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Australian Railway Monument and Rail Journeys Museum
The Museum reopens on Monday, July Sixth with restricted Opening times.
Werris Creek is the first and last railway town in NSW and is located on a major railway junction. The Werris Creek railway station is the third largest in NSW. It houses the Werris Creek Rail Journeys Museum, which brings this town's railway past back to life.
The stunning displays are a credit to the tireless volunteers who made this museum happen. Constant upgrades and new displays will make the visitor come back again and again. The latest addition is a model railway showing Werris Creek in its railway heydays. The entry donations go towards upgrading and maintaining the museum.
The Australian Railway Monument commemorates railway men and women who have lost their lives in railway accidents since 1850. The landscaped monument area features six three metre stainless steel sculptures of railway workers created by Australian Artist Dominique Sutton, an amphitheatre for public concerts and over 2,400 names on walls of remembrance.
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Australian Railway Monument and Rail Journeys Museum
New South Wales
In Werris Creek, 45km southwest from Tamworth, you'll find this touching memorial to Australian rail-workers who've lost their lives on the job. Next door, in a beautifully-preserved station-house dating to 1885 (when the town was a major rail junction) you'll find a great volunteer-run railway museum. Pride of place in the evolving collection is a model of the town's railway network in its glory years.
Werris Creek Station, Single St
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History Cooperative
The Australian Railway Monument and Rail Journeys Museum
On 1 October 2005 the Australian Railway Monument in Werris Creek (NSW) was opened by the NSW Minister for Transport (and on that day Acting Premier) Hon John Watkins as part of the celebrations of 150 years of rail in NSW. The monument comprises a number of large sculptures set around the Monument amphitheatre. The centre of the amphitheatre has three lines crossing it representing the three railway lines that form the junction there. Around half of that space is a stone faced mound which contains two concrete faced cuttings. On the opening day most of one wall of a cutting, known as a Wall of Remembrance, contains panels inscribed with the names of over 2,000 NSW railway personnel who were killed on duty or as a result of injuries sustained on duty. At each radial point of the three lines are the metal figurative sculptures, semi-abstract, but recognisable interpretations of workers on the rail network. Other figures are located in the precinct. Workers represented include a signalman, gatekeeper, driver, guard, shunter, station-mistress and others.
So why is it called the Australian Railway Monument, rather than just the NSW railway monument? Simply that this striking display is an opportunity for all states to pay tribute to all the railway men and women of Australia who lost their lives on duty or as a result of injuries sustained on duty and at the same time, represent the railway industry and all its employees and their contribution to Australia’s development.
Why Werris Creek?
Werris Creek Railway Station precinct is of great heritage significance to NSW and also has some national significance. With the reduced use of the station by Rail Corp (though it is still a passenger stop), the challenge was to provide a future use that supported both the heritage of the buildings but also of the rail community in this town.
Werris Creek is termed ‘the first railway town in Australia’ as it began in 1885 as a railway station in a paddock to begin the branch line rail network. There was no town and the nearby towns were not interested in becoming a junction, so a new town was born – a true railway town. It became a major rural rail complex with traffic and mechanical operations, in NSW it was reputedly the largest outside Sydney. Architecturally it is most unusual with triangular platform and similarly shaped main building.
Associated with the Australian Railway Monument is the Rail Journeys Museum. The first room is open but there are plans for more in the former two-storey Werris Creek Refreshment Rooms (NSW RRR included accommodation for travellers). The intention of the combination railway theme was to create a regional tourist attraction that would have broad appeal. Inside the Rail Journeys Museum the focus is on telling rail stories through the workers’ eyes and words. Apart from the various themed panels along the timeline, there are artefacts and stories related to the various operational personnel, for example, the shunter, the station master and the fettler. The professional presentation is impressive.
The opening of the Monument was accompanied by a weekend-long fair and festival of rail with a wide range of modern and vintage passenger trains, a market, and many and varied performers in several venues around the town. It was an appropriate ending to the four-day National Railway Heritage Conference.
< [email protected] >Figure 1 Signalman statue with amphitheatre behind and female ASM (assistance station master) statue on the horizon
The couple in the photo of the Signalman are Trevor Horman and Judy Richardson, the key drivers of the Friends of the Northern Australia Railway at Adelaide River in the Northern Territory who attended the Rail Heritage Conference and the ARM opening, which meant there were delegates from every state and territory at the Conference.
