This is the fourth in the series of caches placed at the end of former railway lines. This one is near the end of the Springvale Cemetery branch line. For thousands of people, this really was the end of the line, their last train ride.
Back in the 1880's, Melbourne was searching for a site for a general cemetery. The two main candidates were Springvale and Frankston. In 1900, Springvale was selected, and the Necropolis was born. It was declared a public cemetery in Feb 1901. As private transport was not common, they needed a way to transport coffins and mourners. This resulted in a branch line which left the now Pakenham line at Springvale station, and headed to the Necropolis.
The Springvale Cemetery Railway Line opened on the 7th of February 1904. Corpses from Melbourne and intermediate stations were carried free of charge on the assumption that mourners journeying by rail to the Cemetery would bring revenue to the Railway Department. The carriage of pauper corpses were charged at 10 shillings as it was assumed that no such revenue would be obtained. Funeral trains left from the Mortuary Platform at Princes Bridge Station Melbourne and travelled to The Necropolis Springvale Station.
The line was electrified in 1922, and closed in 1951 when Sandown Racecourse was extended, after having the electrification removed a few months earlier, although the last train ran in 1947. You can still see a small section where the line leaves the main Pakenham line, and can generally trace its route for a further 400 - 500 metres until it hits the Sandown Race Track.
The accompanying diagram shows the original layout or plan for the Necropolis with what appears to be a railway line encircling it. The Necropolis was designed in the same layout as the Union Jack, although much of this has changed. A check of the Melways map beside it shows you the extent of the expansion since the original design, but you will still see much in common.
The current map above includes a red and yellow circle indicating the position of the former station where the plaque is now located. FYI it is located at S 37° 56.743 E 145° 10.788 approximately. See photos below. My thanks to Weathafurkawi for pointing out the location of the station.
The Cache:
The cache is now a 450 ml Sistema cliptop box. It is not necessarily close to one of the former stations, but is within the current boundaries of the Necropolis. Opening hours are generally 9:00 am to 6:00 pm except in Winter when it closes at 5:00 pm. The cache also contains the first extra clues to Puzzlemania #5 - Mystic Zip.