Central Australia Railway
Route and principal completion dates
Overview
Status	Partially closed and removed, remaining section used by the Pichi Richi Railway
Termini	Stirling North nearPort Augusta Alice Springs
Service
System	South Australian Railways 1878–1917 South Australian Railways on behalf of Commonwealth Railways 1917–1926 Commonwealth Railways 1926–1975 Australian National (CR's successor agency) 1975–1981
Operator(s)	South Australian Railways Commonwealth Railways (becameAustralian National)
History
Opened	Port Augusta–Marree: 1884 Marree–Oodnadatta: 1891 Oodnadatta–Alice Springs: 1929
Closed	1981
Technical
Line length	1,241 km (771 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in); 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge from 1957 to 2016 (new route Port Augusta–Marree)
Route map Central Australia Railway (narrow gauge) Marree railway line (standard gauge) 1241 km Alice Springs (old) Central Australia Railway Adelaide–Darwin railway line toDarwin Alice Springs abattoir Alice Springs (current) 1237 km Heavitree Adelaide–Darwin railway line toPort Augusta Macdonnell triangle startpreserved track 1231 km Macdonnell 1224 km Mount Ertwa end preserved track Ewaninga triangle 1208 km Ewaninga 1192 km Pohill Siding 1175 km Ooraminna 1163 km Deep Well Deep Well siding 1141 km Rodinga Rodinga stock yards 1125 km Maryvale 1099 km Bundooma 1076 km Engoordina 1060 km Mount Squire 1044 km Rumbalara Rumbalara stock yards 1028 km Musgrave 1014 km Finke (Aputula) 1012 km Finke stock yards 997 km Crown Point 981 km Duffield 965 km Wall Creek 962 km Northern Territory South Australia border 945 km Abminga Abminga sidings 929 km Bloods Creek 908 km Ilbunga 895 km Mount Emery 876 km Pedirka 859 km Mt Rebecca 841 km Mt Sarah (Stevenson Creek) 825 km Macumba 811 km Alberga 804 km Wire Creek Wire Creek siding 792 km Todmorten Oodnadatta sidings 770 km Oodnadatta 744 km North Creek Mount Dutton stock yards 729 km Mount Dutton Mount Dutton triangle Algebuckina Bridge 714 km Algebuckina 698 km Peake Creek Warrina stock yards 682 km Warrina Edwards Creek triangle 666 km Edwards Creek Edwards Creek siding 650 km Duff Creek (Weedina) 632 km Boorthana 616 km Box Creek 600 km Anna Creek 588 km Douglas 574 km William Creek William Creek triangle 554 km Irrappatana 537 km Strangways Springs 525 km Beresford 501 km Coward Springs Coward Springs triangle 489 km Margaret 473 km Curdimurka (Stuarts Creek) 453 km Lake Eyre 440 km Bopeechee 425 km Alberrie Creek 407 km Wangianna 387 km Callanna Marree gauge interchange Marree 356 km 372 km Marree 359 km Mundownda Witchelina 339 km Wirrawilla Farina triangles Farina 303 km 320 km Farina Lyndhurst 278 km 294 km Lyndhurst Old Mine loop Telford 271 km Telford end ofLeigh Creek line tracks Leigh Creek Coalfield Copley 245 km 262 km Copley Leigh Creek 240 km Puttapa 231 km 247 km Puttapa Beltana 232 km Beltana 212 km Nilpena (Black Fellows Creek) Parachilna 175 km 195 km Parachilna Commodore 163 km 183 km Commodore Brachina 153 km 173 km Brachina 163 km Edeowie Moralana 127 km 137 km Mern Merna Cotabena 107 km 124 km Hookina (Wonoka) Neuroodla 89 km 105 km Hawker 89.6 km Wilson 73.0 km Gordon 57.5 km Willochra Wilkatana 48 km Peterborough–Quorn railway line end ofPichi Richi Railway 39.8 km Quorn Quorn Pichi Richi Depot 32.4 km Summit siding 23.6 km Woolshed Flat 18.2 km Saltia siding start dormant tracks Bungala Solar Plant Goods yard Adelaide-Port Augusta railway line Northern Power Station Port Augusta Racecourse 0 km Port Augusta Pichi Richi Depot Adelaide–Darwin railway line toAlice Springs This diagram: view talk edit

The routes of the narrow-gauge Central Australia Railway (1878–1980) and the standard-gauge Marree line which replaced the southernmost third of the route (1957–2019). Perspective view with the southern Flinders Ranges routes in the foreground. Political pressure mandated the difficult eastern alignment of the original route.

