Speeches
Saturday, 27 July 2024
Pichi Richi Railway 50th Anniversary
I am pleased to join you for Rail Fest, celebrating 50 years of the Pichi Richi Railway Preservation Society and marking the restoration of Car 470, which I look forward to riding in shortly.
Rod, who sends his apologies, and I embrace the romance of rail, and we have done our fair share of travel this way over our lives.
As a child, I loved taking the steam train to Belair with my grandmother during school holidays. In my younger years I backpacked around Europe by train. As Ambassador, I travelled the length and breadth of China. In 2022, Rod and I travelled on the Ghan from Adelaide to Darwin, revelling in the opportunity to slow down, enjoy the incredible landscapes, and get to know our fellow travellers.
As adults, rail travel enables us to see the world through fresh eyes, revisiting some of the wonder of childhood.
To quote children’s author A.A Milne, “Nowhere can I think so happily as in a train.”
In the 1800s, railways were a global phenomenon, and they played an integral role in South Australia’s history.
In the infancy of settlement, railways underpinned our economy.
Train networks opened up the vast outback for settlers and connected miners, farmers and pastoralists to vital trade routes, including here in the Flinders Ranges.
South Australia traces its locomotive history back to 1854: a horsedrawn tramway graced Australia’s first iron rails, running between Goolwa and Port Elliot.
I recently had the pleasure of attending the launch of the new Victor Harbor Stables Complex, which houses the Clydesdales which draw the tram across to Granite Island.
I was reminded of the beauty of these animals and the rich history of horse drawn trams in SA.
By the mid-twentieth century, the railway was on decline across Australia, including in our state.
In 1957 the Pichi Richi pass was closed to regular traffic and the bridges and dry-stone walls were to be dismantled.
Globally, it was thought that the time of railways had passed. They were considered superseded by cars and aeroplanes.
I am very pleased your community recognised this inflection point, saw the heritage value and significance of the railway and acted to save it.
In a letter to the Pichi Richi Preservation Society in 1972, Governor of the day, His Excellency the Hon. Sir Mark Oliphant, said:
“I am both pleased and fascinated by your account of what is being done to preserve the Pichi Richi Railway...... No other part of the pioneering railway system is so worthy of preservation as is the remaining section between Quorn and Port Augusta.”
Today, the Pichi Richi Railway Preservation Society carries approximately 10,000 passengers on its trains between Port Augusta and Quorn each year.
I thank the Society for its contribution to preserving the rich local rail history for the benefit of all South Australians, and for creating an outstanding tourism experience which won a silver award in last year’s Tourism Industry Council of SA Awards.
For the past 50 years, the Society – run entirely by volunteers - has done a stellar job of maintaining the lines, bridges, carriages and Goods Shed, one of only a few remaining in South Australia.
I thank these enthusiastic volunteers, including those who have recently restored Car 470, over a century old, for the many hours of work they dedicate to the railway.
Having read a little of Car 470’s history, I see it served in the south-east during Her late Majesty the Queen’s 1954 visit to Mount Gambier. I also read that the volunteers, are, by name, credited with some very particular roles – 14,000 hours worth.
I know, some of the founding volunteers are here today, and I thank them especially for their contributions.
I also thank the government bodies and other supporters who have given funding to the Society over the years.
Congratulations to the Pichi Richi Railway Preservation Society on reaching half a century of operations.
I wish you all the very best for the future as you continue to bring great joy to children and adults alike with your special piece of South Australian history.