Yelgun

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Type : Station
Line : Murwillumbah Branch
Distance from Sydney : 908.182km
Opened : 15 October 1922
Closed : 1972
Status : Closed
Name meaning : Aboriginal word for "the sun"
Notes : Construction name was Dirty Flat. The Up platform was 74 metres long, later reduced. On 30/9/1922 a sleeper built cream platform was built for the Dirty Flat Progress Association (two weeks prior to the formal opening). 1952 - platform reduced from 250' to 136'.

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Loading bananas in the 1920s at Dirty Flat for delivery to Yelgun Station

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Location of Yelgun platform (Six Maps)

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Line near Yelgun, 1937 (State Archives)

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3017 departing Yelgun (undated)

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# Yelgun (Casino–Murwillumbah Branch)
## Entries from NSW Government Railways Weekly Notices, 1922–1972

---

**Type:** Station (Platform) 
**Line:** Murwillumbah Branch (Casino–Murwillumbah) 
**Distance from Sydney:** 908.182 km 
**Mileage (Working TT):** Mileage 44.75 from Mullumbimby / 130 miles from Grafton 
**Between:** Billinudgel and Crabbe's Creek 
**Opened:** 15 October 1922 (as Yelgun); construction name "Dirty Flat" 
**Closed:** 1972 
**Status:** Closed 
**Name meaning:** Aboriginal word for "the sun" 
**Under control of:** Mullumbimby 

---

> **Notes:** Construction name was Dirty Flat. The Up platform was originally 250 feet (74 metres) long, later reduced to 136 feet (approximately 41 metres — your figure of 13.1 metres may reflect a further later reduction not captured in the Weekly Notices). A sleeper-built cream platform was provided for the Dirty Flat Progress Association on 30 September 1922, two weeks before the formal opening of the station as Yelgun.

---

## 1922 — Opening

### Platform Opened — 15 October 1922
> **Yelgun (Grafton–Tweed Line) — Provision of Platform** — On Sunday, **15th October, 1922**, a new platform, **250 feet in length**, situated on the Up side of the line at **Mileage 44.75**, between Billinudgel and Crabbe's Creek, and known as **YELGUN**, will be brought into use.
>
> The regular Passenger trains will stop when required, to pick up and set down passengers.
>
> Parcels and Goods traffic for Yelgun must be dealt with under Platform and Siding conditions.
>
> **Yelgun will be under the control of Mullumbimby.**

*(Source: 1922 Weekly Notices)*

### Mileage for Rates Purposes
> **Yelgun (Grafton–Tweed Line)** — The mileage for Rates purposes is **130 miles from Grafton**.
>
> Page 91 of the Passenger Fares and Coaching Rates Book, and pages 115 and 133 of the Merchandise and Livestock Rates Book to also be posted accordingly. (22–31,401.)

*(Source: 1922 Weekly Notices)*

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## 1923 — Confirmed Under Control of Mullumbimby

### Mullumbimby Continues to Control Yelgun
> Since 18th October, 1923, an adult Porter is in charge at Billinudgel and that Station opened as a Booking Station for Coaching and Goods traffic. **Mullumbimby will continue to control Yelgun**, Crabbe's Creek and Mooball Sidings.

*(W.N. 46–1923)*

> **Note:** This confirms that even after Billinudgel was upgraded to a staffed Booking Station in October 1923, Yelgun remained under Mullumbimby's administrative control rather than being transferred to the now-staffed and much closer Billinudgel.

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## 1925 — Cream Traffic; Working Allowances

### Cream Lifted from Yelgun
> No. 35 is timed at Mixed speed and conveys traffic from Lismore for Bangalow, Byron Bay, Mullumbimby, Burringbar, and Murwillumbah; lifts cream at Mooball and **all intermediate stations and sidings from Yelgun to Dunbible, inclusive**, for Murwillumbah.

*(Source: 1925 Weekly Notices — repeated in multiple issues)*

> **Note:** This confirms Yelgun's primary economic function was cream traffic — consistent with its origin as a platform built for the local Progress Association to serve dairy farmers in the district.

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## 1931 — Working Time Allowances

### Cream Train — 5 Minutes Allowed at Yelgun
> No. 57 is timed at limited speed (75 per cent of full load), and lifts Cream traffic from **Yelgun to Dunbible inclusive**, and is allowed **5 minutes Yelgun**, 4 minutes Crabbe's Creek, 8 minutes Mooball, 5 minutes Upper Burringbar, 5 minutes Stoker's, and 3 minutes Dunbible for work.

*(Source: 1931 Weekly Notices)*

### Down and Up Goods — 2 Minutes Allowed
> No. 50 (Up goods) is allowed: ... 2 minutes **Yelgun**, 12 minutes Billinudgel ...
>
> No. 59 (Down goods) is allowed: ... 10 minutes Billinudgel, **2 minutes Yelgun**, 3 minutes Crabbe's Creek ...

*(Source: 1931 Weekly Notices)*

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## 1932 — Listed in Station Sequence

### Station Sequence and Distance Table
> Station sequence: Mullumbimby, Billinudgel (P), **Yelgun (P)**, Crabbe's Creek (P), Mooball (P), Burringbar, Upper Burringbar (P), Stokers (P), Dunbible (P), Murwillumbah.
>
> Distance table: Billinudgel — 563 [miles]; **Yelgun (P) — 565 [miles]**; Crabbe's Creek — 567 [miles]; C.S.R. Co.'s Siding — 567 [miles]; Mooball — 569 [miles].