The formerCentral Australia Railway, which was built between 1878 and 1929 and dismantled in 1980, was a 1241 km (771 mi)1067 mm narrow gauge railway betweenPort Augusta andAlice Springs.^[1] Astandard gauge line duplicated the southern section from Port Augusta to Maree in 1957 on a new nearby alignment. The entire Central Australia Railway was superseded in 1980 after the standard gaugeTarcoola–Alice Springs Railway was opened, using a new route up to 200 km to the west. A small southern section of the original line between Port Augusta andQuorn has been preserved and is operated as thePichi Richi Railway.

The line became known as theCentral Australia Railway when the Commonwealth Railways took it over from the South Australian Railways in 1929. Before then, it was known by several names, in part because the northern end point had not be determined, funding being intermittent. Government acts and the press used a number of terms prior to construction including:

• Port Augusta Railway
• Northern Railway
• Great Northern Railway
• Port Augusta to (far) North Railway.

After construction, railway was referred to as:

• Port Augusta-Oodnadatta railway^[2]
• North–South Railway in possible anticipation to extend the line to Darwin.^[3]

It has also often been referred to as theGreat Northern Railway^[4] in the 1890s and into the twentieth century. The most southern part of the line betweenPort Augusta andQuorn is now referred to as thePichi Richi Tourist Railway.

Another colloquial name used wasThe Ghan, after the passenger train that utilised the line. It is suggested thatThe 'Ghan name is in recognition of theAfghan Cameleers that plied their trade in the area well before the railway; however, seeThe Ghan (Etymology) for alternatives. This colloquial term for the railway appears to have been widely in use from at least the early 1930s;^[5] it may have been in use prior to this. The newAdelaide–Darwin railway line initially usedThe New Ghan as a trading name. It has now reverted toThe Ghan, relegating the original line name colloquially asThe Old Ghan.^{[6][page needed][7][page needed]}

From the proposal for a line heading north of Port Augusta to turning the first sod in 1878 took 18 years^[10] and the process was referred to by the press as one "which has so far failed to extend itself out of the region of nebulous ideas.".^[11]

The key issues reported at the time were as follows.

Significant debate about the cost delayed and eventually altered the final design. The costs were significant for the South Australian colony and there was rigorous debate over that period. Mineral extraction was touted as the key benefit,^[12] with farming and passenger traffic deemed by many as being uneconomic alone although others suggest the key products were 'wool, station stores, and copper' in that order.^[13] The cost per kilometre was set in the Acts which precluded more expensive options.^{[citation needed]}

There was fierce debate about the gauge of the line, the maximum weight to be carried and maximum speed as all three dictated the cost.

A multitude of routes and end-points were nominated with over a dozen potential routes explored, most of these to the north. End points that were discussed included Government Gums (Farina, South Australia (320 km),Yudnamutana, South Australia (390 km) andBeltana (232 km). The 1867 Act stated that the line would be 200 miles from Port Augusta. Newspapers of the time did mention extending the line to Port Darwin although this was not gazetted in Parliament.

TheSouth Australian Railways, as the agent of the colonialgovernment, wanted to build the line, and there were others who thought that investors, predominantly from the United Kingdom, would offer better value for money. The South Australian Railways developed a trial called theNorthern Extension Railway toBurra to test the engineering capabilities.^[14]

The following Acts were passed by the parliament of South Australia and, after federation in 1901, the Australian parliament.

Design, construction, as well as a hiatus, occurred in four periods distinct under both South Australian and Federal Australian Governments over a fifty-year period.

Around 1871, there was general agreement betweenRobert C. Patterson, Assistant Engineer (report writer), H. C. Mais, (Engineer-in-Chief) and Surveyor General.George Goyder (creator of theGoyder line of rainfall) about the length and route of the railway.^[13] All three could not see going further north thanBeltana (232 km) due to rain fall and environment, The two options out ofPort Augusta were the Western Plains and the Pichi Richi routes.^[31] The Pichi Richi route, while more expensive, offered access to the farmland to the west.

An extensive permanent survey was conducted circa 1876 and the final route mapped toGovernment Gums due to the water available at the terminus.^[32] The length was to be "198 miles 66.92 chains", and the route consisted of "no less than 64 bridges, ranging in length from 20 feet to 740 feet, 470 flood-openings from 10 to 40 feet wide, 550 culverts from 2 feet 6 inches to 10 feet wide, 61 pipe-drains, and 14 water courses".^[32]

The first sod was turned at Port Augusta on 18 January 1878 and took until 1882 to reachGovernment Gums (320 km), 1884Maree (372 km), 1888Coward Springs (501 km) and finallyOodnadatta in 1891 (770 km). Construction was bySouth Australian Railways as a1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)narrow gauge railway.^{[33][34][page needed]}

Between 1891 and 1926, the railway line was not extended. Discussion occurred about whether the existing line should be extended or a1435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard-gauge railway fromTarcoola should be initiated.^[35][36] TheSouth Australian Railways were transferred to theAustralian federal government on 1 January 1911, but because the federal government at that stage did not possess a railway department, the South Australian Railways continued running the service until 1 January 1926.^[1] In 1926,Commonwealth Railways took over the running and commenced planning for extending the railway line north.

