railway Department Annual Report, 1907: 72).

The stone referred to as ‘Ashlar’ is reputed to have come from a local quarry owned by man named Ashlar (information obtained by Laura Gray during her physical inspection of the place).

It was reported in 1900, that 80% of the traffic on the Eastern Goldfields line passed through Kalgoorlie. In 1904, there were 161 people employed at the Kalgoorlie Railway Yards, including forty-five in the Goods section, as compared to 431 in Perth and 239 at Fremantle (Railway Department Annual Report, 1904: 82). In 1920, decentralised control and supervision was introduced, with responsibility for the Eastern Goldfields line being transferred to Kalgoorlie (Railway Department Annual Report, 1902: 24).

Kalgoorlie Railway Station has been extended and altered internally a number of times over the years, but few WAGR files have survived to document these changes. The traffic through the station considerably lessened after World War One when gold mining went into a decline. Later, road transport had an adverse impact on the place as it did on all rail services. A major change to Kalgoorlie Railway Station occurred when the standard gauge line to Perth was opened in 1968. Previous to this, passengers travelling between Perth and the eastern states had changed trains at Kalgoorlie, between the standard gauge line of the eastern states and the narrower West Australian gauge line. Following the construction of a standard gauge line through to Perth, Kalgoorlie Railway Station had less use and some of its services, including the Refreshment Room, were closed. All goods services were transferred to the West Kalgoorlie station at this time. It was suggested in 1975, that Kalgoorlie Railway Station could be renovated and restored, but the place received a coat of paint instead (A Brief History of the Western Australian Government Railways, WAGR, 1975; Maunsell and Partners, 1964; West Kalgoorlie and Parkeston amalgamation of Westrail and Australian National Railways operations, Westrail and ANA, 1984; WAGR File R5729: 1967-1976, WAS 1208 CONS 4780). Restoration and renovation work was carried out to most of Kalgoorlie Railway Station in 1993 (physical evidence and information obtained during physical inspection).

In 2001, Kalgoorlie Railway Station is little used in comparison to its heyday. Two passenger trains utilise a small section of the long platform on a regular basis. The Prospector makes a daily round trip between Perth and Kalgoorlie, and the Indian Pacific passes through twice a week.

Parcels Office
Tenders for a railway parcels and luggage store at Kalgoorlie were called in April 1900 and awarded to George Smith the following month, at a cost of £1,2112.12.0 (West Australian Government Gazette, 6 April 1900: 163 & 25 May 1900: 850). This price would indicate a reasonably substantial building. A parcels office or luggage store is not marked on site plans of the early 1900s, but the current Parcels Office is on the site of what is referred to as the Cloak Room on the early site plans. The Parcels Office as existing is of similar size and shape to the early Cloak Room. They would appear to be one and the same building (WAGR File R5729: 1967-1976, Plan EEL 6501, 1903).

In 1970, a report on the parcels office stated that it was too small and could not handle the parcels traffic at that time. (The parcels office only handled non-perishable goods, perishable goods being loaded direct from the platform.) Extensions to the parcels office, costing $14,650 were completed in 1972 (WAGR File R5729: 1967-1976; Site plan 61593, bituminised parking around Parcels Office, 1972).

In 2001, the Parcels Office is no longer part of the railway station operations. The building is used mainly for storage and a small area is occupied as an office by the OKA representative for the region.

War Memorial
The War Memorial statue situated in front of Kalgoorlie Railway Station is similar to that at the Boulder Railway Station. Both are World War One memorials created by sculptor Pietro (Peter) Porcelli, and are the focal point of the Anzac Day ceremonies held each year. Both memorials were privately commissioned and are claimed to have been posed for by the same returned soldier (from HCWA Heritage Assessment, 4639, Boulder Station, Subway and Loopline; Keane, n.d.: 9-28).

The Kalgoorlie War Memorial was one of three which depict figures of lions, the other two being at Yarloop and West Leederville. A description of the work reads:

“Shields on the four sides of the sub-base bear the words, Gallipoli, France, Belgium and Palestine, with suitable heraldic devices. Marble figures of lions, in miniature, rest upon the buttressed corners of the base. Above the cap of the pedestal is the figure of an advancing Australian soldier of heroic stature. The granite pedestal was quarried from Bulla Bulling: the figure was cast in Italian bronze” (Keane, n.d.: 9-28).

Porcelli was responsible for over a dozen war memorials in the years after World War One, as well as many other works which included the bust of Sir John Forrest, the statue of C. Y. O'Connor, an effigy of Bishop Kelly of Geraldton, the Lord Forrest Mausoleum, and headstones in Perth and Fremantle Cemeteries (Keane, n.d.: 9-28).

Significance: Assessment of Significance: Kalgoorlie Railway Station, with its Ashlar stone construction in a vernacular style, and its prominent position, is highly valued by the Kalgoorlie-Boulder community as an identifiable built representation of the significant railway presence in the town since 1896. (Criterion 1.1)

The War Memorial is central to the northern vista along Wilson Street and has aesthetic value for the local community as the recognisable commemoration of those who served Australia during World War One. (Criterion 1.3)

Kalgoorlie Railway Station forms a cultural environment in Forrest Street Kalgoorlie, and terminates the northern vista up Wilson Street from Hannan Street. The railway station is a landmark on the Trans Australian Railway Line and contributes to the townscape and character of Kalgoorlie-Boulder. (Criterion 1.4)

Kalgoorlie Railway Station is an example of the transport requirements of the goldfields during the 1880s and 1890s goldrushes in Western Australia when large numbers of people, heavy machinery, ore and timber had to be moved to the fields by the most efficient means. The place illustrates the importance of the railway in the development of the goldfields. (Criterion 2.2)


Constructed in 1896, Kalgoorlie Railway Station illustrates the growth of Kalgoorlie as the administrative and transport centre of the Eastern Goldfields. The place was the junction of a major railway system during the gold boom era. (Criterion 2.2)

The War Memorial is associated with sculptor Pietro Porcelli and with Major-General Sir Talbot-Hobbs who unveiled the statue, and is a focal point of the Anzac Day ceremony held in Kalgoorlie each year. (Criterion 2.2 & 2.3)

Kalgoorlie Railway Station is associated with the Wilkie Brothers who were responsible for the construction of the Eastern Goldfields railway line and the station buildings from Southern Cross to Kalgoorlie. (Criterion 2.3)

Kalgoorlie Railway Station is valued by the local and wider community for its ongoing railway associations, its connection with Kalgoorlie’s gold boom past, and for its aesthetic and landscape appeal. (Criterion 4.1)

Kalgoorlie Railway Station contributes to the local and wider community's sense of place as a significant reminder of the 1880s and 1890s goldrushes to the region. Its significance is evidenced by the interim listing on the State Register of Heritage Places. (Criterion 4.2)

Kalgoorlie Railway Station is believed to be one of the few remaining stone railway station buildings on the Eastern Goldfields line, and certainly the only one constructed of stone from the Ashlar Quarry in Kalgoorlie. (Criterion 5.2)

Kalgoorlie Railway Station is the only remaining, and continuously operating railway station on the Trans Australia Railway Line, in Western Australia. The place demonstrates changes to the railway transport system from 1896/7 to 2001. (Criterion 6.2)

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High
Authenticity: Moderate to High

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.