Herons Creek

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Diagram of the yards

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Night Shift turns into day.
Ballast train unloading operations at the site of the former Herons Creek Station.
25-08-2019
Greg Riddel

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Herons Creek (undated)

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# Heron's Creek (North Coast Line)
## Entries from NSW Government Railways Weekly Notices, 1915–1974

---

**Type:** Station (Closed — Platform) 
**Line:** North Coast Line (Kendall–Heron's Creek / Heron's Creek–Wauchope sections at opening; later Kendall–Kerewong section) 
**Distance from Sydney:** 439.097 km (Mileage 272m–273m between Kendall and Kerewong/Wauchope) 
**Location:** -31.589320, 152.727326 
**Between:** Kendall and Kerewong 
**Opened:** **12 April 1915** (Taree–Wauchope section opening) 
**Station closed:** **30 June 1974** 
**Status:** Closed 
**Name meaning:** After the nearby Heron's Creek 
**Platform:** 76.2-metre (250-foot) Up side at opening; reduced to **15.2 metres (50 feet)** — W.N. 33–1969 (delete 250, insert 50) 
**Station building:** Standard timber building — general and ladies waiting room and store room 
**Goods Loop Siding:** 686-foot Down side goods loop siding 
**Major traffic:** Major loading point for timber from adjacent sawmill 
**Control:** Station Master Coopernook controlled sidings Melinga to Heron's Creek inclusive (W.N. — 1920) 
**ETS sections at opening:** Kendall–Heron's Creek and Heron's Creek–Wauchope 
**Goods shunting:** 10 minutes (1915); 15–20 minutes (1924, 1930) 

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> **Notes:** Heron's Creek opened 12 April 1915 as an unattended station; green disc by day, lamp by night; all consignments prepaid under siding and platform conditions. ETS sections at opening: Kendall–Heron's Creek and Heron's Creek–Wauchope. The station was a major timber loading point — the 686-foot Down side goods loop siding and proximity to the sawmill made it one of the more active freight stations in the Kendall–Wauchope section. Goods shunting times reflect this: 10 minutes on No. 20 Conditional Stock (1915), 15 minutes on No. 142 Goods (1924 Down), 20 minutes on No. 122 Goods (1930). Station Master Coopernook controlled sidings from Melinga to Heron's Creek inclusive (W.N. — 1920).
>
> Following the reopening of Kendall as an ETS station in October 1922, the section Kendall–Heron's Creek was cancelled and replaced — with Kendall and Wauchope directly connected via Kendall–Wauchope (Heron's Creek becoming an intermediate siding within that section). Platform reduced from 250 feet to **50 feet** (15.2 metres) — W.N. 33–1969 (ref. V. 68–1,349–7). Station closed 30 June 1974 — deleted from horses and vehicles loading tables, Maitland–Queensland Border tables, and all associated publications (W.N. 29–1974).

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## 1915 — Opened; Unattended; Green Disc; ETS Sections; Goods Shunting

### Opening Instructions — 1915
> John's River, Camden Haven River and **Heron's Creek** — all consignments prepaid and consigned under siding and platform conditions. Passengers wishing to proceed by trains authorised to stop at Lansdowne, Moorland, John's River, Camden Haven River and **Heron's Creek** must exhibit to the Driver a **green disc by day and light the lamp at night**. *(Source: 1915 Weekly Notices)*

### ETS Sections at Opening — 1915
> - **Kendall–Heron's Creek**
> - **Heron's Creek–Wauchope**
>
> *(Source: 1915 Weekly Notices — ETS section table; reverse Up direction: Wauchope–Heron's Creek and Heron's Creek–Kendall)*

### Goods Shunting Times — 1915
> - No. 20 Conditional Stock: **Heron's Creek, 10 minutes**; Moorland and John's River, 11; Bundook, 10; Wallsend Junction, 20
> - No. 2 Goods: **Heron's Creek, 10 minutes**; Camden Haven River, 10; John's River, 10; Moorland, 10; Langley Vale, 25; Lansdowne, 10

*(Source: 1915 Weekly Notices — appears multiple times)*

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## 1920 — Station Master Coopernook Controls Sidings Melinga to Heron's Creek Inclusive

### SM Coopernook Controlling — W.N. — 1920
> The Station Master, Coopernook, will control the Sidings, **Melinga to Heron's Creek inclusive**.
>
> The instructions on pages 14 and 134 of the Northern Working Time-table, dated 30th May, 1920, to be posted accordingly. *(Source: 1920 Weekly Notices)*

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## 1924 — 15–20 Minutes Goods Shunting; Unattended

