Tarago Railway Precinct

Item details


Name of item:	Tarago Railway Precinct
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Transport - Rail
Category:	Railway Platform/ Station
Primary address:	, Tarago, NSW 2580
Parish:	Mulwaree
County:	Argyle
Local govt. area:	Goulburn Mulwaree

Boundary:

The listing boundary is the area immediately around the station building and platform for a distance of approximately 10 metres and the property boundary of the residence.

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
	Tarago	Goulburn Mulwaree	Mulwaree	Argyle	Primary Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
TAHE - Country Rail Network (CRN)	State Government

Statement of significance:


	Tarago Railway Precinct is of state significance as a significant Victorian period railway precinct that retains several original or early items from the 1880s including the 1884 roadside station building and the c1884 goods shed. The site is significant to the local community for its lengthy association in providing an important source of employment, trade and social interaction for the local area. The extant railway buildings and structures form an important landmark for the small town at Tarago and are important elements within the wider townscape. The station building and goods shed are good representative examples of a series of similar items located on the Main Southern Line and on the Bombala Line. (SHI database number 4806298, SHR number 1262)
	Date significance updated: 19 Jun 09
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Builder/Maker:	G & C Horn
Construction years:	1884-1938
Physical description:	MAJOR STRUCTURES - Managed by RailCorpStation Building - type 4, standard roadside third class brick (1884)Platform Signal Box - type Q, non-elevated fibro (1938) MAJOR STRUCTURES - Items on the Country Regional Network managed by JHR as an agent for TfNSW: Goods Shed - type 3 (1884) STATION BUILDING (1884)The building is simply planned with central waiting room flanked by SM office and ticket office with parcels at one end of the building and ladies waiting at the other. The station buildings are constructed of brick with a painted finish and feature gabled roofs clad in corrugated iron with corbelled brick chimneys. The central building features a rear porch entry to the central room which is marked by a transverse gable. Gable ends feature decorative timber barge boards and timber finials. The platform verandah has a decorative timber valance and is supported on timber posts with curved iron brackets. Timber sash windows have moulded surrounds and sills. The brick platform also dates from 1884. The asphalt surface is modern.SIGNAL BOX (1938)The signal box is a simple square structure with a hipped roof clad in corrugated iron and timber framed walls clad in fibro.GOODS SHED (1884)The goods shed is a large rectangular structure with a gabled roof clad in corrugated iron extending to form awnings on either side of the building. The awnings are supported on timber brackets. The building is timber framed with corrugated iron wall cladding. A small weatherboard office wing is clad in weatherboard. The structure features a large timber platform and timber sliding doors with diagonal boarding.
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	Generally good condition.
	Date condition updated:26 Nov 09
Further information:	SHR Criteria a)[Historical significance] The site has historic significance through its ability to demonstrate the late 19th Century development of the NSW railways. The site includes several items dating from the opening of the line at Tarago in 1884 and demonstrates the layout of a late 19th Century railway precinct. SHR Criteria c)[Aesthetic significance] The site has aesthetic significance as a railway precinct that retains several original items that demonstrate railway design in the 1880s. The 1884 station building is a fine example of a Victorian third class roadside station building with fabric and fine detailing typical of the period. The railway buildings, structures and the site are important elements within the wider townscape of Tarago. The station building is identical to several other stations, including nearby Bungendore. Tarago's station contributes to the continuity of architectural style of railway station buildings. The station is an important landmark feature of this small town. SHR Criteria d)[Social significance] The site is of social significance to the local community on account of its lengthy association for providing an important source of employment, trade and social interaction for the local area. The site is significant for its ability to contribute to the local community’s sense of place, is a distinctive feature of the daily life of many community members, and provides a connection to the local community’s past. SHR Criteria g)[Representativeness] The station building has representative significance as a fine example of a third class, brick standard roadside station building, similar in design to station buildings at Bungendore, Michelago and other locations in NSW. The goods shed is also a good representative example of a standard late 19th century goods shed. The collection of buildings demonstrate widespread late 19th and early 20th Century railway customs, activities and design in NSW and are representative of similar items that are found at other railway sites across the state. Integrity/Intactness: The station group including the station building, platforms, goods shed and signal box have a high level of integrity.


Current use:	Railway Station
Former use:	Nil

History

Historical notes:

Tarago Station is located along the Bombala Line which opened as a single line from Joppa Junction to Tarago on 3 January 1884. The construction contract for the Joppa Junction to Bungendore section was awarded to W S Topham & J Angus (tramway contractors) on 3 October 1882 (Forsyth, 1991).The contract for construction of a station building, Station Master’s residence, and goods shed is recorded as being let to G & C Horn on 17 December 1883 and Tarago as being officially opened on 3 January 1884. The exact date that the station building and other original buildings were completed is unclear, but it is likely that it was much later than the official opening of January 1884. Either that or the construction of the station buildings began earlier than December 1883. The 83.8 metre long platform, station building, goods shed, and sidings were constructed on the Down (east) side, with the trucking yards situated on the Up side (Forsyth, 1991).The building at Tarago is a five room example of a standard roadside station. This size of structure was allocated usually to urban areas with excess of 3,000 residents. The Tarago building, as well as those at Bungendore and Queanbeyan, reflect either large urban populations or, more likely, very powerful or influential residents in the region exercising strong political pressure on governments.Major additions and changes at Tarago included alterations to the loop siding for conversion to a siding to service cattle yards (1891), provision of a cart weighbridge (1893), postal services accommodation constructed (1899), erection of a gantry crane and platform asphalt (1902), conversion of the stockyard siding into a loop (1911), improvements to stockyards (1914), additional siding accommodation at stockyards (1920), rest house transferred from Dunedoo re-erected at Tarago, kitchen and toilet added (1925), trucking yards modified (1940), and the stockyards removed in 1989 (Forsyth, 1991; Forsyth, 2008). Tarago was closed to goods traffic in c1989 but remains a stopover for passenger trains on the Canberra to Sydney XPT service. The station buildings have since undergone some minor repair and conservation works (c1994).The Station Master’s residence is still extant to the north of the station, but is privately owned.

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	The site has historic significance through its ability to demonstrate the late 19th Century development of the NSW railways. The site includes several items dating from the opening of the line at Tarago in 1884 and demonstrates the layout of a late 19th Century railway precinct.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	The site has aesthetic significance as a railway precinct that retains several original items that demonstrate railway design in the 1880s. The 1884 station building is a fine example of a Victorian third class roadside station building with fabric and fine detailing typical of the period. The railway buildings, structures and the site are important elements within the wider townscape of Tarago.
SHR Criteria d) [Social significance]	The site is of social significance to the local community on account of its lengthy association for providing an important source of employment, trade and social interaction for the local area. The site is significant for its ability to contribute to the local community’s sense of place, is a distinctive feature of the daily life of many community members, and provides a connection to the local community’s past.
SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness]	The station building has representative significance as a fine example of a third class, brick standard roadside station building, similar in design to station buildings at Bungendore, Michelago and other locations in NSW. The goods shed is also a good representative example of a standard late 19th century goods shed. The collection of buildings demonstrate widespread late 19th and early 20th Century railway customs, activities and design in NSW and are representative of similar items that are found at other railway sites across the state.
Integrity/Intactness:	The station group including the station building, platforms, goods shed and signal box have a high level of integrity.
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Heritage Act - s.170 NSW State agency heritage register

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written	J.H. Forsyth	1991	Stations and tracks: Southern branch lines: V3A
Written	Sheedy, D.	1996	Repair report on Tarago station building

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

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Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	State Government
Database number:	3150047

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