The rhythmic clickety-clack of the Wonthaggi railway a ghost of a sound echoes in my mind. I see the line in my mind’s eye. It stretches out before us a steel spine once pulsing with life.
The Wonthaggi railway line a vital artery of South Gippsland’s past. It wasn’t just about transporting coal. Oh no. It carried the hopes and dreams of a community. It fueled the fires of industry and carried passengers to and fro. It connected families and friends.
Imagine the steam engines chugging along. They hauled coal from the State Coal Mine. This mine was the lifeblood of Wonthaggi. The line extended to other mines too. Dudley and Kirrak each contributing to the region’s industrial might. For nearly 70 years the railway served the town. Its rhythmic pulse a constant presence in the lives of Wonthaggi residents. Even during the construction it was known as the Powlett River Railway. It was completed exceptionally quickly given the technology available back then. In just 10 weeks the Nyora to Wonthaggi section was built. Horses and human labour were the driving forces.
At its peak in 1926 the mine produced tons of coal daily. Victorian Railways purchased almost all of it. Passenger services ran multiple times a week. A journey from Flinders Street to Wonthaggi took hours. But the introduction of diesel rail motors reduced this to approximately three hours by 1954.
The decline began with the shift to diesel-electric power. The State Coal Mine closed in 1968. The final train carrying workers’ equipment ran in 1978. It was the end of an era. A slow sad goodbye to the Wonthaggi railway line.
The tracks were eventually dismantled. What remains is the Bass Coast Rail Trail a testament to the railway’s legacy. A fitting tribute to a line that once connected a community now connecting it in a new way. The ghost of the clickety-clack remains a reminder of the Wonthaggi railway’s significant contribution to the region.