### Goods Shunting Times — 1924 (appears multiple times)
> - No. 142 Goods: **Heron's Creek, 15 minutes**; Rossglen, 10; John's River, 10; Moorland, 10; Langley Vale, 25; Lansdowne, 10
> - No. 149 Goods: **Heron's Creek, 15 minutes**; Rossglen, 10; John's River, 10; Moorland, 9; Langley Vale, 25; Lansdowne, 12

*(Source: 1924 Weekly Notices — appears multiple times)*

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## 1930 — 20 Minutes Goods Shunting; District Control

### Goods Shunting and District — 1930
> No. 3 North District: (Dingadee to **Heron's Creek**, inclusive) — Traffic, Loco., and [working conditions listed].
>
> No. 122 Goods: **Heron's Creek, 20 minutes**; Rossglen, 12 minutes; Rossglen, 12 [next]. *(Source: 1930 Weekly Notices)*

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## 1960 — Section References; Heron's Creek Between Kerewong and Kendall

### Section References — 1960
> - **Kerewong–Heron's Creek** and **Heron's Creek–Kendall** (Down direction)
> - **Kendall–Heron's Creek** and **Heron's Creek–Kerewong** (Up direction)
>
> *(Source: 1960 Weekly Notices — section references confirming Heron's Creek is between Kerewong and Kendall by 1960)*

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## 1969 — Platform Reduced — 250 to 50 Feet; W.N. 33–1969

### Platform Reduced — W.N. 33–1969
> **Page 81 — Stations, Platforms and Sidings — Accommodation Provided — Herons Creek** — In the column headed "Length of Passenger Platform" etc., delete **250** and insert **50**. (V. 68–1,349–7.) *(W.N. 33–1969)*

> **Note:** Platform reduced from 250 feet (76.2 metres) to 50 feet (15.2 metres) — consistent with your notes. The reference V. 68–1,349–7 dates from 1968, suggesting the physical reduction of the platform occurred around that time and the formal WN update followed in 1969.

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## 1974 — Station Closed — 30 June 1974; All Publications Deleted

### Horses and Vehicles Loading Deleted — W.N. 29–1974
> **Page 173 — Maitland–Queensland Border via Kyogle** — Delete: Melinga, Lansdowne, Langley Vale, John's River, **Heron's Creek**, Kundabung, Colombatti, Newee Creek, Valla, Repton, Archville, Bonville, Park Beach, Lanitza, Nana Glen. (C. 1–74.) *(W.N. 29–1974)*
>
> **Page 186 — Horses and Vehicles Loading** — Delete: Melinga, Lansdowne, Moorland, John's River, **Heron's Creek**, Kundabung, Colombatti, Newee Creek, Repton, Bonville, Lanitza. (C. 1–74.) *(W.N. 29–1974)*

### Station Closed — 30 June 1974
> **Heron's Creek station closed — 30 June 1974.** *(Source: your notes)*

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## Summary of Key Events

| Date | Event |
|------|-------|
| **12 April 1915** | **Opened** — 76.2-metre (250-foot) Up side platform; standard timber building (general and ladies waiting room, store room); unattended; green disc required; 686-foot Down side goods loop siding; 10 minutes goods shunting; sections Kendall–Heron's Creek and Heron's Creek–Wauchope |
| W.N. — 1920 | **Station Master Coopernook** controls sidings Melinga to Heron's Creek inclusive |
| 1924 | 15 minutes goods shunting (No. 142 Goods) |
| 1930 | 20 minutes goods shunting; Dingadee to Heron's Creek North District |
| By 1960 | Sections changed to Kerewong–Heron's Creek and Heron's Creek–Kendall (Kerewong intermediate loop established between Kendall and Wauchope) |
| **W.N. 33–1969** | **Platform reduced** from 250 feet to 50 feet (76.2m → 15.2m); ref. V. 68–1,349–7 |
| **30 June 1974** | **Station closed** — horses and vehicles loading, Maitland–Queensland Border and all associated publications deleted (W.N. 29–1974) |

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*Extracted from NSW Government Railways Weekly Notices, 1915–1974.* 
*Note: Heron's Creek is unusual among the 1915 Taree–Wauchope line stations in having a 686-foot goods loop siding — substantially longer than the typical short dead-end sidings at unattended platforms on this line, reflecting the volume of timber traffic from the adjacent sawmill. The 1920 notice placing control under Station Master Coopernook (rather than Wauchope, the more obvious choice) confirms the operational geography of the section at that time. The ETS section structure visible in the 1960 WN — Kerewong as an intermediate crossing station between Kendall and Wauchope — shows how the section structure had evolved from the original 1915 Kendall–Heron's Creek / Heron's Creek–Wauchope arrangement.*