Anniversary Trail - East Kew Section - former Outer Circle Railway

Goods train near East Kew siding, c1930

Near Bourke Rd access point

Bridge at Harp Village, at the Wood Depot

Looking east from Normanby Rd crosssing,
site of former East Kew siding.

These pix were taken on Tuesday October 25, 2011.

They show the East Kew section of the Anniversary Trail, which follows the alignment of the former Outer Circle Railway.

My 4 km (return) exploration started at the trail crossing at Bourke Rd, passing the sites of the former East Kew Siding and East Kew station, then to the site of the former East Kew Goods Yard at the Harp Village.

Between 1923 and 1946, steam goods trains ran from East Camberwell Station to the East Kew Goods Yard, carrying coal and wood for residential consumption.

The goods yard is now a Wood Depot.

East Kew station was located to the west of Normanby Rd. The East Kew Siding was sited to the east of Normanby Rd.

The Outer Circle Railway system brought the government-owned Gippsland line from Sale into the city from its terminus at Oakleigh, without using the privately owned tracks to Flinders Street Station.

The Victorian Railways built a line north from Oakleigh in a circle through Camberwell and Kew and over the Yarra River at Fairfield, to join the government line at Fulham Grange.

It began life in 1890 as a 12-mile (19 km) cross-country link with few passengers and little freight. In 1893 the Fulham Grange (Fairfield) to Deepdene section closed. By 1897 the entire Outer Circle Line had been closed. It came to life again when the Ashburton to Camberwell section reopened on 4 July 1898.

In 1900 the line from Deepdene to the new station at East Camberwell also reopened, with a train known as the Deepdene Dasher. The Camberwell to Ashburton section was electrified and became part of the Melbourne electric suburban network in 1924, with an extension to Alamein. The Deepdene section was not electrified and the Dasher made its last run in 1926.

By the 1990s most of the land once occupied by the Outer Circle Railway had become a linear park. The bridge over the Yarra had long been converted to a road bridge, as part of the Chandler Highway.

See all of the Photos of my visit!

See my earlier Worldisround article about the Shenley Section of the Trail, at http://www.worldisround.com/articles/368166/index.html

The Anniversary Trail - Shenley Section - former Outer Circle Railway

Site of former Roystead station, Mont Albert Rd bridge

Near the Ruben's Rd bridge

1943 pic - goods train at Shenley station,
Canterbury Rd bridge in distance

Canterbury Rd bridge

Shenley Station site,  preserved platform section at left

Action on the Trail!

These pix were taken on Sunday October 23, 2011, on the Shenley Section of the Anniversary Trail, Canterbury, about 12 km east of central Melbourne.

The trail follows the alignment of the former Outer Circle Railway for 19 km, between Fairfield and Hughesdale. It's shared-use by walkers, cyclists, and joggers, and was constructed as a joint venture between Parks Victoria and the Booroondare Shire.

It was so-named to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the building of the railway.

The Outer Circle Railway system brought the Government-owned Gippsland line from Sale into the city from its terminus at Oakleigh, without using the privately owned tracks to Flinders Street Station.

The Victorian Railways built a line north from Oakleigh in a circle through Camberwell and Kew and over the Yarra River at Fairfield, to join the government line at Fulham Grange. It began life in 1890 as a 12-mile (19 km) cross-country link with few passengers and little freight.

In 1893 the Fulham Grange (Fairfield) to Deepdene section closed. By 1897 the entire Outer Circle Line had been closed. It came to life again when the Ashburton to Camberwell section reopened on 4 July 1898.

In 1900 the line from Deepdene to the new station at East Camberwell also reopened, with a train known as the Deepdene Dasher. The Camberwell to Ashburton section was electrified and became part of the Melbourne electric suburban network in 1924, with an extension to Alamein. The Deepdene section was not electrified and the Dasher made its last run in 1926.

By the 1990s most of the land once occupied by the Outer Circle Railway had become a linear park. The bridge over the Yarra had long been converted to a road bridge, as part of the Chandler Highway.

My exploration of this part of the Trail was from a starting point at the site of the former Shenley station, next to Canterbury Rd, with a turnabout at Abercrombie Rd.

At the Shenley station site, a section of the original platform has been preserved, bordering the small sports field and tennis courts.

See all of the Photos of this visit!

Historic Como Gardens, open weekend, The Basin

These pix were taken on Sunday October 16, 2011, at the beautiful historic Como Garden, The Basin, in the foothills of Mt Dandenong, 35 km east of centeral Melbourne.