*(Source: 1932 Working Timetable listing)*

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## 1951–1954 — Electoral and Shire Boundaries

### Shire of Byron — Yelgun as Boundary Marker
> **Shire of Byron — Yelgun to Nashua, inclusive.**

*(Source: 1951, 1952 and 1953 Weekly Notices — Electoral/Public Holiday schedules, repeated across multiple issues)*

### Shire of Byron — Billinudgel and Yelgun
> ... to Myocum, inclusive; **Billinudgel and Yelgun**.

*(Source: 1954 Weekly Notices)*

> **Note:** Yelgun's repeated appearance as a Shire of Byron boundary marker across multiple years confirms its administrative significance as a recognised locality, despite its modest railway facilities.

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## 1952 — Platform Length Reduced

### Platform Shortened — 250 Feet to 136 Feet
> **Stations, Platforms and Sidings — Accommodation Provided — Yelgun (Casino–Murwillumbah)** — Delete **250** from column headed "Length of Passenger Platform" and insert **136** in lieu. (V. 51–2,228–3.)

*(W.N. 37–1952)*

> **Note:** This confirms the platform was shortened from its original 250 feet (76.2 m) to 136 feet (41.5 m) by 1952. Your notes record a further reduction to 13.1 metres, which may represent a later, more drastic reduction not separately documented in the Weekly Notices collection, or may reflect the final remaining stub of platform at the time of closure.

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## 1958 — Speed Restriction on Billinudgel–Yelgun Bridge

### Steel Bridge Speed Restriction
> **Steel Bridge at Mileage [Billinudgel]–Yelgun. Bridge 564m. 04c. — 10 miles per hour.**

*(W.N. 14–1958)*

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## 1962–1963 — Speed Board Sections

### Section Speed Boards
> **Billinudgel–Yelgun**: 564m 20c — 30 mph 
> **Yelgun–Crabbe's Creek**: 564m 76c — 35 mph

*(Source: 1962 and 1963 Working Timetables — speed boards)*

### Bridge Restriction Deleted — 1963
> Delete: **Billinudgel–Yelgun** — Yelgun bridge at 564m 04c, 10 mph.

*(W.N. 1–1963)*

> **Note:** The deletion of the 10 mph bridge restriction in 1963 — just five years after it was imposed in 1958 — suggests bridge strengthening or replacement works were carried out in the intervening period.

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## 1971 — Speed Board Reference

### Final Speed Board Listing
> **Billinudgel–Yelgun**: 564m 20c 
> **Yelgun–Crabbe's Creek**: [continuing reference]

*(Source: 1971 Working Timetable — speed boards)*

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## 1972 — Closed; Deleted from All Publications

### Yelgun Deleted from All Publications
> **Pages 241 to 244 inclusive** — Delete Yelgun and relevant particulars. *(W.N. 30–1972)*
>
> **Country Timetable** — Delete Yelgun and relevant particulars. (A. 1–72–57,804.) *(W.N. 30–1972)*
>
> **Page 105 — Grades at Stations, Platforms and Signal-boxes — Casino–Murwillumbah Branch** — Delete Yelgun and relevant particulars. (A. 1–72–57,804.) *(W.N. 30–1972)*
>
> **Page 191 — Stations and Platforms — Casino–Murwillumbah Branch** — Delete Yelgun and relative mileages. (C. 1–72–29,810.) *(W.N. 32–1972)*
>
> **Page 71** — Delete Yelgun. (C. 1–72–29,810.) *(W.N. 32–1972)*

*(W.N. 30 and 32–1972)*

> **Note:** Yelgun's closure and deletion from publications spans two Weekly Notices (30 and 32 of 1972), reflecting amendments needed across multiple separate publications — the Country Timetable, gradient tables, and station/mileage listings.

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## Summary of Key Events

| Date | Event |
|------|-------|
| 30 September 1922 | Sleeper-built cream platform provided for Dirty Flat Progress Association |
| 15 October 1922 | **Platform formally opened as "Yelgun"** — 250 feet long, Up side, Mileage 44.75 (Source: 1922 Weekly Notices) |
| 1922 | Mileage for Rates purposes set at 130 miles from Grafton |
| 18 October 1923 | Confirmed remaining under control of Mullumbimby despite Billinudgel's upgrade to Booking Station (W.N. 46–1923) |
| 1925 | Cream traffic lifted from Yelgun to Dunbible inclusive |
| 1931 | 2–5 minutes allowed for goods/cream work depending on train |
| 1932 | Listed as platform (P) at distance 565 miles |
| 1951–1954 | Used as Shire of Byron boundary marker in multiple Electoral schedules |
| W.N. 37–1952 | **Platform shortened from 250 feet to 136 feet** |
| W.N. 14–1958 | 10 mph speed restriction imposed on steel bridge at 564m 04c (Billinudgel–Yelgun) |
| W.N. 1–1963 | Bridge speed restriction deleted (bridge presumably strengthened/replaced) |
| 1972 | **Closed** — deleted from all publications (W.N. 30 and 32–1972) |

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*Extracted from NSW Government Railways Weekly Notices, 1922–1972.*