Photo: Courtesy Bob McKillop
</ [email protected] >
Honest tourism information about Australia
Things to do in Werris Creek, NSW: Attractions worth your time
- David Whitley
Things to do in Werris Creek, NSW, include the Rail Journeys Museum and Australian Railway Monument.
Werris Creek, NSW, is a railway junction town in the New England region. The Main North Line from Sydney passes through Werris Creek on the way to Tamworth and Armidale . But the Mungindi Line also branches off towards Gunnedah, Narrabri and Moree .
Chances are, therefore, the only reason you’re going to stop in Werris Creek is if you’ve determined you’re going to travel around regional New South Wales by train. This, it’s fair to say, does not apply to many visitors.
Aside from the Werris Creek Pool – handy for a splash on a hot day – the main attraction in Werris Creek, NSW, is also rail-related.
Rail Journeys Museum in Werris Creek, NSW
The Rail Journeys Museum is at the Werris Creek Railway Station, which somewhat astonishingly is the third largest station in New South Wales.
The Rail Journeys Museum is a volunteer-run place. Anyone who has visited other volunteer-run museums in Australia should have an inkling of what to expect here. There’s lots of memorabilia, and bits of old equipment, which will mean something to enthusiasts, but probably not very much to the passing visitor. There are also a few miniature trains. The Rail Journeys Museum means well, but it very much needs to be Your Thing if you’re going to enjoy it.
Things to do in Werris Creek, NSW: Australian Railway Monument
Perhaps more interesting is the nearby Australian Railway Monument. This pays tribute to railway workers who lost their lives in the course of duty. More than 2,700 names are inscribed on the walls, and six stainless steel statues stand guard.
Visiting the Australian Railway Monument only requires a short detour off the New England Highway on the drive from Sydney or Newcastle to Tamworth. But you may be better off veering east towards Chaffey Dam in Nundle instead.
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Australian Railway Monument and Rail Journeys Museum
Single Street, New South Wales 2341 Australia
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“the first and last railway town in NSW”
Werris Creek is the first and last railway town in NSW and is located on a major railway junction. The Werris Creek railway station is the third largest in NSW. It houses the Werris Creek Rail Journeys Museum, which brings this town's railway past back to life. The stunning displays are a credit to the tireless volu...
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The Australian Railway Monument commemorates railway men and women who have lost their lives in railway accidents since 1850. The landscaped monument area features six three metre stainless steel sculptures of railway workers created by Australian Artist Dominique Sutton, an amphitheatre for public concerts and over 2,400 names on walls of ...
Small railway town but first class museum. This three year old railway museum is located between Werris Creek railway station's two platforms, one of which is for the Tamworth and Armidale XPlorer service and the other for the Narrabri and Moree line. The museum is well set out.
In Werris Creek, 45km southwest from Tamworth, you'll find this touching memorial to Australian rail-workers who've lost their lives on the job. Next door, in a beautifully-preserved station-house dating to 1885 (when the town was a major rail junction) you'll find a great volunteer-run railway museum.
The Australian Railway Monument and Rail Journeys Museum. On 1 October 2005 the Australian Railway Monument in Werris Creek (NSW) was opened by the NSW Minister for Transport (and on that day Acting Premier) Hon John Watkins as part of the celebrations of 150 years of rail in NSW.
The Rail Journeys Museum is housed in the Werris Creek Station Building, well-known in past years by travellers on the north and north western rail lines, as the Refreshment Room. The museum is staffed by many volunteers and tells the stories of railway workers in days long gone.
Explore the best train museums in the US! Discover a variety of interactive exhibits and activities that will take you on a journey through America's railway history.
Things to do in Werris Creek, NSW, include the Rail Journeys Museum and Australian Railway Monument. Werris Creek, NSW, is a railway junction town in the New England region. The Main North Line from Sydney passes through Werris Creek on the way to Tamworth and Armidale.
It houses the Werris Creek Rail Journeys Museum, which brings this town's railway past back to life. The stunning displays are a credit to the tireless volu... Read More >
The Australian Railway Monument was built as a tribute to the railway industry and its employees for their contribution to Australia`s development through rail.
Great Scenic Railway Journeys - your guide to railway adventures. Click on the map to visit our Railroad Information Page to learn about railroads featured in our TV Show. David and I hope you get a chance to visit some of the railroads and museums that we have featured in our programs.