In my last post I mentioned Australian state borders and the strange case of Jennings, a little known NSW and/or Queensland town depending on where the border is.
Jennings' twin town, Wallangarra, is better known because it is on the New England Highway. Wallangarra is also the most southern town in Queensland's Granite Belt, the Queensland part of the New England Tablelands known for its fruit and wine. I mentioned in an earlier post that I had just visited the Granite Belt and would write some stories once my photos were back.
While Wallangarra is better known, I suspect that far to few people stop and visit the railway station. It is worth a visit.
Wallangarra was the junction on the Great Northern Railway, once the main Sydney-Brisbane rail line, between the NSW and Queensland railways with their different rail gauges. Upon arrival, passengers used to carry their luggage across the station to join the train on the other side.
The differences in rail guage carried through into differences in architecture.
The photo below shows the Queensland side of the station, still a sometimes working platform. Sadly, NSW abandoned its part of the railway in the 1970s. The roof shape and hanging baskets are typical of Queensland stations.
Now look at next photo. This is the NSW side. The flat roof is typical of NSW stations of the period. One railway station, two very different feels carefully maintained to preserve the difference. Very much worth a visit.
No comments:
Post a Comment