There’s a reason Queanbeyan’s railway station looks as though someone spent a bit extra on it. They did.
When the railway arrived on 8 September 1887, NSW was trying to save money by building stations from timber and iron. Queanbeyan received a brick building instead. Heritage NSW records it as one of just ten brick stations built between 1887 and 1892, while 121 others followed the cheaper policy.
Its location tells another story. Oaks Paddock, about two kilometres from the town centre, was chosen to avoid demolishing the hospital and cemetery.
This was a substantial regional town making its own mark, well before Canberra became the national capital. The station’s waiting rooms, parcels office and refreshment facilities give a sense of how much everyday life once passed through the place.
Did you catch trains from Queanbeyan, work there, or go to meet someone arriving? What do you remember about the station?
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