From wool trade to arts workshops – Gunning railway station’s 150 years of history

Celebrations will be held at Gunning train station on Sunday 2 November to mark 150 years of railway history, alongside its present role as an arts and community hub.

 

The station was completed before or soon after the opening of the Goulburn-Gunning section of the Main Southern Line in November 1875.

 

Now listed on the NSW state heritage register, Gunning Station is one of the best surviving examples of a small late Victorian country station complex.

 

And at the time it was built, it was the end of the rail line and in its heyday, it was a key location for the transportation of wool.

 

These days the rail line continues through Gunning and the station is serviced by four NSW TrainLink passenger trains each day.  

 

In recent years, the station precinct was completely restored, including repairs and upgrades to derelict structures and reinstatement of period features.

 

The restoration project was funded through the Community Heritage Program of the Transport Asset Manager of NSW (TAM).

 

The refurbished station is now home to Connect@Gunning Station, an artistic and cultural hub run by Southern Tablelands Arts.

 

Chief Executive of TAM John Garrad said it is fantastic that new life has been breathed into the historic rail precinct.

 

“The meticulously planned restoration project was led by a dedicated team from Transport for NSW with the assistance of specialist heritage architects and tradespeople,” he said.

 

“Great care and precision were taken with reinstating period features including a new decorative verandah built from the 1875 plans, station room signs and replica timber columns to the platform awning,”, Mr Garrad said.

 

Executive Director of Southern Tablelands Arts Rose Marin said Connect@Gunning Station is the artistic and cultural heart of the community.

 

“This beautifully restored station is now the venue for a range of arts and cultural events, performances, heritage displays, workshops and meetings, that help promote vibrancy and social connection in Gunning and the wider region,” Ms Marin said.

 

NSW TrainLink Chief Executive Roger Weeks said passengers use Gunning Station to connect with Melbourne and Griffith train services and they enjoy the quaintness of the revamped station in its picturesque rural setting.

 

“Steeped in history, the station continues to play an important public transport role today,” Mr Weeks said.

 

“Importantly, the renovation of Gunning Station a few years ago not only upgraded heritage items but also included improvements to make bathroom facilities and the station more accessible and comfortable for all.”

 

Gunning Station was an early prototype of a distinctive NSW station design, approved by John Whitton the Engineer in Charge for the NSW Government Railways, and over a hundred other late 1800s stations followed a similar style.

 

Around 1876 a two-storey Station Master's residence was constructed adjacent to the station. This still stands and is privately owned.

 

Other early structures included sheep yards, an enginemen's rest house (moved to Bowning in 1876), a goods office (moved to Goulburn in 1878), and in 1889, a new ladies' toilet within the main station building.

 

When opened, the station also included a refreshment room providing tea and buns for train travellers.

 

Supported by Transport for NSW and NSW TrainLink, Southern Tablelands Arts has organised a day of festivities for Gunning Station’s 150th birthday from 10am – 3pm on Sunday 2 November.