Bukalong Railway Stockyard

Item details


Name of item:	Bukalong Railway Stockyard
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Transport - Rail
Category:	Other - Transport - Rail
Primary address:	, Rail Location: Bombala Branch Line (519.520 Kms), NSW 0
Parish:	Pickering
County:	Wellesley
Local govt. area:	Snowy Monaro Regional

Boundary:

Includes the entire stockyard and a distance of five metres from the perimeter of the stockyard on all sides but not including the adjacent gravel road. Note: the listing boundary may be adjusted later to include the adjacent railway precinct including the station building, platform, and loading bank.

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
	Rail Location: Bombala Branch Line (519.520 Kms)	Snowy Monaro Regional	Pickering	Wellesley	Primary Address

Owner/s

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

Statement of significance:


	The stockyard at Bukalong is a highly intact railway stockyard primarily of timber construction and located in a significant rural landscape. The Bukalong stockyard is one of few extant railway stockyards with ‘side gates’ or refuges that were provided to allow access for handlers. It is probably the best example of a railway stockyard with extensive use of refuges for stock handlers. The stockyard is highly intact, accessible and an evocative reminder of former railway practices in NSW, namely the transportation of livestock by rail from the late 19th century until the late 20th century. The stockyard at Bukalong is the most southerly railway stockyard extant in NSW. It is located in relatively close proximity to stockyards at Jincumbilly and Nimmitabel, making it possible to visit and compare a ‘group’ of stockyards constructed in the early 20th century and located in relatively close proximity but that display variations in design, setting and use of materials.
	Date significance updated: 13 Jul 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


Physical description:	The Bukalong railway stockyard is a timber structure with metal gates. It includes both timber posts and rails, with five rails on most fences (mainly perimeter fences), and features several narrow refuges to allow access for stock handlers. The stockyard includes a trucking race, unloading bank and platform, and both an upper sheep race and a combined cattle and sheep race, both facing the track. There is a large open pen on the southern side. The stockyard is highly accessible and legible with access available from all sides.
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	Sound: some minor decay evident, including loose timber rails, but the stockyard is in generally sound condition. Decayed/missing rails have been covered using makeshift repairs such as the use of temporary metal gates.
	Date condition updated:13 Jul 09
Modifications and dates:	Some internal fences or gates may have been removed or altered. The trucking race was probably a later addition.
Further information:	The stockyard at Bukalong is one of four intact railway stockyards extant on the Bombala line between Goulburn and Bombala, including stockyards at Bungendore, Nimmitabel and Jincumbilly, and stock races/remains of the former stockyard at Chakola.Note: the stockyard is located adjacent to a small waiting room/station building, platform and loading bank. The station building, platform and loading bank are yet to be assessed and may be incorporated later within a wider precint that includes the stockyard.


Current use:	Not used
Former use:	Railway stockyard used to load or unload sheep and cattle to or from wagons

History

Historical notes:

Extension of the last section of the Cooma branch line (from Nimmitabel to Bombala) was authorised in 1912 with work commencing in 1913. The section of track from Nimmitabel to Bombala was opened for goods train traffic on 1 November 1920 but the operational life of the line was to be short lived with passenger services ceasing in the mid 1970s and goods traffic ending in 1986. Nimmitabel was closed as a staffed station on 19 April 1977 (Forsyth, 1989; SRA, 1993).The transportation of livestock by rail was a significant feature of railway operations in NSW from the late 19th century until the late 20th century. Before road transportation of livestock superseded rail, railway stockyards were widespread throughout NSW. The majority of stockyards were for sheep and cattle but in some locations pigs and horses were also transported by rail (Longworth 1996, Ward 2006).The number of locations set up to handle livestock in NSW increased rapidly in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century but it wasn’t until the middle of the twentieth century that the extent of railway stockyards in the state reached its peak. Sheep and/or cattle races were provided at 584 locations by January 1935 and this number had increased to 594 by October 1947 (Longworth, 1996).Several factors are thought to have contributed to the demise of the transportation of livestock by rail. These include the closure of abattoirs in large metropolitan areas, changes in the pattern of meat slaughtering, improved country roads and increased road transportation of livestock (Longworth, 1996). In NSW, rail transportation of livestock had all but ended in the late 1980s, with transportation of livestock limited to a few railway stock corridors between Queensland and the north coast of NSW to southern NSW and Victoria. The last stock train in NSW is thought to have run on 24 September 1990 (Longworth, 1996).The Nimmitabel stockyard was probably constructed in the 1920s and most likely at the same time as the opening of the railway station at Bukalong in 1921.References:Forsyth, J.H., Stations and tracks: V3A: southern branch lines (SRA NSW Archives, 1991).Longworth, J., Stock yards of the N.S.W. Government Railways (SRA NSW, 1996).State Rail Authority of NSW Archives Section, How and why of station names (SRA NSW Archives, 1993).Ward, D., Heritage study: Railway stockyards in NSW (ARTC, 2009).

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	Longworth, J.	1996	Stock yards of the N.S.W. Government Railways
Written	Ward, David	2009	Heritage study: railway stockyards in New South Wales

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

(Click on thumbnail for full size image and image details)

Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	State Government
Database number:	3150131

Every effort has been made to ensure that information contained in the State Heritage Inventory is correct. If you find any errors or omissions please send your comments to the Database Manager.

All information and pictures on this page are the copyright of Heritage NSW or respective copyright owners.