Adelaide to Gawler - A Journey Through South Australian Rail History

Welcome back to Outdoorstype. Let's take a look at the line from Adelaide to Gawler. A railway line to Gawler was first surveyed from Port Adelaide in 1850 but eventually a line was authorised in 1854 from Adelaide to Gawler and completed in 1857.

The old dirt tracks to Adelaide and the port were terrible and so at the time, the railway significantly improved communication and the transport of goods and people between the city and the surrounding agricultural areas. Back then, the land around the line was open countryside dotted with small farms.

It’s not just South Australia’s first country railway, but one of Australia’s oldest railways, with one of Australia’s oldest surviving station buildings. This line has carried every kind of train on the South Australian Railways, but now only carries 4000 class electric railcars.

Let’s have a look at the map and some history, before we hit the road and go exploring.

Links to videos mentioned:

Dry Creek Explosives Tramway:    • Dry Creek Explosives Tramway  

Stockade Line:    • Dry Creek to Stockade Railway Line  

Penfield Line:    • The Penfield Railway Line - Part Two - The...  

Smithfield Munitions Line:    • Smithfield Munitions Line  

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Read the script and find out more: https://outdoorstype.com.au/adelaide-...

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IMAGES:

State Library of South Australia
Weston Langford Collection - https://www.westonlangford.com/
National Railway Museum Port Adelaide - https://nrm.org.au/
Salisbury and Districts Historical Society - https://www.salisburyhistory.com.au/
Playfords Past - https://playfordspast.recollect.net.au/
By Thebusofdoom - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
By Solarence - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...

REFERENCES:

‘Gawler 150 – Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Opening of the Adelaide to Gawler Railway’, 2007, Steve McNicol – Railmac Publications

Gawler History -
(https://gawlerhistory.com/index.php/G...)

More information on Bassett Town (where Gawler Railway Station is now) - (https://web.archive.org/web/201503300...)

MUSIC:

YouTube Music Library

AND:

Music: Distant Horizon by NCALIB
Stream: https://bit.ly/3IPDuFO

Acoustic Breeze
Music by Bensound
License code: RQMSSFPB9LZSNTDR
Artist: Benjamin Tissot

Slow Motion
Music by: bensound.com
License code: AGBIU5UEIRVUMNSW
Artist: Benjamin Tissot

Beyond the Line
Music by: https://www.bensound.com
Artist: Benjamin Tissot
License code: YJT3RAHMQEBO18KO