Travel Australia

Classic Railway Stations: Malsbury, Victoria

Malmsbury was the main town in the former Coliban gold diggings, extending from Lauriston to Taradale. It is on the old Calder Highway, where it crosses the Coliban River, 10 km north-west of Kyneton and 85 km north-west of Melbourne. Malmsbury was most likely named after the third Earl of Malmesbury, British Foreign Secretary (1852), whose appointment coincided with the opening up of the Coliban diggings. The township grew quite rapidly, as it was also on the road to the Bendigo gold diggings.

Built in 1862 of basalt by Robert Turnbull & Co for £3327/6/6, the Malmsbury Railway Station on the historic Melbourne-Echuca Line is historically significant as one of the earliest stations built in Victoria. Built during the period of the 'main trunk lines', c.1857 - c.1869, these were the formative years of railway development in Victoria. The line was opened 21st Ovtober .1862. The station opened to passengers and goods, on 6th June 1863.

The initial design of the Melbourne – Mount Alexander – Murray River Railway is credited to Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The line was designed with two broad gauge tracks, high speed alignments, cutting through the landscape, and double headed rail. It was opened in October 1862 as part of the fourth stage, between Kyneton and Bendigo.



A large bluestone station building remains on the former northern platform, and a collection of shelter sheds on the southern platform. As part of the Regional Fast Rail project, in 2006 the double track line from Kyneton to Bendigo was converted to single track, with the track on the Melbourne bound platform removed.

A basalt and steel crane base remains, while the sidings have been removed. The goods shed, situated adjacent to the station building, is a large basalt structure with a gabled slate roof. Other associated structures include a down-side basalt road bridge, and an up-side crane base.



The Station building is considered a very important example of its group, the 'Carlsruhe' style. This style was a direct derivation of the 'English' style, a type of railway station design typical in England during the 1840s and 1850s, which was based on classical planning principles and details. The station is consequently a key contributor to the character of the Bendigo-Echuca line, and the goods shed enhances the site, particularly due to its large scale. The station complex is a substantially intact example of the architecture of the 'main trunk' lines, and is visually linked with the Malmsbury viaduct, 500m up side of the station.



The nearby Malmsbury viaduct was a significant technical accomplishment for its time. This bridge has five 18.3 metre spans, is about 25 metres high, and carries two railway tracks over the Coliban River at Malmsbury. It is still one of Australia’s finest early bridges. When completed it was the largest masonry bridge built in Australia, exceeding the bridge at Perth, Tasmania (1839, 88m), which no longer exists.



Construction of the viaduct commenced in 1859 and completed three years later. It was erected by Cornish and Bruce for the Victorian Railways in 1859. The railway viaduct crosses over the Coliban River, which is dammed upstream to provide the headworks for the Bendigo Water Supply.