Menzies Creek railway station explained

Menzies Creek
Distance:47.76km (29.68miles) from Flinders Street
Line:Gembrook
Status:Staffed
Platform:2
Tracks:3
Opened:1900
Closed:1954
Rebuilt:1962
Former:Aura
Coordinates:-37.9207°N 145.4056°W

Menzies Creek railway station, formerly known as Aura railway station, is located on the Puffing Billy Railway in the town of the same name.

History

It was opened with the line on 18 December 1900. It was named after an early settler John Menzies. On 5 December 1904 it was renamed Aura, after the estate of the Shire President.[1] The station reverted to its previous name on 4 July 1947.[2] Throughout this period, the Post Office kept the name of the town as Menzies Creek which it remains to this day.

When the station was operating under the Victorian Railways it had a loop siding, a standard portable station building, and a goods shed. As the original station building had long been demolished, a replacement building of reclaimed Victorian Railways' "portables" was built in the 1980s. In 1990 the station buildings was moved to its current position as an island platform during a construction exercise undertaken by combat engineers of the 7th Field Engineer Regiment (Australian Army Reserve).[3]

Platforms and layout

Menzies Creek has an island crossing platform with a track on each side, a loop siding and a siding into the Puffing Billy Narrow Gauge Museum.

Facilities

The station now is home to the Aura Tearooms, the Puffing Billy Narrow Gauge Museum, and a Signal bay containing a 14-lever interlocking frame.[4] [5]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Photograph - Aura Station and train . Victorian Collections . Southern Sherbrooke Historical Society Inc. . 4 February 2024.
  2. Web site: Menzies Creek . www.victorianplaces.com.au . Victorian Places . 4 February 2024.
  3. Web site: Puffing Billy Railway Station, Lakeside, Emerald . Royal Australian Engineers Association of Victoria Inc. . 4 February 2024 . en . 25 May 2020.
  4. Web site: Puffing Billy Railway Opens Milestone Museum - Puffing Billy . puffingbilly.com.au . Puffing Billy Railway . 4 February 2024 . en-AU . 21 February 2020.
  5. Web site: VICSIG - Menzies Creek . vicsig.net . 4 February 2024.