Station Masters House (fmr), Kalgoorlie

Statement of Significance

The residence has historic value for its association with the development of the town's railway system and the vital role the railway played in the settlement and development of Kalgoorlie. The residence has historic value is a demonstration of the status of the station master in society at the time and the particular way of life of providing a residence for the station master. The value of the residence is enhanced as a component of an historic railway precinct comprising the adjacent chief engineer's house and the Kalgoorlie Railway Station.

Physical Description

A simple four roomed stone cottage with a central entry and corridor, stone chimney, gable roof, and a separate verandah roof across the facade. The stone walls have been painted on the exterior, the roof replaced, verandahs reconstructed, timber posts replaced with steel, timber verandah posts replaced with concrete, and new openings made in the stone walls

History

The building was the residence of Kalgoorlie's station master of the railway. A number of other buildings adjoin the cottage to provide accommodation for railway workers. General Comments on the Railway: The discovery of gold at Southern Cross and the subsequent declaration of the area as the Yilgarn goldfield in 1888, had 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). By 1900, the Coolgardie/Kalgoorlie duplication was underway (Railway Department Annual Report, 1900: 17, 19 & 36). 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. 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.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High Authenticity: Low to Moderate

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

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