Amarina

[admin]

Type : Station
Line : North Coast Line
Distance from Sydney : 788.955km
Location : -28.983701, 152.981611
Opened : May 1908
Closed : 1974
Status : Closed
Name meaning : Aboriginal word meaning "rain"
Notes : The Up side platform was originally 76.2 metres in length (standard for the line), reduced to 45.72 metres in 1944 and then later to 36.5m. In 1933 it was compared with Yongurra "for importance" and it was noted that Amarina was the "Central station of the north" in comparison (no doubt tongue in cheek!)

Amarina opened May 1908 as an unattended request platform associated with the Cesoni family farm. No formal WN opening notice found — consistent with small request platforms on the Grafton–Casino line. Listed as Amarina (P) unattended platform in 1924. Amarina Post Office operated 1 January 1927 to 29 January 1930, suggesting a brief attempt to develop the locality that was not sustained. Platform reduced from 250 feet to 150 feet in W.N. 10–1944 (ref. 42–20,065 — a 1942 file reference suggesting the decision predated the WN). Further reduced to 36.5 metres at an unknown date. Station closed 1974; deleted from border tables W.N. 29–1974; deleted from Grades table and accommodation W.N. 26–1975.

[admin]

Location of Amarina station. 

[admin]

# Amarina (North Coast Line)
## Entries from NSW Government Railways Weekly Notices, 1908–1975

---

**Type:** Station / Request Platform (Closed) 
**Line:** North Coast Line (Rappville–Leeville section) 
**Distance from Sydney:** 788.955 km (Mileage approximately **491m–492m**) 
**Location:** -28.983701, 152.981611 
**Between:** Coombell (south) and Leeville / Shannon Brook (north) 
**Opened:** **May 1908** (per your notes; no WN opening notice found in OCR) 
**Station closed:** **1974** (per your notes; W.N. 29–1974 border table deletion) 
**Status:** Closed 
**Name meaning:** Aboriginal word meaning "rain" 

### Platform
**Original:** **76.2 metres (250 feet)** — Up side 
**Reduced to 150 feet (45.72 metres)** — W.N. 10–1944 (ref. 42–20,065) 
**Further reduced to 36.5 metres** (per your notes — date not found in WN OCR) 
**Request platform** — associated with the nearby Cesoni family farm 

### Historical Notes
**1933:** Compared with Yongurra "for importance" — described as "Central station of the north" (per your notes — not found in WN OCR; likely in departmental correspondence files) 
**Post Office:** Amarina Post Office open **1 January 1927 – 29 January 1930** (per your notes — not in WN) 

### Telephone Circuit (1926)
Amarina listed in the No. 68 North telephone circuit between Coombell/Rappville and Leeville — confirming communications infrastructure at the location from the mid-1920s 

### Power's Codes
**W.N. — 1955:** Amarina — Power's freight accounting codes listed on pages 47 and 54 (specific code numbers not recovered from OCR); listed in sequence after Gunthorpe's Brick Siding and before Leeville 
**1975 freight accounting table:** Amarina listed after Gunthorpe's Siding and before Shannon Brook — confirming still in use for freight accounting purposes at that time 

---

> **Notes:** Amarina opened May 1908 as an unattended request platform associated with the Cesoni family farm. No formal WN opening notice found — consistent with small request platforms on the Grafton–Casino line. Listed as Amarina (P) unattended platform in 1924. Amarina Post Office operated 1 January 1927 to 29 January 1930, suggesting a brief attempt to develop the locality that was not sustained. Platform reduced from 250 feet to 150 feet in W.N. 10–1944 (ref. 42–20,065 — a 1942 file reference suggesting the decision predated the WN). Further reduced to 36.5 metres at an unknown date. Station closed 1974; deleted from border tables W.N. 29–1974; deleted from Grades table and accommodation W.N. 26–1975.