The Garden, of six acres, was established in 1873 and has uncommon and rare plants collected over many years. The garden boasts a fine Motor Museum which features many veteran and vintage cars some of these include an 1896 Benz which is one of the first ever production cars, a 1927 Grand Prix Bugatti Type 35c which is still raced today, pride of the fleet is a 1936 Mercedes Benz 540k and a 1924 Vauxhall one of the first production cars to reach a speed over 100mph.

The open garden weekend, sponsored by "Eastern 98.1 FM Radio" and "Seasol" featured steam train rides along the miniature 650 m track, live music, Rainy Day Books stall, devonshire teas and sausage sizzle, remote controlled model boats on the lake, horticultural ferns and orchids sale and children's entertainment consisting of fairy tree, face painting, a ventriloquist and a puppeteer.

A creek runs through the Gardens, and there is an interesting 2 km Rain Forest Walk along the Creek valley, passing through a mysterious jungle.

Wetlands are next to the Lake, and there is an old windmill

The Historical Marker and big ancient Oak Tree are at the western end of the Gardens.

There are wide grassed walking tracks throughout the Gardens, laid out in a grid formation, and signs identify the many varieties of shrubs, trees, and flowers.

There is a small zoo, displaying various ducks, geese, and fowls!

Visit the Como Gardens website for further information:

http://www.comogardens.com.au/

The Open Weekend is run by volunteers, with an admission charge of $7.50 per person - it only occurs twice a year - the next is planned for April 2012.

See all of the Photos of my visit!

Exploring the Olinda Creek Region - a new track discovered!

These pix were taken on October 13, 2011, in the Dandenong Ranges National Park, 40 km east of Melbourne.

They show the scenery, fauna, and environment on a 4 km hike in the Olinda Creek Region.

My route started at the gate on Management Road 11, on the Olinda Creek Rd. I followed this Road, crossing the Olinda Creek, passing the derelict farmhouse owned by Parks Vic, then up the steep hill at the back of the former orchard.

This was a 130 m change in altitude.

Returning to the bottom, I took a side track north into the forest, crossing a quaint, rustic, footbridge over the Creek, then continuing on to a different creek, which does not appear to have a name! At this creek, which joined the Olinda Creek nearby, the track continued over a further crossing (boards) which I didn't explore and will keep that until a later exepdition!

Next to the creek, some enterprising souls had set up a picnic area, with a wooden table, seats, and an old gas-operated barbecue. This was next to a modern small water tank, which I believe may be used for fire control purposes.

Near the little bridge, a secondary track went westerly, adjacent to the no-name creek, in a large cleared paddock.

Decades ago, the Olinda Creek was diverted near the old farmhouse, leading to Stewart's Weir and Emergency Pumping Station on Olinda Creek Rd. The diversion runs through a brck-walled channel - the old creekline can be seen nearby.

See all of the Photos of this trip!

Olinda Forest hike, George's Track

These pix were taken on October 2, 2011, in the Olinda Forest, 40 km east of central Melbourne.

They show the scenery, fauna and environment along George's Track.

My 4 km return hike started at the gate on the the Olinda Creek Rd, then along George's Track to its junction with Hermon's Track, my turnabout point.

The Lyrebird Creek was crossed near Hermon's Track.

See all of the Photos of my trip!

Koornong Bushland Hike, Warrandyte State Park

The Koonong Section of the Warrandyte State Park is a 10 ha area of preserved bushland, adjacent to the Yarra River, in a former logging region, about 25 km east of the Melbourne CBD.

A special free school operated in the area between 1939 and 1948, and the land was originally owned by the Frencham Family.

I visited Koorong on Tuesday afternoon October 4, 2011, for a 4 km hike.

My walk started at a gated fire management track off a small car park at Koornong Crescent - there is a swimming area here and a canoe launching beach.

I followed the fire track along the cliff top, overlooking the gorge, until it made a sharp left hand turn. At this point, an unsigned foot-track was followed for about 100 m to a view point overlooking the river, at the confluence of the Pigeon Bank Creek.

Directly opposite is Blue Tongue Point - the Yarra here is known as Blue Tongue Bend, as it makes a big sweeping turn.

There were excellent views of the Yarra from the cliff top - on the opposite bank could be seen the main walking track leading to Blue Tongue Point, which starts at the Jumping Creek Reserve.

See all of the Photos of my visit!