Railways and Tramways of Australia

Setbacks at the opening

 

Victorian Railways was inaugurated on 13 January 1859, and new lines to Williamstown and Sunbury were officially opened.

 

Early railways in Victoria were opened by private companies. But the beginning of government services was a big deal. Various festivities were planned and a holiday was declared. Thousands of people gathered at Batman’s Hill (now Southern Cross station) to witness the arrival of the Governor, Sir Henry Barkly. A vice-regal train departed at 10.20 am, conveying the Governor and special guests to Williamstown.

 

Williamstown station was adorned with flags, banners and other decorations. A salute of guns was fired. The Municipal Clerk was reading a welcome address when the dais collapsed and several dignitaries fell with it. Order was quickly restored but then the remaining section of the dais collapsed! The remainder of the ceremony then continued on the ground.

 

From Williamstown the train travelled to Sunbury via Footscray. Following another salute by guns, Governor Barkley laid a foundation stone for Jacksons Creek Viaduct. Two other trains had been scheduled to follow the Governor’s train at intervals of 15 minutes, with both arriving before 1.00 pm. However, by 2.00 pm the following trains had not arrived. One train eventually arrived at 3.00 pm and the other arrived sometime afterwards. Crew unfamiliarity with the grades on the line had resulted in a loss of steam by the engines. On several occasions male passengers got off and helped to push their trains up grades! Lunch was finally served to 1500 guests around 4.00 pm. It was a grand feast of food and liquor, and included various toasts and music played by a band from the 40th regiment.

 

Despite the setbacks on inauguration day, Victorian Railways became a vital part of the state’s future.

 

Bibliography

S Brown, ‘Batman’s Hill to Southern Cross – via Spencer Street’, Newsrail, vol. 30, no. 11, November 2002, pp 335–47.

LJ Harrigan, Victorian Railways to ’62, Victorian Railways, Melbourne, 1962.

I Jenkin, ‘150 years of Victorian government railway services’, Newsrail, vol. 37, no. 3, March 2009, pp 71–4.