Railway Stations: Armidale, New South Wales

Armidale railway precinct is located on the Main North line, which runs from Sydney and extends as far as Wallangarra on the Queensland border. The Main North Line (formerly known as the Great Northern Railway) runs through the Central Coast, Hunter and New England regions. The line was the original main line between Sydney and Brisbane, however this required a change of gauge at Wallangarra. The line is now closed north of Armidale, and the main route between Brisbane and Sydney is now the North Coast line.



The heritage listed Armidale railway station was built from 1882 to 1883 by Edmund Lonsdale and Henry Sheldon Hoddard, and was opened on 3 February 1883 when the line was extended from Uralla. It was the terminus of the line until it was extended to Glen Innes on 19 August 1884. Following the closure of the Main Northern line, it again became the terminal station. The last regular services to operate north of Armidale was the Northern Mail which ceased in November 1988. Freight services continued to serve a fertilizer depot at Dumaresq until the mid-2000s, after which the line closed north of Armidale. The railway station is at 240 Brown Street, Armidale.



The line to Armidale opened on 3 February 1883 as an extension of the line from Uralla and continued on to Glen Innes the following year. The construction contract for the Uralla to Glen Innes section was awarded to David Proudfoot in c. 1882. Contracts for the construction of a station building, Station Master's residence, lamp room, carriage dock and buffer, goods shed, and water tank were awarded in 1882 to Edmund Lonsdale (1843–1913). Lonsdale began his working life as a bricklayer, builder and contractor before beginning a career in state politics (1891–1913), serving as a member for New England and Armidale. The fine cast-iron work of the station building was completed at New England Foundry in Uralla by Henry Sheldon Goddard.

In addition to the station building, other early structures and additions to the yard included the 1882 loco depot, 1891 coal stage, a new 18.288 metre turntable in 1899, extensions to the platform in 1907 and in 1912, and a signal box in 1918. The loco depot closed in 1984 but Armidale remains an operational railway station with daily Countrylink passenger services.

About Armidale

Resting high on the Northern Tablelands, Armidale is the most cosmopolitan New South Wales city outside Sydney, catering for 25,000 citizens from 53 different nationalities. A popular stopping place on the New England Highway, Armidale is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region.

Armidale is located on the banks of Dumaresq Creek, in the Northern Tablelands and the New England region about midway between Sydney and Brisbane at an altitude (980 metres) ranging from 970 metres at the floor of the valley to 1,110 metres above sea level at the crests of the hills. A short distance to the east of Armidale are heavily forested steep gorges dropping down to the eastern coastal plain. Armidale prides itself on education with the University of New England, three private schools, two Catholic schools, two public high schools, six state primary schools, a Steiner school and several pre-schools and day care centres.



Armidale was first settled in the early 1830s, following the earlier exploration of the area by John Oxley. Oxley recommended the region for grazing, and soon early pioneers set up small farms in the locality. Armidale, which was surveyed in 1848 and gazetted in 1849, was established to provide a market and administration centre for the farms. The town grew rapidly following the discovery of gold at nearby Rocky River and Gara Gorges in the 1850s.