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

Exploring Hay's Paddock - East Kew

Hay's Paddock is a large park located in East Kew which can be accessed via Lister Street at the northern end or via Longstaff or Leason streets from the south (Melway 45 J1-2).

It's about 8 km from the Melbourne CBD, within the Booroondarra Shire.

Hay's Paddock is an extensive recreation area consisting of two sportsgrounds which are used for soccer during the winter and cricket during the summer. In addition, an archery paddock sits at the northern end of the park.

However, the highlight of Hays Paddock is the all-abilities playground which sits on the banks of the billabong. The playground was designed to enable children with disabilities and those without to play together. It includes the usual swings and slides, plus a swing with harness, double-width slide, extra wide see-saw, hammock and a spider's web trampoline which ensures fun for all children.

In addition, there are tables and seating for picnics, toilets, barbecue, sand pit with sun-shade and car parking. The whole area has a bushland theme with plenty of seating and shade.

The Paddock was once a market garden in the late 1800s - the billabong is a natural feature and is the habitai of many species of birds.

I visited Hay's Paddock on Sunday afternoon December 6, 2009, or a 2 km circuit hike around the Reserve - my starting point was Kilby Rd. There was plenty of action - hundreds of people were enjoying barbecues and picnics next to the Billabong - a soccer match was in progress - the Playground was popular - Green Creek was flowing.

See all of the Photos of my visit!