Bungendore Railway Station and yard group

Item details


Name of item:	Bungendore Railway Station and yard group
Type of item:	Complex / Group
Group/Collection:	Transport - Rail
Category:	Railway Platform/ Station
Location:	Lat: -35.2539623390 Long: 149.4467502400
Primary address:	Gibraltar Street, Bungendore, NSW 2621
Local govt. area:	Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Ngambri

Property description

Lot/Volume Code	Lot/Volume Number	Section Number	Plan/Folio Code	Plan/Folio Number
LOT	2		DP	814518
LOT	4		DP	830878

Boundary:

The listing boundary is the alignment of the rail property boundaries to the east at Powell St and to the west at Majara St and on the north is the extension of Turallo Terrace (where it formerly crossed the line) including the gatekeepers cottage and on the south is a line crossing the tracks approximately 30m on the southern side of the goods shed group.

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Type
Gibraltar Street	Bungendore	Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional	Primary Address
Majara Street	Bungendore	Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional	Alternate Address
Powell Street	Bungendore	Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional	Alternate Address
Goulburn-Bombala railway	Bungendore	Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional	Alternate Address

Owner/s

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

Statement of significance:


	Bungendore Railway Precinct comprises a state significant late nineteenth century railway station and partly intact yard, including the 1885 roadside station building, the 1885 goods shed and jib crane. The extant railway buildings and structures at Bungendore, particularly the station building and goods shed, are important elements within the wider townscape of Bungendore and are good representative examples of a series of similar items located on the Main Southern Line and the Bombala Line..
	Date significance updated: 18 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


Designer/Maker:	John Whitton (attributed)
Builder/Maker:	J.Jordan
Construction years:	1884-1917
Physical description:	MAJOR SRUCTURES - Managed by RailCorp Station Building - type 4, standard roadside third class brick (1885) Signal Box - type G, timber signal box with skillion roof (1917) Platform OTHER ITEMS - Managed by ARTC Goods Shed - type 3, corrugated iron (1884) Per Way Trolley Shed - corrugated iron 5 tonne metal Jib Crane (T431) STATION BUILDING (1885) The station buildings present as a symmetrical layout and elevation, with a central waiting room with two single storey structures to either side, one containing men’s and women’s toilets, the other the lamp room. Originally these were connected to the main building with small pavilions with yards for staff use, now removed. The building is simply planned with central waiting room flanked by the SM's office and ticket office with parcels at one end of the building and ladies waiting room 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. SIGNAL BOX (1917) The signal box is a simple square structure with a skillion roof clad in corrugated iron and timber framed walls clad in fibro. Some signalling equipment is still evident. 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 office wing is clad in weatherboard. The structure features a large timber platform and timber sliding doors with diagonal boarding. The goods shed features a metal fence, advertising signs, sign with distances to Queanbeyan and Goulburn on exterior wall of office, two doors to each side of goods shed and standard horizontal timber bracing. PLATFORM Brick platform face with asphalt platform surface.
	Date condition updated:18 Jul 13


Current use:	Railway Station and Yard
Former use:	Nil

History

Historical notes:

Bungendore Station is located on the Bombala Line which opened as a single line from Tarago to Bungendore on 4 March 1885 and later continued to Cooma and to its terminus at Bomabala. 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, 2009).

Construction of the station building, Station Master’s residence, goods shed, and Gatekeeper’s residences was let to a J. Jordan on 6 September 1884. The station building was officially opened on 4 March 1885 and it is likely that the goods shed, a Gatekeeper’s residence, and a Station Master’s residence were all completed around the same time (c1885) (Forsyth, 2009).

The station building at Bungendore is a five room example of Engineer-in-Chield of the NSW Railways, John Whitton's standard roadside third class station. Station buildings of this size were usually allocated to urban areas in excess of 3,000 residents. The Bungendore building, as well as those at Tarago and Queanbeyan, reflect either a large urban population or, more likely, very powerful or influential residents exercising strong political pressure on the NSW government.

Major additions and changes to the railway precinct/yard at Bungendore included the installation of a 12 ton cart weighbridge (1891, removed at an unknown date), carriage shelter shed/engine shed (1902, relocated to Coffs Harbour in 1918), and loading bank (1909). The station yard was interlocked in April 1917. The nearby stockyards were constructed in 1887, modified in 1913 and ceased to be used in 1989 (Forsyth, 2009).

The southern fork of the triangle at Bungendore, as part of the line to Captains Flat, was removed in 1972 and the precinct ceased to be used for goods traffic in 1989; however Bungendore remains an operational passenger station for Countrylink services between Sydney and Canberra (Forsyth, 2009; SRA, 1993).

A Station Master’s residence and Gatekeeper’s residence are still extant to the north of the station building, but are no longer in railway ownership.

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 place demonstrates late 19th century practices and designs implemented by the NSW railways. The place includes several structures dating from the opening of the line at Bungendore in 1885 and demonstrates the layout of a typical late 19th century railway station and yard.
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 1885 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 and structures at Bungendore are important elements within the wider townscape of Bungendore.
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 Tarago, Michelago and other locations in NSW. The goods shed is also a good representative example of a standard late 19th century goods shed with extended platform and an attached jib crane. The collection of buildings at Bungendore demonstrates widespread late 19th and early 20th century railway customs, activities and design in NSW and are representative of similar items that are found in many other railway precincts across the state.
Integrity/Intactness:	The station group including the station buildings, platforms, goods shed, per way trolley shed, jib crane 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.

Recommended management:

Recommendations

Management Category	Description	Date Updated
Recommended Management	Produce a Conservation Management Plan (CMP)
Recommended Management	Prepare a maintenance schedule or guidelines
Recommended Management	Carry out interpretation, promotion and/or education

Procedures /Exemptions

Section of act	Description	Title	Comments	Action date
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Standard Exemptions	HERITAGE ACT 1977 ORDER UNDER SECTION 57(2) TO GRANT STANDARD EXEMPTIONS FROM APPROVAL I, Penny Sharpe, the Minister for Heritage, on the recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales and under section 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977: revoke the order made on 2 June 2022 and published in the Government Gazette Number 262 of 17 June 2022; and grant an exemption from section 57(1) of the Act in respect of the engaging in or carrying out the class of activities described in clause 2 Schedule A in such circumstances specified by the relevant standards in clause 2 Schedule A and General Conditions in clause 3 Schedule A. This Order takes effect on the date it is published in the NSW Government Gazette. Dated this 29th day of October 2025 The Hon Penny Sharpe MLC Minister for Heritage For more information on standard exemptions click on the link below.	Nov 7 2025

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		01105	02 Apr 99	27	1546
Heritage Act - s.170 NSW State agency heritage register

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written	Office of Rail Heritage	2012	Railway garden and landscape conservation guide

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:	Heritage NSW
Database number:	5011959
File number:	EF11/12909

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