Rail precinct’s future in the balance

The Warwick railway station is fast becoming a decaying relic of our town's rail heritage and the target of vandals.

By Jeremy Sollars

QUEENSLAND Rail has quashed local rumours it plans to sell off the sandstone goods shed at the Warwick railway station precinct and demolish the historic Mill Hill station site near Churchill Drive.
But plans to turn the rail precinct into a tourist destination – including shifting the Warwick Visitor Information Centre to the Lyons Street site – remain as far off as ever, despite local calls for a reinvigoration of the largely dormant precinct.
The goods shed, with its spectacular interior, has been a venue for local events in recent years including a recent market day which is hoped to be a regular feature.
A Queensland Rail spokesman told the Free Times this week they had “no immediate plans” to sell the goods shed.
“The station building itself remains part of the rail corridor and is available for lease,” the spokesman said.
“Queensland Rail also has no plans to demolish Mill Hill station building.”
While it’s good news for lovers of all things rail, apart from the volunteer-run Southern Downs Steam Railway (SDSR) which has its base of operations next door to the goods shed, the Warwick railway station is all but defunct, with commercial rail services no longer operating from the site.
SDSR secretary Bob Amos said it was “a crying shame” the precinct was being left to largely go to rack and ruin, especially with humming historic railway precincts to our north at Toowoomba and south at Wallangarra.
He says the tourism opportunities are going begging, with the Southern Downs Regional Council unlikely to be able to afford to contribute to any redevelopment of the site and no hint of any state or federal funding, despite previous lobbying.
“The goods shed, or at the very least the old parcel building adjoining it, would be perfect for a new Visitor Information Centre,” he told the Free Times.
“It has a counter and an area which could be used for displays and a toilet, which admittedly is a male toilet, but it wouldn’t cost a lot to put in an extra female toilet.
“The station is only a couple of hundred metres from the highway and there’s heaps of parking for travellers and RV’s and caravans.
“To be honest, I’m at the point of absolute desperation as we can see the potential.
“We’ve held events in the goods shed over the past few years including the markets and musical performances, and people have asked if they can hold weddings there.
“There’s also been kids from the high schools come down to have their formal photos taken – the surrounding view of the town and the backdrop of the hills is something very special.
“It’s just so bleeding obvious – but who’s going to drive it, I just don’t know.
“The buildings, the infrastructure, it’s all there, it’s not going to cost millions.
“But the condition the station itself is in at the moment is a disgrace.”
Vandals recently targeted the main station building by smashing windows, another indication of the precinct’s neglect.
A council spokeswoman said there were “no current plans” to investigate a redevelopment of the station precinct.
The SDSR is charged permit fees for events in the goods shed, but is asking Queensland Rail to consider reducing or waiving them in the future.
The next Railway Markets are planned for Saturday 3 December.