Cobar Railway Station and yard

Item details


Name of item:	Cobar Railway Station and yard
Type of item:	Complex / Group
Group/Collection:	Transport - Rail
Category:	Railway Platform/ Station
Location:	Lat: -31.492129 Long: 145.839341
Primary address:	Nyngan-Cobar railway, Cobar, NSW 2835
Local govt. area:	Cobar
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Cobar

Boundary:

The listing boundary is formed by the property boundary on either side of the platform and a line crossing the tracks 50 metres to either end of the platform.

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Type
Nyngan-Cobar railway	Cobar	Cobar	Primary Address
Railway Parade South	Cobar	Cobar	Alternate Address
Railway Parade North	Cobar	Cobar	Alternate Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
TAHE - Sydney Trains	State Government	22 Oct 98

Statement of significance:


	Cobar station is an excellent station building from the peak period of railway construction at a remote location at the end of a branch line built to serve the mining activity in the area, a role still played today. The building represents the finest construction and detailing and is in excellent original condition. It is an important civic building in Cobar and an important element of the States railway history.
	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:	1892-
Physical description:	BUILDINGS station building - type 4, standard roadside third class brick with brackets,1892 , LEP barracks STRUCTURES platform face - timber loading bank Extant items include the type 4, standard roadside, third class brick station building (1892), barracks, timber platform face, loading bank and turntable.Cobar Railway Station Building:Form 1 building identified by GML. Painted brick building with corrugated iron clad gable roof. Decorative timber barge boards, pendants and finials, vents under eaves at gable ends and two brick chimneys. Concrete detailing (lintels, sills and plinth). Matching transverse gable pavilions to either side. East pavilion has ventilation lantern, finials, two windows platform side and road side, three terracotta chimney pots, and is connected to main structure by matching painted brick structure with corrugated iron hipped roof and three windows facing platform. West pavilion is further away, has two windows to platform side and roadside and single brick chimney. Corrugated iron concave verandah to road side with cast iron decorative lacework, brackets, valance and Corinthian metal posts. Corrugated iron projecting awning to platform supported by large curved wall mounted decorative metal brackets. No valance or posts. Timber-framed sash windows. Timber platform face with asphalt surface (GML, 2016).


Current use:	Railway Station and yard
Former use:	Aboriginal land

History

Historical notes:

Cobar's earliest development as a mining town can be traced to the 1870s, with the opening of the Great Cobar Mine in 1871. A post office opened at Cobar in 1873 and a school in 1878. In 1876, two mines were amalgamated under the name 'Great Cobar' and the township of Cobar developed near the mine (Forsyth, 1985; SRA, 1993).

High freight costs and the cost of carting wood were a problem before the arrival of the railway in Cobar with ore parcels taken by bullock train to Louth on the Darling River and transported by river boat to South Australia. Once the local supply of timber had been exhausted, a narrow gauge steam railway was used for some years to transport timber to Cobar (Forsyth, 1985).The earliest lobbying for a railway to Cobar is thought to have been a petition from local residents for a railway from Nyngan to Cobar. The petition was sent to the NSW Parliament on August 27, 1884 for construction of a railway from Nyngan to Wilcannia via Cobar (Forsyth, 1985).

After various deputations to the NSW Government, construction of the line was approved by the Legislative Council on October 8, 1886 and assented by the Governor on November 11, 1886. Tenders for construction of the line were held up in 1887 due to a discrepancy between the estimate prepared by locals of earnings from the railway and the calculations of the Railways. To further complicate matters, Nyngan residents forwarded a petition to the Government, opposing the proposed line to Cobar. In February 1889, the Secretary for Public Works asked the Engineer-in-Chief of the Railways for his opinion, with the reply that the Cobar route should go ahead (Forsyth, 1985).

By the late 1880s the Public Works Act had come into force, requiring that all major government works estimated to cost over a certain amount would have to be submitted to a special committee. Work on the proposed Cobar line went before a committee, with the committee ultimately advising that the proposed railway from Nyngan to Cobar go ahead. In 1890, a contract for construction of a railway from Nyngan to Cobar was let to Messrs Smith and Finlayson and on July 1, 1892 the line opened (Forsyth, 1985).

An additional 11km line opened in January 1918, enabling the mining company to lower freight costs between Cobar and the CSA mine. The additional track was closed in 1937 but reopened in 1963 (Forsyth, 1985)
References:Forsyth, J.H., Historical notes on railway lines: volume 2 (State Rail Authority of NSW Archives, 1985).State Rail Authority of NSW Archives, How and why of station names (SRA, 1993).

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Other open space-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Changing the environment-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Landscapes of institutions - productive and ornamental-
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	Building the railway network-
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	Railway Station-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Building settlements, towns and cities-National Theme 4
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Administering and alienating Crown lands-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Impacts of railways on rural development-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Impacts of railways on urban form-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	20th Century infrastructure-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	19th Century Infrastructure-
5. Working-Working	Labour-Activities associated with work practises and organised and unorganised labour	Railway work culture-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	State government-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Developing roles for government - building and administering rail networks-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Public works-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	This item is assessed as historically rare. This item is assessed as arch. rare. This item is assessed as socially rare.
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		01114	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:	5011972
File number:	EF14/4565

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