Status Closed Termini Red Cliffs
Morkalla Owner Victorian Railways | Locale Millewa Closed 1988 (1988) | |
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Opened 1924 (1924) (to Werrimul) | ||
The Morkalla railway line was a railway line in the Millewa region of northwestern Victoria, Australia. It extended west from Red Cliffs railway station on the Mildura railway line into the wheat farming areas established as soldier settlements after World War I.
The line opened initially to Werrimull in 1924 and was later extended to Meringur in October 1925 then Morkalla in 1931. As the towns along the line shrank with reduced populations due to increased farm size and mechanisation, the line became less used and was eventually closed completely in 1988.
There were several proposals to extend the line across the border into South Australia to connect with the Mallee railways either on the line to Renmark near Paringa or to extend the Peebinga railway line, however none of these proposals eventuated to extend the line beyond Morkalla. There was support from South Australians in the Riverland region to gain this connection for trade, however it appears not to have been supported by the state government of the day.
Route
The line began at Red Cliffs, 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) south of Mildura. It ran roughly west, 10-12 km south of what is now the Sturt Highway.
Towns and settlements along the line included: