My Travels and other Yarns: Trip to Wagga Wagga

As Christine’s partner had joined the Army and had completed his basic training at Kapooka in November, we both flew down for the passing out parade and to meet also his mother and an uncle. Due to the time of the flights we needed to spend a few days in Wagga Wagga, which was a town I had not visited for many years.

We caught the red eye flight from Darwin leaving at 1.30 in the morning and reached Melbourne before the sun was up. At this hour of the day Melbourne airport was very quiet and empty. The Airbus deposited us at the terminal which is now situated in the Southern Cross Railway Station and it was just a couple of minutes walk to the railway platform. After a small breakfast from the local shops and we watched the peak hour rush start with all the commuters arriving for work in the city, we joined the Inter City Express which runs daily to Sydney and left Melbourne at 7.30.


Southern Cross Rail Terminal, country trains arrive here, standard gauge line far right.	Passing through the railway yards.

We passed through the railway yards then were out into the suburbs which gave way to the countryside. Due to political differences a 150 years ago when the first railway lines were built, NSW followed the English gauge of 4ft 8½ inches while Victoria followed the Irish standard of 5 feet 3 inches and it was not until the 1960s that a standard gauge was built from Albury on the border to Melbourne. So this route cannot go through the normal suburban areas but detours around until it joins the main line at Jacana. Even though it was about 10 months since the devastating bushfires there was plenty of evidence of the damage the fires had done. The ride was smooth and quite steady and unlike the aeroplanes there was plenty of legroom and the seats could recline a long way back.

We crossed into New South Wales at Albury and after another hours travelling we reached Wagga Wagga at 1.30pm. Our motel was not far away and as we were travelling light, only hand luggage for the aeroplane, we walked to the motel and had a rest. Later that day we picked up our hire car so we could travel around.

The original Aboriginal inhabitants of the Wagga Wagga region were the Wiradjuri people and the term "Wagga" and derivatives of that word in the Wiradjuri aboriginal language is thought to mean crow. To create the plural, the Wiradjuri repeat a word, thus 'Wagga Wagga' translates to 'the place of many crows'. This has been recognised in the Latin name of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wagga Wagga as Dioecesis Corvopolitanus. ("corvus" being the Latin word for crow. Wagga Wagga was also the birthplace of Australia’s only Field Marshall Sir Thomas Blamey.


Locomotive Depot.	Crossing the Murray River

Near the railway station are the remains of a large flour mill, one of the main industries in this area during the last century. Wagga Wagga is a reasonable sized town with most of the shops down the main street which runs from the railway station to where the original settlement started by the Murrumbidgee River as in the early days the paddle boats served all the towns situated near the rivers. To protect the town it is protected by large levee banks.


Wagga Wagga railway station from the city side	Levee banks alongside the river

Old flour mill Wagga Wagga	Flour mill Junee.

One trip was made to Junee which is not very far down the highway and it originally was the centre for the railways in this area and it had a large round house built to store the locomotives in. Now with fewer engines required as the average train load has increased tremendously over the years, a part of it is used as a railway museum and we had a look around it. Junee also boasts a large but now deserted flour mill which is now used as a liquorice factory and samples are available.

We also dropped in to the Charles Sturt University and purchased some of their home made cheese. They also produce a reasonably range of wines.


Outside of the Roundhouse	Inside the roundhouse

Mail sorting van now stored here.	Hand operated goods crane.

The graduates march out was on Friday and after parking at the Army base, we were bussed to the parade ground. It had started to rain off and on but it ceased for the parade. The Army band marched out first followed by the Colour Party then the two recruit platoons that had finished their training. The Base CO inspected the troops then they did a march past then the different parties marched off. We were then bussed back to the Army Mess were we could now meet the recruits and have a meal. At the finish of the ceremonies the next two platoons in training came jogging past in full combat gear, they had been on manoeuvres and camping out for the last few days and tradition has it that when they approach the Mess the band now joins them and for the last section they march in to the cheers of their comrades who have just graduated.


Band marching out.	Recruits marching out.

Lining up.	Inspection

Christine and Zac	Band following the current lot of recruits back.

After this the recruits have the rest of the day off to spend with their parents/wives/husbands etc.

The following day we had a look at some more of the local sites and found an interest Pen Museum. The owner has over the years collected hundreds of different types of writing pens which cover a few centuries. An unusual but worthwhile museum and it is privately owned.

That afternoon Chrissie and I drove to some of the towns to the south as Zac had to go back to base to get ready to leave. There are several museums in Wagga Wagga and the Glass Museum is recognised Australia wide for its uniqueness. However a storm the previous night had caused leaks to occur in the roof so it was closed.


Old buildings near the river in Wagga Wagga	Bald Hill


XPT train at Uranquinty at the branch line to Kywong	View from nearby hills over looking Wagga Wagga.

The following afternoon we left Wagga Wagga on the XPT Express and reached Melbourne at dusk. It was sad to see how many of the large country towns we past through have now lost their railway yards and industries and the few that have a stations are now only a small shed, not the magnificent structures that used to grace the scene. We met my sister at Melbourne and then went out to dinner at a nearby restaurant, quite a good meal but I cannot remember what we all had now. Lyn then had to leave us to get back home so Chrissie and I had a look at some of the old buildings which are still standing here. One of the more interesting was the old West Bourke Street Police Station which has now been turned into a boutique hotel.