The small crane that you are standing next to is the last remnant
of the Renmark Railway Station.
The station opened in 1927. The line joined to the main Adelaide
- Melbourne line at Tailem Bend. The branch line came up through
Alawoona and branched further out towards the border via Taldra and
across the Sturt Highway at Yamba very close to the fruit fly road
block. The line backtracked to Paringa where it crossed on the
middle span of the Paringa Bridge (now a walk and cycleway). The
bridge originally held the railway line only and the road lanes
were added later. It continued via the walk and cycleway to the
spot that you are currently standing. From here, the line continued
around the bend and followed Renmark Avenue, crossing the Sturt
highway again near Bredl's, past The Big Orange, The Berri cannery,
and through Glossop to Barmera.
By the eighties, road was king and you could have a load in
Adelaide, before you could even get it loaded on to the train at
Renmark, so the station ceased to operate and the line now
terminated at Paringa. The Paringa line was later terminated in
1990.
When we first lived in Renmark, it seemed a strange sight to see
the trains thundering through town. The station itself stretched
right along the block you are standing on between 18th Street and
Railway Avenue. The block used to house the station building and
various storage sheds. The block is gradually being rebuilt over
and the nearby houses and the new Renmark Paringa Council offices
stand on the site.
The cache highlights the changing face of Renmark. Due to the
small size of the structure, the cache is a magnetic key holder and
can be easily retrieved without any climbing on the structure
(which is not allowed).
A small but great piece of trivia for the Renmark Railway
Station is that Acadamy Award winner, Dean Semmler once worked here
before going onto bigger and better things.
As always, please ensure that the cache is tucked well away
before leaving.