Extending the line fromOodnadatta toAlice Springs commenced around 1926 and was completed on 6 August 1929.

The Northern Territory Act (Cth 1910) required the building of a north–south railway although no date was specified. Two unballasted routes were shortlisted with a standard gauge line from Kingoonya toAlice Springs estimated at 4.5m pounds and the 1.7m pound narrow gauge extension from Oodnadatta toAlice Springs. The 270 miles 65 chain extension was passed after a number of debates in Federal Parliament.^[37]

Railway workers were paid 5 pounds, 8 shillings a week and a request for this to be raised to 6 pounds per week was refused by Sir John Quick in the Federal Arbitration Court on 11 March 1927.^[38]

The first train consisted of 12 carriages including Mail and Fruit vans. There were 60 first class and 60 second class passengers and left on 5 August 1929 however an official ceremony to be attended by the Prime Minister was cancelled due to the cost of running a special train.^[39][40]

The tortuously curving narrow-gauge line betweenMarree and Alice Springs was notoriously prone to delays, often caused by flash floods washing away bridges and tracks.^[41] Some track waslaid on sand withoutballast, andwood sleepers were used, serving as food fortermites, causing unstable tracks.^[42]

The choice of route through the most arid regions of Australia was influenced above all by the need for water for steam locomotives. Since time immemorial,Aboriginal people had followed a chain ofartesian springs and waterholes to sustain them when carrying ochre from theFar North of South Australia to trading places in the south. The explorerJohn McDouall Stuart followed a similar route during several expeditions between 1858 and 1862.^[43] The route taken by theOverland Telegraph ten years later, to which Stuart is believed to have given attention during his travels, was very similar. When the railway route was surveyed, it was hardly surprising that it followed the reliable sources of water.^[44]: 52 The downside – an endless source of frustration for the railway maintainers – was that washouts occurred at some locations almost every year. When heavy rains fell inland in New South Wales and Queensland, gigantic "flash floods" came down normally dry riverbeds; bridges, embankments and other earthworks gave way under the onslaught. All but the largest bridge were severely damaged or washed away entirely, and miles of track were washed out – almost every year at some locations.^{[8]: 21–24}

In 1944, it was reported that trains had increased on the line from the normal two a week to 56, whilst theNorth Australia Railway had increased from one a week to 147. Rolling stock, sidings, marshaling areas and water points for the steam engines were all key issues in increasing traffic on the line.^[57]

The first diesel-electric locomotive entered service in June 1954. It was one of14 locomotives ordered for both the Central andNorth Australia Railway. Built by theBirmingham Carriage and Wagon company, the locomotives had a maximum range of about 1130 kilometres (700 miles) and were designed to haul 330 long tons (300 tonnes) at 50 kilometres per hour (31 miles per hour) on level track.^[58]

Shortly before the closure of the narrow gauge line in 1980,BBC Television filmed an episode of the television seriesGreat Railway Journeys of the World featuring the original route of the Ghan (and the infamously slow speed of the train).^{[citation needed]}

AfterWorld War II, the railway line existence became questionable for a number of reasons:

• The railway had a history of extensive flood damage as the original steam engines required access to streams which were prone to floods.
• The track wasnarrow gauge and not ballasted and thus loads and speeds were both reduced, reducing the profitability of the line.
• Goyder's Line of rainfall (1865), excluding rains in 1865, 1872 and some other years, was shown as being highly accurate with communities and cropping lands north of his line being abandoned after long dry spells. The entire railway is north of this line.
• Trucks and roads were becoming more reliable and utilised in South Australia.
• The 1910 Northern Territory Acceptance Act mandating a railway line betweenDarwin andAdelaide requiring a standard gauge railway, which would need to be less susceptible to flooding than the existing route designed for diesel-electric engines rather than steam.
• Improved railway engineering and construction methods allowed for improved design.
• The standard gauge upgrade of the southern section of the line from nearPort Augusta toMaree placed pressure on the remaining narrow gauge sections that remained opened due to transfer and maintenance costs.

In 1949, both South Australia and the Federal Government enacted the Railway Standardisation (South Australia) Agreement Act^[24] which looked at the upgrade of all lines to standard gauge, including the Central Australia Line. The act was more of an overarching statement rather than a commitment to complete all lines in a set order or time.

