The train doesn’t stop in Deepwater anymore. The tracks yawn emptily to the north and south, and standing on the platform, you might feel the possibility of boarding for a destination, but it’s been a few decades since passengers travelled on those tracks.
Deepwater Railway Historical Society president Chris McIntosh said the last train rolled on the line about 1989, but the station had closed before then.
A recent spate of vandalism caused the Deepwater community to take stock and reconsider how they might bring this 1888 Deepwater landmark back into use.
“We had some windows broken. People got in and spray-painted on a wall. I think there might have been someone squatting in this end room,” Chris said.
“And so around that time, some people started thinking, ‘Well, we should try and do something. We should try and get back in there and be actually using the building,’ because we all knew it had been used in the past.”
With their aim in view, the Deepwater Progress Association created the Railway Historical Society as a subcommittee of 10 members, dedicated to bringing the station back to life.
The building wasn’t completely vacant since it stopped servicing the railway. Over the years, local groups utilised the space, and the remains of a Deepwater Art and Pottery Group kiln can be found inside the building.
It was briefly home to the local community radio station, and the tower, now broadcasting from Glen Innes, still stands alongside the tracks today.
Chris said the society is working alongside Glen Innes Severn Shire Council to secure access to the building and launch some new activities and options to use the building and keep it in good repair and add the space as a creative and community asset for Deepwater.
“Our intent is to reopen the building and parts of the site for the benefit of the local community. We’ve got a lot of ideas of things we can do here, including some historical displays, regular markets, people have mentioned venue hire for functions, weddings, somebody’s keen to host murder mystery nights here,” Chris said.
“There’s a lot of things we think we can do here.”
The station building dates from 1888. Despite its age, it was stoutly built with bonded brick and shows little wear and tear from the thousands of trains that rumbled past over a century, including the war years when the line shuttled Australian and American troops on the rails. Chris said the building has been vacant for close to 20 years, but it’s structurally still fairly sound.
“There’s just a little bit of rot in the some of the timber trim. We’re not aware of any leaks in the roof, or anything serious like that. Inside needs a little bit of cleaning up. A little work.”
The station is currently leased by Council from UGL Regional Link, a national group which manages over 1200 properties, including 356 heritage-listed sites.
Glen Innes Severn Council acting general manager Keith Appleby said council is currently requesting a new lease from UGL which will allow usage by the Deepwater residents. The current lease only allows for the radio station mast.
“Council is liaising with UGL to determine what is required to allow the community group to deliver its planned services,” Keith explained.
“This process can be somewhat complicated, and UGL are requesting various actions from council. Some of the requested actions will have a cost attached and council is currently clarifying the requirements to ensure costs are not excessive.”
Once secured, council will continue to hold the lease, and sub-let the railway station and grounds to the community. Keith said this was in everybody’s best interest.
“Council is very keen to see the building well utilised for multiple reasons including protecting the structure from vandalism, improving the level of maintenance, and generally improving the amenity of the area,” he said.
“The use of the space will also provide for an increased sense of community and social cohesion.”
Chris said another idea pitched for the station is a community repair station where people can drop in items or appliances to be mended by Deepwater residents with the requisite skills. They are just waiting on the lease amendment.
“At that point, we’ll be able to get in, clean the place up a bit, do a little maintenance jobs,” Chris explained.
“And then once we have a better idea of the state of the place, we’ll have a clearer picture of what we’ll be able to do here in the time frames.”
His own family has deep roots in the Deepwater district, stretching back several generations, Upon consideration, Chris said this project, to maintain this piece of the community’s heritage, was significant.
“I have an interest in history,” he said.
“I think there’s a lot of things that we should preserve for future generations, and we’ll be able to look back on and learn from.”
The Deepwater Railway Historical Society has a Facebook page. You can follow the progress of the project and find photos at https://www.facebook.com/DeepwaterRailwayStation.
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