92. The Last tram out of Koondrook (has long since gone)_TMBTP

In this ‘mini’ (read: no guests) episode of This Must Be the Place Elizabeth visits the Murray River town of Koondrook, once the terminus of the Koondrook-Kerang private tramway. This country tram venture was started by the Shire of Swan Hill 1887, making use of private finance but also of Victorian funding from the “Tramways in Country Districts Act 1886”. While we might reasonably assume that the intention of this latter scheme was to subsidise tramways in middling regional cities, the Koondrook-Kerang venture instead built a 22km long tramway through the countryside to meet the state railway in Kerang. This was a kind of ‘feeder tram’ to connect goods and people to the public railway through to Melbourne. Railway construction in Victoria was at its peak at this period via the so-called “Octopus Acts”. The Kerang-Koondrook tramway ran privately until the 1950s, when it was taken over (or surrendered to?) Victoria Railways. It then continued as a publicly run passenger service and later as transport for school children, until either 1976 or 1981 (reports vary). The 1970s were a peak time for closing down train lines in Victoria and especially those in country areas - reflecting declining fortunes in some places but also improvements in roads. In this mini-installment Elizabeth reports from the quiet centre of Koondrook where there’s an old tram station (train enthusiasts can confirm the actual difference between a tram and a train, because this one looks a lot like an old train station); plus the old reserve for the tramway and some bits of track. Apparently down through the irrigated countryside there’s some more remnants near former tram stops at Yeoburn, Hinksons, Teal Point and Gannawarra. The remnants of the tramway are heritage listed. Elizabeth speculates on what the story means for the historically intermingled declines of small towns and of railways; what we might learn from history in terms of local and private initiatives today; and for how we price and assess transport projects. Also discussed (with herself) are the current local politics of dairy farms, water allocations, sawmills, and the legacy of gaming machine tourism (which was a big thing for border towns up until the 1990s). Plus there’s a visit to the local swimming pool (Koondrook still has a community-run pool). If Elizabeth were a real journalist she’d find some people who used to catch the country tram to school etc. and interview them – next time. There may well be a next time as Koondrook is very nice to visit – big trees, river, sculptures, walks, old trams, a nice pub, pool. You can’t get the tram there but you can, if so inclined, like Elizabeth, get the Vline bus (it’s the Barmah bus – not to be confused with the Barham bus even though they leave around the same time and let’s be honest they sound the same). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerang%E2%8…oondrook_Tramway www.slv.vic.gov.au/pictoria/gid/slv-pic-aab45791 www.victorianplaces.com.au/koondrook