This is the 20th article in a series of columns written by Alan Henderson about Deniliquin district historical events and issues. Alan’s grandfather purchased ‘Warragoon’ on the Finley Road in 1912. Alan was born in the Deniliquin Hospital in 1944 but moved to Canberra in 1967. In retirement he has written a family history, Boots, Gold and Wool, and will share some of his research in this local history column.
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The convenience of the river crossing determined the location of Deniliquin, and the growth of population has been influenced by waves of closer agricultural settlement, the completion of the railway and the availability of water for irrigation.
Closer settlement and irrigation reflected government initiatives but the building of the railway from Echuca to Deniliquin was a private initiative.
There were a few early private railways built in the Australian colonies, but in contrast to the United States, railways were overwhelmingly government owned.
“Australia had nearly 4,000 miles (6,437km) of railway in the year 1881. [There] were at least fourteen distinct public railway systems, each running from a port to inland towns.” (Blainey, The Tyranny of Distance, 1969, page 244).
The explanation for the Echuca-Deniliquin line becoming a rare example of private investment is familiar: inter-colonial rivalry.
As G L Buxton observes in his study of The Riverina 1861-1891: “From the time that New South Wales had ignored the instruction that the Murrumbidgee was to be the inter-colonial boundary and had fixed it at the Murray – and the south bank at that- Victorian governments had cast covetous eyes at the Riverina. Its economic ties were with Melbourne, and Victorian governments said that they would continue tapping the area and if possible annex it.” (Page 160).
One early step to ‘tap’ the bounty of the western Riverina was to extend the Victorian railway from Bendigo to Echuca by September 1864.
Within a month, agitation for an extension of the line to Deniliquin commenced (Bushby, Saltbush Country, Chapter 35).
A committee was formed, a survey completed, and plans developed for a line extending well north of Deniliquin.
In 1866 the Murray and Darling Railway Association petitioned the NSW Parliament but to no avail.
The proposal was rejected in the Legislative Assembly by an overwhelming majority, with James Martin, the Premier and member for the electorate of Tumut, observing “that two drays a week would supply Deniliquin with all its requirements and that only a few townspeople who wanted to sell out were getting up the agitation.” (Bushby, page 381).
In 1872 the strategy changed with the election of Willam Hay, as the member for Murray.
Hay was a pastoralist of Boomanoomana, a property near Mulwala, and came under pressure from, among others, David G Jones - proprietor and editor of the Pastoral Times - finally declaring, “I shall support that Ministry which will do the best for this district. I have a price, and that price is your bridge and your railway.” (David Hay, The life and times of William Hay of Boomnoomana, 1816-1908, page 35).
Pastoralists became involved and on January 18, 1873 the Deniliquin and Moama Railway Company was formed with 21 local residents appointed as directors.
Notwithstanding backsliding by some pastoralists concerned that the railway would enable a flood of land selectors, in 1874, armed with a petition containing 1,134 signatures, William Hay secured support for legislation for a grant of land on which the Deniliquin and Moama Railway Company could construct a line to Deniliquin.
The former premier James Martin remained unhappy, claiming that the Bill “was cutting off a portion of our colony and making it part of Victoria.” (Hay, page 40).
The legislation required that the funds to construct the line be raised within a year, that is by March 1875.
Many of the pastoralist shareholders had recently expended funds securing title to valuable portions of their holdings at risk from selectors, and were not in a position to subscribe additional capital.
The appointment of a new board, including members from Melbourne, with the aim of raising capital in Melbourne also was unsuccessful.
Time was running out.
Jones, as the proprietor of the Pastoral Times and a director of the company, managed to convince the government to extend by three months the deadline to raise the necessary capital.
As well, Jones contacted and secured the interest of Jenkin Collier, a grazier and contractor.
This appears to have been a critical, albeit obvious step.
The firm Collier Barry, in conjunction with Simon Fraser, had successfully and profitably extended the Melbourne line from Bendigo to Echuca in 1864.
Simon Fraser, the grandfather of former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, was elected in 1874 to represent the seat of Rodney, which included Echuca, in the Victorian Legislative Assembly.
There was a new board of directors, comprising the previous joint venturers Collier, Barry, and Fraser, plus three others - John B Watson, Robert Burrows and William McCulloch.
Burrows - also a member of the Legislative Assembly - and Watson were both successful Bendigo mining entrepreneurs, especially Watson.
William McCullogh, based in Melbourne, operated an extensive transport enterprise, McCulloch & Company.
The company’s largest branch was at Echuca, managed by his younger brother, James McCulloch.
This was a board of directors with deep pockets, Watson being the largest shareholder, and Collier and Barry were experienced rail constructors.
The necessary funds were deposited with the Deniliquin branch of the Bank of NSW (now Westpac) by May 13 1875 (Hay, pages 59-60).
Construction commenced promptly.
There was a large gathering to witness the formal opening of the line by Willam Hay on July 4, 1876, which the Pastoral Times described as “a red letter day in the history of Deniliquin” (July 5 1876, page 2.)
Hay acknowledged, in particular, the efforts of David G Jones, and also the contributions of Collier, Barry, and McCulloch for the expeditious construction of the line.
Hay was the only representative of the NSW Parliament in attendance.
Again, as observed by the Pastoral Times “… there can be no doubt that the governing classes at Sydney have supplied us with an uncommon amount of cold shoulder”.
The Victorian government acquired the line from the Deniliquin and Moama Railway Company in October 1923.
• A detailed history of this railway, and others constructed in the region, is included in the book Railway Development in the South-West Riverina by Ian Lea, which is available from Deniliquin Newsagency and Bookstore.
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