The heritage-listed Railway Station in Coonamble has been sitting in disrepair for years, but some members of the community are hoping it can be used again.
The Deteriorating state of the heritage-listed Coonamble Railway Station and its potential for redevelopment was raised at the June meeting of the Coonamble Chamber of Commerce.
Coonamble Bowling Club Manager Tessa Pennell said she wanted to know whether the Station could be brought back to life.
“I was working with Sedg White looking for some historic images to use in the Club,” Mrs Pennell said. “And he has one of the Railway Station that sparked my interest.”
“The building looked beautiful with a rose garden at the front and sheds behind.”
“We don’t have many old iconic buildings in Coonamble and it would be good to see it used for something,” she said.
“It’s such a waste and it could be so beautiful and something for the town to be proud of.”
Significant site
The original station was burnt to the ground in May 1910 and the current building was constructed soon after.
The station building was rarely used after passenger services ended in the 1970s and was closed in 1978.
On 2 April 1999 it was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register after having been assessed as being historically, architecturally, scientifically and socially rare.
The Coonamble station building is the only one of its type remaining in NSW in “as built” form.
The other brick building of a similar style is at Narrabri but this has been altered.
Station falls into disrepair
By 2007 there were reports that the station was at risk of being demolished after the Australian Rail Track Corporation, who managed the site at the time on behalf of the NSW Government, raised concerns about maintenance and safety issues caused by frequent vandalism.
Community aims to get railway station Back on Track
The local community responded by forming the Back on Track group, who worked with Coonamble Shire Council to plan a better future for the station building.
In 2009 the station received $131,045 federal government heritage funding for repair and restoration works which reinstated the platform, refurbished the toilets and reconnected the building to town sewage services. A ramp and steps were installed to meet access requirements and the building made more secure. It was then deemed available to lease.
With NSW Government funding Coonamble Shire Council commissioned the Stafford Group to prepare a Business Plan for the precinct to assist in gaining a possible tenant.
The Stafford Group’s report said they were “aware of a number of parties who are keen to register interest should the site become available for leasing.”
“Some of these potential uses include the use of the site for the packaging and sale of agricultural products, as an area for displaying and servicing heavy equipment, as a site for production and packaging of export ready crops and as a possible extension to existing surrounding businesses,” the report said.
There was also interest expressed in “encouraging its use for a number of community based purposes including offering a café, art and craft gallery, community meeting rooms, and with some of the land on site used for a commercial plant nursery.”
Re-use plans de-railed
The process stalled after initial inquiries were received when a change in Council leadership and focus meant that efforts to secure a lessee for the building were dropped.
The railway station is now managed for Transport NSW by John Holland Rail and although vandalism seems less of an issue recently, the building has become a haven for pigeons and remains at risk of being destroyed.
Where to from here?
When contacted by the Coonamble Times a spokesperson for JHR said,
“Repairs to maintain the current condition of the building are carried out in accordance with the relevant listing on the NSW State Heritage Register.
“Transport for NSW currently has no plans to refurbish or restore the station building.”
The spokesperson also explained that selling the building is not an option.
“The building is not suitable for sale under the relevant NSW Government Guidelines as it is adjacent to the Dubbo to Coonamble Rail Line, however, the building is able to be leased or licensed to a suitable applicant.”
“As a heritage building you would think the community or council may be able to apply for funding to do some more work to make it suitable for re-use,” Mrs Pennell said. “It would be good to see it used for something.”
With two recommendations to reinstate support for heritage buildings in the Shire Masterplan adopted at Council’s June meeting, perhaps plans to find a tenant and re-use the Railway Station can return to the table.