A coastal holiday to Port Campbell or Princetown in the 1890’s was made more accessible with the advent of a horse coach service provided by Bill White and sons. The service ran from the railway terminus in Timboon to Port Campbell and beyond to coastal guesthouses as far east as Princetown.
The first 10km of the Timboon – Port Campbell Trail between Timboon and Parratte Recreation reserve would have closely followed the old coach route before it headed east along Cameron’s Hill Road.
At this point the challenge of transporting tourists and their luggage along slippery sections of track required some innovation. A corduroy road fashioned from small logs fixed together and placed horizontally across the track in steep sections ensured Mr White and his horse teams could gain traction and safely transport visitors in most conditions.
Early tourism interest in the area was generated by public interest and newspaper reporting around shipwrecks including the Loch Ard in 1878, Newfield in 1890 and Fiji in 1891.
The wreck of the Falls of Halladale on the 14th November 1908 became a tourist attraction in its own right. Many locals and holiday makers enjoyed views of the wreck in the summer of 1908 — 1909 before ocean swell and explosive charges used in the salvage operation left nothing of the vessel above sea level.
Rail Tales
- The contractors, Messrs. Buscombe, Chappel & Bell took three years to construct the line and its impressive historic trestle bridges some of which can still be viewed along the Camperdown – Timboon Rail Trail today
- Timboon Railway Line opened 5th April 1892
- The 1916 Government Railways Standing Committee rejected the submission to extend the line to Port Campbell
- The line was closed to passengers in 1931
- The line was closed to freight in 1977
- The line was declared fully closed in May 1987
From Rail to Trail
- The Camperdown – Timboon Rail Trail Steering Committee was established in 1994
- The Camperdown – Timboon Rail Trail was officially opened in 2009
This story was put together with the assistance of and access to the collections of the Heytesbury and District Historical Society.
