Border Loop railway formation and landscape

Item details


Name of item:	Border Loop railway formation and landscape
Other name/s:	Cougal To Border Loop, Railway Spiral and Landscape
Type of item:	Landscape
Group/Collection:	Landscape - Cultural
Category:	Historic Landscape
Location:	Lat: -28.3529558795 Long: 152.9621466460
Primary address:	871.00 (kms) Border Loop, North Coast Railway, Cougal, NSW 2474
Local govt. area:	Kyogle
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Gugin Gudduba

Boundary:

The listing boundary is within the rail property boundaries along the tracks including structures, foundations, formation, etc commencing to the south at the approximate rail distance of 871km from Sydney, and to NSW/QLD border to the north.

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
871.00 (kms) Border Loop, North Coast Railway	Cougal	Kyogle			Primary Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
TAHE - Sydney Trains	State Government	21 Oct 98

Statement of significance:


	The Cougal to Border Loop section of the North Coast Line is a notable engineering achievement, revealing a twentieth century engineering solution that allows trains to pass through the steep topography at the NSW/Queensland border.
	Date significance updated: 19 Jul 13
	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


Construction years:	1930-1930
Physical description:	The Cougal Railway Spiral and Landscape consists of the following elements: underbridge - steel RSJ on concrete piers, 873.217km (Note: the bridge at 869.4km crosses O'Gradys Creek; the bridge at 873.217km comprising 5 x 20.12m steel spans and forms part of the spiral is the correct bridge) tunnel - concrete 871.947 to 872.139km, 192m tunnel - concrete 872.661 to 872.838km, 177m crossing loop - Border Loop 875.110km, no longer extant tunnel on border with Queensland 875.482 to 876.642km, 1160m The spiral is formed by the whole section of line from Cougal to the Border loop.


Current use:	Elevates the Sydney-Brisbane railway to a higher level by a loop
Former use:	Nil

History


Historical notes:	The Border Loop opened on 29 August 1930, connecting NSW and Queensland by rail via Richmond Gap.

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Transport-Activities associated with the moving of people and goods from one place to another, and systems for the provision of such movements	(none)-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	The completion of the Cougal to Border Loop section of the North Coast Railway was a major engineering feat in the first half of the twentieth century, being one of several major engineering projects in NSW that allowed continuous railway access between Sydney and Brisbane.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	The combination of tunnels, crossing loops, the underbridge and spiral together form a technically significant example of an innovative and successful railway engineering solution.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	The railway spiral at Border Loop is one of only two railway spirals in NSW.
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.

Procedures /Exemptions

Section of act	Description	Title	Comments	Action date
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Standard Exemptions	ORDER UNDER SECTION 57(2) OF THE HERITAGE ACT 1977 Standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977. I, the Hon James Griffin MP, Minister for Environment and Heritage, pursuant to subsection 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977, on the recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales do by this Order, effective at the time of publication in the New South Wales Government Gazette: 1. revoke the order made on 9 November 2020 and published in the Government Gazette Number 318 of 13 November 2020; and 2. grant the exemptions from subsection 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977 that are described in the attached Schedule. The Hon James Griffin MP Minister for Environment and Heritage Signed this 2nd day of June 2022. To view the standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977 click on the link below.	Jun 17 2022

Standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Heritage Act - State Heritage Register		01027	02 Apr 99	27	1546
Heritage Act - s.170 NSW State agency heritage register

References, internet links & images

None

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:	Heritage NSW
Database number:	5011937

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