Type : Halt, associated with the Bulliac gatekeeper's cottage
Line : North Coast Line
Distance from Sydney : 321.225km
Location : -31.932215, 152.026152
Opened : 1st October 1955
Closed : Unknown
Status : Closed
Name meaning : An Aboriginal word meaning "bend in the river"
Notes : 4.8 metre platform built for fettlers and used by the gatekeepers, also known as Bundook Road Level Crossing. Sleeper platform at 199m 48c. The platform was also unofficially used by locals. Sleeper Platform — W.N. 42–1955
> **Page 59 — Between Pitlochry and Bulliac, Sleeper Platform** — Since **1st October, 1955**, a sleeper platform is provided on the **Down side** of the line at Mileage **199m 48c**, between Pitlochry and Bulliac.
>
> The platform is for use only by the **local Fettler and his family** for boarding or alighting from trains specified in the Working Time-table. (A. 1–55–72,104.) *(W.N. 42–1955)*
Vintage Train 100 years Anniversary of the North Coast Line (Lorraine Jones)
Date is actually 13/12/2012
The hut marks (roughly) the spot that was the location of the small platform.
Bulliac Tunnel road crossing 1960's (Lorraine Jones)
BULLIAC TUNNEL PLATFORM - LATE 1960's (Lorraine Jones)
Bulliac Tunnel Road Crossing - 1960's
"Charles Cox gives way to a Down train at Bulliac Tunnel. Having pulled off into the [re]cess to let the approaching train pass, he'll have to lift the trike up over the ballast shoulder and closest rail before re-railing it-no easy task." Credit is attributed to the Michael Hort Collection - unfortunately the photo is not dated but I would suggest the 1940/1950 era would be approximate.
Bulliac Gates, (1966, Lindsay Bridge) - gatekeepers cottage on left
XPT Down Service Crossing Bulliac Gates 22nd July 2015 (Lorraine Jones)
View of railway crossing at Pitlochry, undated, Records NSW
Gatekeeper's cottage at Bulliac.
Lorraine Jones:
I stayed in this cottage occasionally in the early 1960's when Mrs Wolski was the gatekeeper and "Ziggy" her husband worked as a ganger based at Bulliac. Their daughter and I were good friends.
Mrs Wolski worked all hours of the day and night opening and closing the gates for passing cars who would sound their horn when approaching the gates.
Lorraine Jones:
Some time ago in another related post, I mentioned an incident involving "Ziggy" Wolski in the 1960's when he was riding a hand trike inside Bulliac Tunnel and encountered a train coming the other way. I discussed this today with my friend who lived there at the time and she not only confirmed the incident occurred but also confirmed she was riding with her father at the time this incident occurred.
Her father pushed her off the trike into one of the refuges which fortunately was level with the trike and he dived into a refuge on the other side of the track. They both survived uninjured but the oncoming engine completely destroyed the trike - she doesn't remember what happened afterwards regarding the destruction of the trike or how it might have been "covered up".
How it happened was most likely due to her father ignoring/forgetting to take the elementary safety precaution her mother used regarding opening the road gates for passing road traffic. When a car sounded its horn to indicate gate opening was required, her mother would use a railway phone installed in the gatekeeper's cottage to find out if any trains were likely to be in the vicinity of the crossing before opening the gates to allow the vehicle(s) to pass. If a train was due, she would wait until it passed before opening the gates.
4467 on 272n 7-10-83 (Garry Holt)
Bundook Rd near Gloucester just south of Bulliac looking south. Wed 30 Nov 2011. (Alan Graham)
North Coast Daylight at Bulliac. (Bob McAlpine)
(22/12/1968) 5902+5901 emerge from Bulliac Tunnel on their way south (George Stevens)
SSR's G513 on its way to Wauchope & Boambee with 4645 cement seen here passing through Bulliac level crossing 09:13 24 Jan 2026 (Barry Trudgett)
Bulliac Road Level Crossing - the hut marks the location of a sleeper-built platform provided in 1955 for fettler's and the gatekeeper's use, but was also (unofficially) used by other locals.
The site of the gatekeeper's cottage is behind, the house is long demolished and is very overgrown.
# Bundook Road Level Crossing (Bulliac Gates) (North Coast Line)
## Entries from NSW Government Railways Weekly Notices, 1955
---
**Type:** Halt (Sleeper Platform — Fettler's Stop)
**Line:** North Coast Line (Yumbunga–Bulliac section)
**Distance from Sydney:** 321.225 km (approximately; Mileage 199m 48c)
**Location:** -31.932215, 152.026152
**Between:** Pitlochry and Bulliac
**Opened:** **1 October 1955** (W.N. 42–1955)
**Closed:** Unknown
**Status:** Closed
**Name meaning:** Aboriginal word meaning "bend in the river"
**Platform:** 4.8-metre Down side sleeper platform; also known as Bundook Road Level Crossing
**Official users:** Local Fettler and his family; boarding/alighting from specified trains in Working Time-table
**Unofficial users:** Locals in the area (per your notes)
---
> **Notes:** The sleeper platform at Mileage 199m 48c between Pitlochry and Bulliac was provided from 1 October 1955, built for the fettler and gatekeeper associated with the Bulliac gatekeeper's cottage and the Bundook Road Level Crossing. The platform was 4.8 metres (approximately 16 feet) in length on the Down side, constructed from sleepers. Although formally authorised only for the local Fettler and family, the platform was also used unofficially by locals in the area.
>
> No formal abolition notice or deletion from publications was found in the Weekly Notices collection — the platform may have simply ceased use without a formal administrative closure, consistent with its informal character. No entry appears under "Bulliac Gates" or "Bulliac Road Level Crossing" as a named halt in the level crossing tables across the years searched (1955–1980).
---
## 1955 — Sleeper Platform Provided — 1 October 1955
### Sleeper Platform — W.N. 42–1955
> **Page 59 — Between Pitlochry and Bulliac, Sleeper Platform** — Since **1st October, 1955**, a sleeper platform is provided on the **Down side** of the line at Mileage **199m 48c**, between Pitlochry and Bulliac.
>
> The platform is for use only by the **local Fettler and his family** for boarding or alighting from trains specified in the Working Time-table. (A. 1–55–72,104.) *(W.N. 42–1955)*
---
## Summary of Key Events
| Date | Event |
|------|-------|
| **1 October 1955** | **Sleeper platform opened** — Down side, Mileage 199m 48c (approximately 321.225 km); 4.8 metres; for local Fettler and family only; associated with Bulliac gatekeeper's cottage and Bundook Road Level Crossing (W.N. 42–1955) |
| Unknown | Platform ceased use — no formal abolition notice found in WN collection |
---
*Extracted from NSW Government Railways Weekly Notices, 1955.*
*Note: This is the sleeper platform identified in the Pitlochry entry (W.N. 42–1955). It is 2.2 km further toward Taree than Pitlochry station (198m 11c vs 199m 48c). The platform was not formally gazetted as a public stop and does not appear in Public Time-Table or Working Time-Table station listings — consistent with its restricted use for Departmental employees and family.*