---

## 1924 — Unattended Platform

### Unattended Platform — W.N. — 1924
> **Amarina (P)** — listed as unattended platform in Local Appendix accommodation table, Maitland–South Brisbane section. *(Source: 1924 Weekly Notices)*

---

## 1944 — Platform Reduced to 150 Feet — W.N. 10–1944

### Platform Reduced — W.N. 10–1944
> **Page 61 — Amarina (North Coast)** — The platform at Amarina has been reduced to **150 feet** in length. Particulars under heading "Length of Passenger Platform" to be amended accordingly. (42–20,065.) *(W.N. 10–1944)*

---

## 1955 — Power's Codes Inserted

### Power's Codes — W.N. — 1955
> **Insert — Pages 47 and 54 — Amarina:** [Power's freight accounting codes]. *(W.N. — 1955)*

---

## 1970 — Insert * in Parcels Pamphlet — W.N. — 1970

### Parcels Pamphlet — W.N. — 1970
> **Through Booking of Parcels Pamphlet — Page 63** — Insert * before: **Amarina**, Bell [etc.]. *(W.N. — 1970)*

---

## 1974 — Border Tables Deleted — W.N. 29–1974

### Border Tables Deleted — W.N. 29–1974
> **Page 174 — Stations and Platforms — Maitland–Queensland Border** — Delete Koolkhan, Warragai Creek, Gurranang, Banyabba, Whiporie, Camira Creek, Ampdale, Clearfield, Coombell, **Amarina**, Leeville, Shannonbrook, Fairy Hill, Kilgra, Wiangaree, The Risk, Mt Lion, Loadstone. (C.1–74.) *(W.N. 29–1974)*

---

## 1975 — All Remaining References Deleted — W.N. 26–1975

### Grades Table Deleted — W.N. 26–1975
> **Page 103 — Grades at Stations, Sidings, Platforms and Signal-Boxes** — Delete all reference to Warragai Creek, Lawrence Road, Ampdale, Coombell, **Amarina**, Shannon Brook, Kilgra, Wiangaree, Mt Lion, Loadstone, Flanagan's and Dulbolla. (A1 73 77203.) *(W.N. 26–1975)*

> **Page 84 — Accommodation Provided** — Delete all reference to Warragai Creek, Lawrence Road, Ampdale, Coombell, **Amarina** and Shannon Brook. (A1 73 77203.) *(W.N. 26–1975)*

---

## Summary of Key Events

| Date | Event |
|------|-------|
| **May 1908** | **Opened** — request platform; Up side; 76.2-metre (250-foot) timber platform; associated with Cesoni family farm (no WN opening notice found in OCR) |
| By 1924 | **Amarina (P)** — unattended platform |
| 1926 | Listed in No. 68 North telephone circuit |
| **1 January 1927** | Amarina Post Office opened (per your notes) |
| **1933** | Compared with Yongurra "for importance" — described as "Central station of the north" (per your notes; not in WN) |
| **29 January 1930** | Amarina Post Office closed (per your notes) |
| **W.N. 10–1944** | Platform reduced to **150 feet** (45.72 metres) — ref. 42–20,065 |
| Later | Platform further reduced to **36.5 metres** (date not in WN OCR) |
| **W.N. — 1955** | Power's freight accounting codes inserted (pages 47 and 54) |
| **W.N. — 1970** | Insert * before Amarina in Through Booking of Parcels Pamphlet |
| **1974** | **Station closed** |
| **W.N. 29–1974** | Deleted from border stations table |
| **W.N. 26–1975** | Deleted from Grades table (page 103) and Accommodation Provided (page 84) |

---

*Extracted from NSW Government Railways Weekly Notices, 1908–1975.* 
*Note: Amarina is one of the sparsest entries in the North Coast collection — a request platform that barely appears in the WN despite a 66-year operational life. The 1944 platform reduction (250 feet → 150 feet) is documented but its reason is not stated; the 1942 file reference (42–20,065) suggests the decision arose from wartime operational reviews of platform capacity across unattended stops. The brief Post Office operation (1927–1930) is consistent with the inter-war period of rural optimism on the North Coast before the Depression ended many such ventures. The 1933 Yongurra comparison ("Central station of the north") — if genuine — reflects the self-deprecating humour of rural railway staff aware of the station's extreme obscurity. No WN opening notice has been found despite thorough searching of 1907–1910 volumes, suggesting Amarina was opened administratively without formal gazettal.*