Type : Station
Line : North Coast Line
Distance from Sydney : 724.178km
Location : -29.493509, 152.985857
Opened : 30 March 1907
Closed : 13 January 1973
Status : Closed
Name meaning : Aboriginal word meaning "running water"
Notes : The station opened without a name (simply being referred to as "Platform") - it would be more than a year (30/6/1908) before it received it's name. The original Down timber platform was 22.86 metres in length, later being extended to 29.6 metres. The station building had a general and ladies waiting room and an out-of. WN2/73 notes the abolition of the platform. In 1946 there was a proposal to extend a branch line from this location to Uralla at a cost of 660 thousand pounds with the argument being that it would be as important to the region as the Dorrigo branch. Ultimately, of course, it wasn't constructed.
1973 — Platform Abolished — W.N. 2 and 3–1973
Fruit van derailed at Dilkoon, 18 December 1937. (Northern Leader)
This was a small platform serving a small nearby village. In 1946 there was a proposal to extend a branch line from this location to Uralla at a cost of 660 thousand pounds with the argument being that it would be as important to the region as the Dorrigo branch. Ultimately, of course, it wasn't constructed.
Abolition of the platform
# Dilkoon (North Coast Line)
## Entries from NSW Government Railways Weekly Notices, 1907–1975
---
**Type:** Station / Platform (Closed)
**Line:** North Coast Line (Kyarran–Gurranang section from 1926; Grafton–Gurranang prior)
**Distance from Sydney:** 724.178 km (Mileage **15.64 from Grafton** at opening; approximately Mileage 449m–450m)
**Location:** -29.493509, 152.985857
**Between:** Kyarran/Warragai Creek (south) and Gurranang (north)
**Opened:** **Saturday, 30 March 1907** — as unnamed sleeper platform; described in WN only as "Platform" between Warragai and Sportsman's Creek
**Named DILKOON:** **30 June 1908** (per your notes — WN naming notice not found in OCR)
**Closed:** **13 January 1973** (per your notes)
**Platform abolished:** W.N. 2–1973 (ref. A.1–72–44,619)
**Status:** Closed
**Name meaning:** Aboriginal word meaning "running water"
### Platform
**Original:** **22.86 metres (75 feet)** — Down side timber platform
**Extended to:** **29.6 metres**
**Station building:** General waiting room; ladies' waiting room; out-of-[hours office per your notes]
### Opening — Unnamed "Platform" (1907)
The 1907 WN describes the opening as **"a new sleeper platform at Mileage 15.64 from Grafton (between Warragai and Sportsman's Creek)"** — no name given; simply described as a platform. The station opened without a name on **30 March 1907** and remained unnamed for over a year until **30 June 1908** when it received the name Dilkoon.
### Sportsman's Creek Renamed Gurranang — 1 October 1910
**W.N. — 1910:** "On 1st October, 1910, the name of **Sportsman's Creek Platform**, situate at **18m 8c from Grafton**, between **Dilkoon** and Lawrence Road, will be altered to **'Gurranang.'"** (10–31,846.)
This notice confirms Dilkoon's position — between Warragai Creek/Kyarran (south) and Gurranang (north, formerly Sportsman's Creek at 18m 8c from Grafton).
### 1924 — Unattended Platform
**W.N. — 1924:** "Dilkoon (P)" — listed as unattended platform in Local Appendix (P = platform, unattended)
### 1946 — Proposed Branch to Uralla (not constructed)
**1946:** Proposal to extend a branch line from Dilkoon to Uralla at a cost of **£660,000**. The proposal argued the branch would be as important to the region as the Dorrigo Branch. Not constructed. (Per your notes — no WN entries found for this proposal; likely in parliamentary or departmental records.)
### Abolition — W.N. 2–1973 and W.N. 3–1973
**W.N. 2–1973 (ref. A.1–72–44,619 and B.2–72–22,648):** Dilkoon deleted from:
- Working Timetable — pages 208 to 219 inclusive (ref. A.1–72–44,619)
- Alphabetical List of Stations — page 30 (ref. A.1–72–44,619)
- Local Appendix accommodation provided — page 84 (ref. A.1–72–44,619)
- Grades table — page 103 (ref. A.1–72–44,619)
- List of Stations, etc. — page 155 (ref. B.2–72–22,648)
- Alphabetical List of Stations showing mileages — page 189 (ref. B.2–72–22,648)
- List of Stations on all Lines — page 223 (ref. B.2–72–22,648)
**W.N. 3–1973:** "The platform at Dilkoon (North Coast Line between Grafton and South Brisbane) has been abolished and reference to this location should be deleted from public and sheet timetables." (ref. A.1–72–42,619)
---
> **Notes:** Dilkoon opened 30 March 1907 as an unnamed sleeper platform at Mileage 15.64 from Grafton, between Warragai Creek and Sportsman's Creek (later Gurranang). The 1907 WN notice (ref. 3–12,142) confirms the opening but gives no name — confirming your note that the station opened simply as "Platform." It received the name Dilkoon on 30 June 1908. The 1910 renaming notice for Sportsman's Creek→Gurranang (10–31,846) gives Dilkoon's position explicitly — "between Dilkoon and Lawrence Road" — confirming the location. The 1924 Local Appendix lists Dilkoon as an unattended platform "(P)." The 1946 Dilkoon–Uralla branch proposal (£660,000) is not in the WN collection. Closed 13 January 1973; W.N. 2–1973 deleted from all publications; W.N. 3–1973 confirmed platform abolished.
