Macksville railway station building is of state significance as a rare pre-cast concrete drop slab building, being one of only a few examples of a once common building type to remain in NSW. This type of building was constructed throughout regional NSW railway locations, with the use of precast concrete widely employed during the Interwar period as a functional and economical material which enabled ease in the construction of standardised building designs. Macksville station building remains in use and is significant as a tangible link to the development of the North Coast line and the expansion of industrial growth in the area.
STATION BUILDING (1919)
The Macksville station building is a type 12, Ac4 standard design. It is a small single storey station building constructed of concrete drop panels with a gabled roof clad in colourbond steel. The platform awning is supported on simple timber brackets. Fenestration comprises timber framed double hung sash windows.
The internal layout comprises a waiting room; station master’s office; meal room and toilets.
PLATFORM (1919)
Concrete face. A straight side platform with open steel rail frame and concrete deck.
Macksville railway precinct is located on the North Coast line, the major trunk line from NSW to Queensland. Although originally constructed as an isolated line from Lismore to Murwillumbah in 1894, the importance of connecting the North Coast to the general railway system led to the extension of the line southward to Maitland in 1903. In 1930 the line was connected to the Queensland railway system at South Brisbane (Cottee, 2004).
The single line from Kempsey to Macksville opened on 1 July 1919, with the station opening on the same day. The Kempsey to Macksville section was constructed by the Public Works Department from 27 October 1913. Work was taken over by Messrs Norton Griffith Co from 24 April 1915. The contract was cancelled on 15 May 1917 and the work reverted to the Pubic Works Department (Forsyth, 2009).
Cache is placed out of view of the main station building and is a small green bison tube about 1.8 metres above the ground.