Serviceton Railway Station

by Meagan Sewell (subscribe)

Serviceton is a small town located in Victoria, close to the Victorian- South Australia border,about 437 kilometres from Victoria's capital Melbourne. The district of Serviceton is widely known as a railway town due to its main attraction, The Serviceton Railway Station. The town is surrounded by vast open plains about 4-5 kilometres off the main freeway which passes through the close towns of Bordertown and Keith. Whether you are on a road trip to your favourite destination or are driving home on the long stretched out highway and would like to stop somewhere different, or if you have that avid interest in searching out historical sites then Serviceton would be the perfect place to have that rest break.

The late Victorian railway station at Serviceton closed on March the 3rd of 1986. Construction for the now historical building commenced and was accepted in 1887 for 8449 pounds and 9 shillings, the building process was later completed in 1889. The town started to develop during this time as the area became a major border crossing and a customs area for goods travelling between the two states. Serviceton Railway station was built on the old border, where the South Australian and Victorian railways were joined in 1887. Later due to surveying errors the border was placed 3.6 kilometres west declaring the new border in 1913, therefore Serviceton is now legally and fully within the Victorian border and state.

The three level station at Serviceton had many means of use, the upstairs and the platform area consists of 15 main rooms. These included a kitchen for customers' refreshments, dining area, ladies closet and waiting areas, booking rooms for Victoria and South Australia, general waiting areas and a customs office. Below in the basement area were large cellars for storage, guard areas, a mortuary section and dungeons used for prisoners who were being transported interstate. The station would have been a busy centre for the town due to all the railway use between the states, and due to its centred position at the border, along with many exchanges taking place.

The building itself was constructed from bricks which were made in Horsham, a Victorian rural city which is about an hour and forty minutes drive from Serviceton today. The old station has quite the detailed brick work, and characteristic architecture to admire. The building site is very well maintained too, through volunteer work from the local community of Serviceton and district, maintaining and preserving the sites valuable history. When visiting the station all rooms and indoor areas are locked up, although there have been discussions by the West Wimmera Council to open up the station to the public, so this could be a commencing issue.

The Serviceton Railway Station brought much life to the district during its running days, over the years the town grew to have a post office, general stores, chemist, bricklayer, butcher, hairdresser and a plumber. To the present date the town is very quiet, but its main attraction still stands in good shape for visitors to see. The site is a great place to stop by if you have a passion for history and late architecture or in the general ways of life back in the 1800s-1900s era. To take a few minutes out of your trip and away from the busy Western Highway, turn onto Serviceton North Road, where from there you will discover the town of Serviceton and its historical railway station.

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Why? Check out one of Australia's historical railway sites

When: Anytime

Where: Elizabeth Street, Serviceton, Victoria

Cost: Free

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