---
## 1907 — Unnamed "Platform" Opened — 30 March 1907; Mileage 15.64 from Grafton
### New Platform — W.N. — 1907
> **New Platform Between Warragai and Sportsman's Creek, Grafton–Casino Extension** — A new sleeper platform has been provided at Mileage **15.64** from Grafton (between Warragai and Sportsman's Creek). (3–12,142.) *(W.N. — 1907)*
---
## 1910 — Sportsman's Creek Renamed Gurranang; Dilkoon Position Confirmed
### Sportsman's Creek Renamed — W.N. — 1910
> **Name of Sportsman's Creek to be altered to "Gurranang"** — On **1st October, 1910**, the name of **Sportsman's Creek Platform**, situate at **18m 8c from Grafton**, between **Dilkoon** and Lawrence Road, will be altered to **"Gurranang."** (10–31,846.) *(W.N. — 1910)*
---
## 1924 — Dilkoon Listed as Unattended Platform
### Unattended Platform — W.N. — 1924
> **Dilkoon (P)** — listed as unattended platform in Local Appendix accommodation table; Maitland–South Brisbane section. *(Source: 1924 Weekly Notices)*
---
## 1973 — Platform Abolished — W.N. 2 and 3–1973
### All Publications Deleted — W.N. 2–1973
> **Working Timetable — Pages 208 to 219 inclusive** — Delete: **Dilkoon** and relevant particulars. (A.1–72–44,619.) *(W.N. 2–1973)*
> **Alphabetical List of Stations — Page 30** — Delete: **Dilkoon** and relevant particulars. (A.1–72–44,619.) *(W.N. 2–1973)*
> **Local Appendix — Page 84 — Stations, Platforms and Sidings — Accommodation Provided — Maitland–South Brisbane** — Delete: **Dilkoon** and relevant particulars. (A.1–72–44,619.) *(W.N. 2–1973)*
> **Local Appendix — Page 103 — Grades at Stations, Sidings, Platforms and Signal Boxes — Maitland–South Brisbane** — Delete: **Dilkoon** and relevant particulars. (A.1–72–44,619.) *(W.N. 2–1973)*
> **List of Stations — Page 155** — Delete: **Dilkoon** and relevant particulars. (B.2–72–22,648.) *(W.N. 2–1973)*
> **Alphabetical List of Stations showing mileages — Page 189** — Delete: **Dilkoon** and relevant particulars. (B.2–72–22,648.) *(W.N. 2–1973)*
> **List of Stations on all Lines and Branches — North Coast Line — Page 223** — Delete: **Dilkoon** and relevant particulars. (B.2–72–22,648.) *(W.N. 2–1973)*
### Platform Abolished — W.N. 3–1973
> The platform at **Dilkoon** (North Coast Line between Grafton and South Brisbane) has been **abolished** and reference to this location should be deleted from public and sheet timetables. (A.1–72–42,619.) *(W.N. 3–1973)*
---
## Summary of Key Events
| Date | Event |
|------|-------|
| **30 March 1907** | **Opened as unnamed sleeper platform** — Mileage 15.64 from Grafton; between Warragai and Sportsman's Creek; no name given in WN (ref. 3–12,142) |
| **30 June 1908** | **Named DILKOON** (per your notes — WN naming notice not found in OCR) |
| **1 October 1910** | Sportsman's Creek renamed Gurranang — Dilkoon confirmed as southern neighbour (W.N. — 1910; ref. 10–31,846) |
| By 1924 | **Dilkoon (P)** — listed as unattended platform in Local Appendix |
| **1946** | Proposed branch Dilkoon–Uralla (£660,000) — not constructed (per your notes; not in WN) |
| **13 January 1973** | **Station closed** (per your notes) |
| **W.N. 2–1973** | Platform deleted from Working Timetable, Alphabetical List, Local Appendix, Grades table, List of Stations, Distances tables (refs A.1–72–44,619 and B.2–72–22,648) |
| **W.N. 3–1973** | **Platform formally abolished** — delete from public and sheet timetables (ref. A.1–72–42,619) |
---
*Extracted from NSW Government Railways Weekly Notices, 1907–1975.*
*Note: Dilkoon has the most complex naming history in the North Coast collection — opened as an unnamed "platform" (1907), named Dilkoon (1908), and its position confirmed only indirectly via the 1910 Gurranang renaming notice. The two-stage abolition (W.N. 2 deleting from administrative publications; W.N. 3 formally abolishing the platform and instructing deletion from public timetables) is a pattern also seen at other small unattended platforms. The proposed 1946 Dilkoon–Uralla branch would have created a second mountain railway from the Grafton–Casino line into the New England Tableland alongside the Dorrigo Branch — the £660,000 cost estimate and the Dorrigo Branch comparison suggest it was seriously considered at departmental level, though no WN operational entries were ever generated for it.*