Description

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This book is the sequel to Railways to the Riverina 1855–1886: Personalities, Policies and Resources, continuing the story of the expansion of the railway network across southern New South Wales. While the first volume traced the arrival of the main lines to Albury, Hay, Jerilderie and Gundagai, this book follows the next chapter: the era of pioneer, or developmental, railways.

Covering the period from 1890 to 1930, it explores how these branch lines, together with land reform and advances in technology, transformed the Riverina. By making wheat and other crops economically viable across much of the region, the railways played a central role in reshaping both the landscape and rural communities. The stories of the branches to Corowa, Holbrook, Tumbarumba, Westby, Tocumwal, Griffith, Oaklands and Kywong are all examined in detail.

The book also looks at the unsuccessful attempts to open up the drier western Riverina through proposed border railways. By the end of the 1980s, most of the region’s pioneer lines had closed, leaving behind quiet reminders of a remarkable period of agricultural expansion. Why did these once-vital railways disappear? Chapter Nine uncovers the answer.

Richly researched and engagingly told, this volume will appeal to anyone with an interest in New South Wales railway history, agricultural geography, or Australian history.

By Neville Pollard

224 pages, 195 colour and black and white photographs, Maps and track diagrams, published by the ARHS in 2026.