Many will be aware that Whittlesea station became the terminus of the Fitzroy-Preston-Whittlesea when the full route was opened on 23 December, 1889; ditto Hurst’s-bridge (Hurstbridge) station opened on 25 June, 1912 as the terminus on the original Heidelberg line of 1887.
The line north of Lalor station was closed on 29 November, 1959 ending Whittlesea’s rather spasmodic connection to Melbourne, but Hurstbridge remains as the terminus on the north-eastern line.
But – there’s always a but, folks! – if the cards had fallen in another direction during the early years of the twentieth century, either of both of the stations may have assumed somewhat greater significance had plans to extend rail services throughout the outer northern areas had come to fruition!
The full story is rather too long for a Wiki-style presentation, but the highlights of three Railway Standing Committee enquiries convened by the State Government in 1911, 1923 and finally in 1926 are included below with a link to the full document in PDF format.
As well as the recogised centres of Whittlesea, Hurstbridge, Kinglake and Yarra Glen (then part of the Shire of Eltham), other districts mentioned in the three reports included Arthur’s Creek, Scrubby Creek (now Humevale), Flowerdale, Strathewen, Glenburn, Castella, Toolangi, Kangaroo Ground, Christmas Hills, and a couple little known today, Mitton’s Bridge and Rushy Flat, both suggested as possibly terminus stations for the planned extensions and both appearing to be around Kinglake West.
1911 Standing Committee – options considered were Whittlesea via Kinglake to Toolangi; Hurstbridge via Kinglake to Toolangi; Hurstbridge via Queenstown (later St. Andrew’s) to Rushy Flat; and Yarra Glen to Toolangi.
1923 Standing Committee – considered an astonished 11 possible extensions : Eltham to Christmas Hills (£254,000); Christmas Hills to Kinglake East (£221,000); Yarra Glen to Castella (Toolangi) £293,800); Hurstbridge to Kinglake West, via Queenstown, Strathewen and Sugarloaf Creek valley (£392,000); Hurstbridge to Kinglake West, via Queenstown, Strathewen and Arthur’s Creek (£452,000; Hurstbridge to Kinglake West, via Arthur’s Creek township and Sugarloaf Creek valley (£325,000); Hurstbridge to Kinglake East, via Queenstown, Yow Yow Creek and Cookson’s Hill (£316,000); Whittlesea to Kinglake West, via Scrubby Creek (£247,000); Hurstbridge to Mitton’s Bridge via Queenstown (£100,800); Hurstbridge to Strathewen via Queenstown and Mitton’s Bridge £154,000); and Whittlesea to Scrubby Creek (just three miles, £8,000).
1926 re-assessed the earlier Hurstbridge to Mitton’s Bridge via Queenstown option, the only one considered viable in 1923, but put the “kibosh” on it after only 50 new residents were attracted to Kinglake under the Closer Settlement Scheme despite suggestions in the earlier report that the scheme would attract between 200 and 250 new settlers. It also suggested that revenue from freight was under rapidly increasing competition from Road transport …
… now read on