TheLeigh Creek andTelford Cut Coalfields were first excavated in 1943 following a shortage of coal duringWorld War II and between 1951 and 1954, discussions surrounded two route options to upgrade to standard gauge. Option B2 was upgrading the current line to Telford, the C option was the chosen option which was up to 32 km west of the current line.^[59] The South Australian and Federal governments bickered over by-passing the township ofQuorn and it was only after a Royal Commission, that theCommonwealth Railways got their way with option C avoiding Quorn and the work commenced on the 255 km line.

The South Australian Government and agriculturists wanted to extend the standard gauge line a further 88 km toMarree.^[60][61] This would reduce the bruising of the cattle and shorten the time to market as well as increase the number of cattle that could be transferred. Transferring livestock at Telford was considered problematic with coal dust and machinery.^[62]

The federal minister of transport travelled to the area in mid-1954 and confirmed the extension from Telford Cut to Marree. The cost was set at 1,241,000 pounds, compared to 821,000 pounds to bring the existing line up to an acceptable level including ballasting and possible bridge replacement.^[63]

The Minister for Transport, SenatorGeorge McLeay and the Commonwealth Railways Commissioner, Mr. P. J. Hannaberry, both stated that they were "strongly in favour" to extend the standard gauge line all the way to Alice Springs in 1952.^[64] By April 1954, Hannaberry had changed his mind and stated it was "out of the question".^[65]

In 1957, theMarree Railway Line, the newstandard gauge line fromStirling North (near Port Augusta) toMarree (372 km from Port Augusta) opened, replacing the existing line viaQuorn. This was predominantly forcoal to be transferred from theLeigh Creek andTelford Cut Coalfields to the power stations atStirling North. The line was extended toMarree for cattle to be transported to market from the grazing plains, including around theBirdsville Track.

With the new standard gaugeMarree Railway Line opened, the narrow gauge line began to close in sections:

• 1957: The section betweenBrachina (173 km) toBeltana (232 km) is closed in March
• 1957: The section betweenLeigh Creek (262 km) toMarree (372 km) is closed in July
• 1958:Beltana (232 km) toLeigh Creek (262 km) closed in July.^[66]
• 1972:Port Augusta (0 km) toHawker (105 km) closed.
  • Some sections of the narrow-gauge line remain in operation as thePichi Richi Railway and the section from Port Augusta to Stirling North was realigned and restored in 2000–2002.
• 1981: The entire narrow gauge line was closed with the section between Marree (372 km) and Alice Springs (1243 km) abandoned, replaced byTarcoola-Alice Springs line standard gauge line.^{[67][page needed]}
• 1987: Standard gauge between Marree and Telford Cut closed.
• 2016:Stirling North-Telford Cutstandard gauge line mothballed after power station and mine closure.^[68] On 3 December 2016, Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia began storing wagons in the disused sidings at Stirling North. various rail operators including Bowmans Rail, Sydney Rail Services, One Rail Australia, Southern Shorthaul Railroad and Pacific National have operated trains to and from the sidings for desire or temporary storage of trains and wagons.
• 2018: For a short period between 28 February 2018 & 29 July 2018, Bowmans Rail were operating a section of the former Leigh Creek Line for a few kms to off-load containers used in the construction of the Bungala Solar Farm.
• 2023: Trains now run as required to CFCLA’s (now RailFirst Asset Management) Stirling North Yard including twice in 2023.

The old railway route is now aheritage trail.^[69]

In 1974, the newly formedPichi Richi Railway Preservation Society commenced a restoration program, headquartered atQuorn at the picturesque southern end of the railway;Stirling North, nearPort Augusta, was the other terminus. It progressively restored and operated the Pichi Richi Railway as a working museum, upgrading track and undertaking preservation of a wide range ofSouth Australian Railways rolling stock and some locomotives, secured against deterioration in the former running sheds. Between 2000 and 2002, the line was extended 12 km (7 mi) toPort Augusta station, running alongside the standard gauge mainline for about half the distance.^[70]

In May 2016, traffic ceased on the standard gauge line between Telford Cut coal mine and Port Augusta after the power station at Port Paterson was shut down.^[71]

The Farina Restoration Project Group, whose members travel to the former town at agreed periods to work voluntarily, is restoring the small, now-deserted railway township ofFarina.^[72]

• Adelaide–Darwin railway line
• Marree railway line
• North Australia Railway
• Pichi Richi Railway
• The Ghan

• Photo album of images along the line
• History of the Adelaide-Darwin RailwayArchived 31 July 2021 at theWayback Machine
• Tarcoola to Alice Springs Railway Act 1974
• Weekend Extra film on the last original GhanAustralian Broadcasting Corporation 1980

• Adelaide-Darwin railway corridor
• Railway lines closed in 1976
• Closed railway lines in South Australia
• Closed railway lines in the Northern Territory
• 3 ft 6 in gauge railways in Australia

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