Grafton City (South Grafton)

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NT35, NT34 & NT31 at Grafton, early morning 9/11/2023

Due to vandalism near Maitland requiring signalling repairs this unusual grouping occurred.

(Dani Elle Summerill)

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Grafton turntable, September 2025 (Susan Plosen)

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Roy Elder :

Photo of my Dad at Grafton, said to be around 1973/74, but could be wrong. Photo most likely taken by Grafton driver Sid Hill.

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Later this month marks the 100 year anniversary of the arrival of the Induna to commence her duties of transporting rail rolling stock from South Grafton to Grafton prior to the opening of the Grafton Bridge.
The photo below was taken in White Bay, Sydney during the conversion of the Induna from a sea cargo ship to a ferry capable of transporting rail rolling stock.
On January 21st, 1926 the Induna left Sydney under tow of the tug St. Olaves and on January 27th 1926 relieved the Swallow of her duties at Grafton.
The tug returned to Sydney with the Swallow in tow for maintenance to be carried out.
She later returned to Grafton where the Swallow and the Induna then worked together till the opening of the "new" bridge in 1932. Some very good photos exist of them together.
After the opening of the bridge the Induna was retired to the southern bank close to where the hull lay today.
Due to fears that in the event of a flood the Induna may break away from its position on the river bank and wash down and damage the new bridge, she was sank into the bank by cutting large holes in the hull.
The Induna was then purchased by Norcombe Webber with the intention of selling what he could to recover his costs and to use it as a stage for loading and unloading timber at his mill. Later the hull was used for the purpose of burning the sawdust and scrape timber from sawmill situated on the river bank adjacent to where the Induna rests now.
In 1937 the steam engine was removed for use to drive a gold stamper to the west of Grafton but not the boiler. The boiler, being a marine boiler was not suited to land-based use and remains in the hull to this day.
In August 1957 a scrap monger obtained the rights to remove whatever materials he wanted and The Daily Examiner published a report and photo of his barge reducing the hull to what is visible today.
In 1975 Beadman Bros Engineering (Ted and Reg) were contracted by the Council of the City of Grafton and Burns Philip to remove the bow from the hull. The bow now forms the basis of a monument to her history in Sir Earl Page Park adjacent to Grafton Age Care, Bent Street.
From her building at Aberdeen in Scotland for service from Britain to East Africa until now she has had a very colourful history that still catches the interest of locals and visitors today.
Listed below are some of the highlights of tha history.
Built in Aberdeen, Scotland 1891.
During the Boer War Winston Churchill held captive in prison in Pastoria escaped from South Africa and the Boers on the Induna. 1899
Began shipping out of Sydney under the ownership of Burns, Philip & Co Ltd 1904 in the region of Norfolk Island, Gilbert Islands, Marshal Island and Rabaul.
Captured in Marshal Islands by the Germans in World War 1 for her coal.
Owned and operated by Patrick Steamship from 1920 to 1925 when she was sold to New South Wales Dept of Railways.
Converted from sea cargo freighter to rail ferry in White Bay 1925.
Rail ferry at Grafton 1926 until bridge opening 1932.

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Grafton signal box was a typical Type O2 design. The main change was the roof changed to hip in shape and was covered by terracotta tiles RT Taaffe

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South Grafton (Grafton) around the time the station opened. (RTC)

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By 1982 the signal box had been extended at the Sydney end to form the Station Master's office and another room for an unknown purpose. Unusually for a signal box on a platform a signal box name board had been added under the window. This was doubly unusual for a name board to be added to a signal box after it had been constructed. The station had been renamed Grafton City six years previously. RT Taaffe

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Later the nameboard was removed from the signal box. In this photograph the extension to the rear of the signal box and Station's Office that formed a parcels office can be observed. ARHS