Bombala Railway Precinct

Item details


Name of item:	Bombala Railway Precinct
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Transport - Rail
Category:	Railway Platform/ Station
Primary address:	, Bombala, NSW 2632
Parish:	Bombala
County:	Wellesley
Local govt. area:	Snowy Monaro Regional

Boundary:

The listing boundary is formed by the property boundaries to either side of the yard and station, the furthest extent of the yard to the north east and the end of the yard buffer stops to the south west .

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
	Bombala	Snowy Monaro Regional	Bombala	Wellesley	Primary Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
John Holland Group	State Government

Statement of significance:


	The Bombala railway station and yard is a mostly intact and well preserved railway precinct closely associated with a period of railway expansion in NSW in the 1920s. Bombala is also significant as one of the longest railway yards constructed during the Inter-War period in in NSW, reflecting the volume and significance of the stock and wool traffic transported from this region. The timber footbridge is an excellent and rare example of a timber footbridge. Two features are particularly significant: the drop panel concrete construction used for the railway station and the footbridge which is a prominent landmark in the town and is possibly one of few, if not the only, extant example of a timber footbridge of its type in NSW. (Note: This statement is based on information from the Bombala Railway Precinct Concept Plan prepared by Victoria Design & Management Pty. Ltd. in 2000 and from the Heritage Assessment of Bombala Station & Yard prepared by Ray Love in 1998. Content from both of these documents has been abridged, reworded or otherwise altered). (SHI database number 4280277, SHR 1091, Bombala LEP listing no. I5)
	Date significance updated: 10 Aug 09
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Construction years:	1915-1921
Physical description:	Extant items at Bombala include the 1921 precast concrete station building, skillion roof, pre-cast concrete signal box (1921), corrugated iron WC/ lamp room (1921), goods shed (1921), single storey fettler’s shed with skillion roof, concrete and crushed gravel platform and concrete platform face (1921), timber footbridge constructed with heavy timber and hardwood planking (1921), foot warmer boiler room and coal supply box, and men’s toilet. Also weighbridge and weighbridge hut, gantry crane and barracks.Bombala Railway Station BuildingPainted asymmetrical precast concrete building (Pc3 design) with fibro tile clad gable roof. Red painted plain timber barge boards, decorative curved finials and timber dentils. Corrugated iron projecting awning supported by red painted timber angled brackets in cream timber mouldings. No posts. Timber-framed sash windows. Glazing above platform doors. Concrete platform face with gravelled surface. Cream painted concrete raised water tank to side. (GML, 2016)WC/Lamp RoomSmall beige painted precast concrete building with ventilation around top under roof. Plain corrugated iron clad flat roof with painted red timber frame. (GML, 2016)Signal BoxBeige painted precast concrete building with plain corrugated iron clad gabled roof and maroon painted timber frame and dentils. Two windows and single door. Linoleum covered floor. Signal levers intact. (GML, 2016)
	Date condition updated:28 Dec 10
Modifications and dates:	The stockyards were removed at an unknown date.
Further information:	SHR Criteria a)[Historical significance] The size and extent of the railway yard at Bombala reflects the volume and significance of the stock and wool traffic transported from this region by rail in the 20th century. This is an abridged statement based on information from the 1998 heritage assessment of Bombala station and yard produced by Ray Love). SHR Criteria c)[Aesthetic significance] Bombala includes one of the longest railway yards in NSW (Bombala and Rankin's Springs possessed the longest railway yards constructed in the 1920s). The site also has technical significance in relation to the layout and topography of the yard, including the slightly elevated area west of the platform. (This is an abridged statement based on information from the 1998 heritage assessment of Bombala station and yard produced by Ray Love). SHR Criteria e)[Research potential] The design, construction and siting of the yard yields information about the construction policies of the then Department of Railways. (This is an abridged statement based on information from the 1998 heritage assessment of Bombala station and yard produced by Ray Love). SHR Criteria f)[Rarity] Bombala was the only rural terminus in NSW to feature a pedestrian footbridge. The footbridge remains extant. (This is an abridged statement based on information from the 1998 heritage assessment of Bombala station and yard produced by Ray Love). Integrity/Intactness: Most of the original railway facilities (dating from the 1920s) remain extant.


Current use:	Railway station building used for community uses

History

Historical notes:

During the 1870s, residents of Cooma and surrounding districts lobbied the colonial government for an extension of the southern railway to Cooma. A survey was conducted in 1878 to explore several alternative routes and eventually it was decided to construct a railway line from Joppa Junction near Goulburn, linking Bungendore, Queanbeyan, Tuggeranong, Michelago and Cooma. A single line was opened to Tarago in January 1884 and by 1885 the line had reached Bungendore. The line to Queanbeyan opened in September 1887 and by December 1887 trains were running to Michelago (SRA, 1993; Victoria Design & Management Pty. Ltd., 1999).The Cooma line was eventually extended, reaching Nimmitabel in April 1912. Between 1915 and the early 1920s drawings were issued by the Construction Branch of the NSW Government railways for railway construction work south to Bombala. The section of line between Nimmitabel and Bombala was opened for goods train traffic by the Department of Public Works on 1 November 1920 and the station and yard at Bombala officially opened in November 1921. The original Bombala railway precinct included a signal box, lamp room, goods shed, footbridge, and other structures (Love, 1998; Forsyth, 1989).Regular steam operations ceased in 1962 and by the 1970s rail services had declined along the Bombala line. The last passenger train to Bombala was in August 1974 and the last goods service on the line was in March 1986. The line was officially closed in May 1989 (Love, 1998; SRA, 1993).References:Forsyth, J.H. Stations & tracks: V3A: Southern branch lines, 1991.Love, Ray. Heritage assessment of Bombala station and yard, 1998.State Rail Authority of NSW, How and why of station names, 1993.Victoria Design & Management Pty. Ltd. Cooma Railway Precinct: Conservation Management Plan & Concept Plan: Volume 1, 1999.

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	The size and extent of the railway yard at Bombala reflects the volume and significance of the stock and wool traffic transported from this region by rail in the 20th century. (This is an abridged statement based on information from the 1998 heritage assessment of Bombala station and yard produced by Ray Love).
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	Bombala includes one of the longest railway yards in NSW (Bombala and Rankin's Springs possessed the longest railway yards constructed in the 1920s). The site also has technical significance in relation to the layout and topography of the yard, including the slightly elevated area west of the platform.(This is an abridged statement based on information from the 1998 heritage assessment of Bombala station and yard produced by Ray Love).
SHR Criteria e) [Research potential]	The design, construction and siting of the yard yields information about the construction policies of the then Department of Railways.(This is an abridged statement based on information from the 1998 heritage assessment of Bombala station and yard produced by Ray Love).
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	Bombala was the only rural terminus in NSW to feature a pedestrian footbridge. The footbridge remains extant.(This is an abridged statement based on information from the 1998 heritage assessment of Bombala station and yard produced by Ray Love).
Integrity/Intactness:	Most of the original railway facilities (dating from the 1920s) remain extant.
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Heritage Act - s.170 NSW State agency heritage register

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title
Written	Ray Love	1998	Heritage assessment of Bombala station and yard
Written	State Rail Authority of NSW Archives Section	1993	How and why of station names
Written	Victoria Design & Management Pty. Ltd.	2000	Bombala Railway Precinct Concept Plan
Written	Victoria Design & Management Pty. Ltd.	1999	Cooma Railway Precinct: Conservation Management Plan & Concept Plan: Volume 1

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

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Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	State Government
Database number:	3150035

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