Travel Australia

Classic Railway Stations: Adelaide River, Northern Territory

The Adelaide River Railway Siding and Railway Bridge, which are now part of Adelaide River Heritage Centre, were constructed as part of the first leg of the North Australia Railway (NAR) which operated from 1888 until 1976. The Adelaide River Railway Siding and Railway Bridge, which are now part of Adelaide River Heritage Centre, were constructed as part of the first leg of the North Australia Railway (NAR) which operated from 1888 until 1976. The centre has an excellent collection of The Ghan railway memorabilia and staff who run it are very happy to explain what the various items on display were for. The Centre is closed during the wet season.

An original NSU class locomotive stands alongside the highway opposite the restored railway station of the Adelaide River Heritage Centre. The locomotive was built by Birmingham Railway Carriage & Waggon Co., England. It entered service in 1955 and was withdrawn in 1982. Though an original Ghan locomotive, NSU 63 never saw service at Adelaide River, as it only operated on the old narrow gauge Ghan line which stopped at Alice Springs.

The North Australia Railway

The North Australia Railway, also known as the Palmerston to Pine Creek railway, was a 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) narrow gauge railway which ran from Darwin, once known as Palmerston, to Birdum, just south of Larrimah. It was the first stage in a planned railway link between Darwin to Adelaide. Commenced in 1886, the line reached Pine Creek in 1888 and officially opened on 30 September 1889. Singhalese and Indian gangs did the grubbing and earthwork and 3,000 Chinese labourers laid over one kilometre of track per day. A total of 310 bridges and flood openings were built. The Commonwealth Government took control in 1911. It promised to complete the railway from Adelaide to Darwin but gave no dates. The line was extended to near Katherine in 1917, and to Birdum in 1929 but that is far as it got.

The Federal Government promulgated an order to close the narrow gauge North Australia Railway line on 20 May 1976, with services ceasing on 30 June of that year, as result of the loss of iron ore traffic originating from the Frances Creek operation. Maintenance gangs were withdrawn in December 1977. Heavy floods in 1978 destroyed parts of the railway, effectively eliminating any hope of the railway re-opening. Nearly 20 years later, the AustralAsia Rail Corporation a consortium was formed to build the standard gauge link between Alice Springs and Darwin. Construction on the new standard gauge line from Alice Springs lasted from July 2001 to 17 September 2003. The first freight train reached Darwin on 17 January 2004 and the first Ghan passenger service ran from Adelaide to Darwin in early February 2004. The line runs near the route of the North Australia Railway in places but uses very little of the old infrastructure.



The Adelaide River Railway Siding was the first main Station complex on the North Australian Railway line. During World War II it was of major significance as Adelaide River was an important military centre, with the main hospital situated north of the township along with a number of Australian and Allied bases in the area.

The Adelaide River Railway Bridge was one of the first main bridges to be constructed on the Palmerston to Pine Creek railway line (known as the North Australian Railway) and was one of the largest bridges on the line. Constructed in 1887-88 the bridge was first crossed on 3rd December 1888. The last train crossed the bridge on 30th June 1976, after which it was used for road traffic until the Edwin Verburg Bridge was opened on 27th March 1980. Alongside the remnants of the old bridge is a new structure used by the current standard-gauge Ghan train and freight trains.



The town of Adelaide River was settled by the telegraph workers who arrived in the area to construct the Overland Telegraph Line. The discovery of gold at Pine Creek in 1892 had a major impact on the settlement. In 1886 a contract was signed to build a railway between Palmerston (Darwin) and the goldfields at Pine Creek, Northern Territory. By April 1888 the railway had reached Adelaide River and for many years was a refuelling point for The train on the journey north to Darwin. The North Australian Railway was always intended to be linked to the original Ghan line from Adelaide to Alice Springs, but this never happened.

It was not until February 2004, when a new standard gauge line from Tarcoola, SA (a siding on the Trans-Australian Railway) to Darwin was completed, that The Ghan finally made it to Adelaide River. The town is not a regular stopping place for the new train, however it does pass through the town's siding on track laid alongside the original line.

During World War II, there were up to 30,000 Australian Army and United States soldiers based near the town. An ammunition dump, including a spur railway line, was established at Snake River, 3.2 km to the north. Whilst the facility became operational towards the end of the war, it was too late to be useful in the war effort.