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Inauguration of the Australian Railways
The First State-Owned Railway in the Empire

Mr. F. Vogel, of Kogarah, New South Wales, whose interesting article, “Australia's Railway Gauges,” was published in our November (1928) issue, has kindly favoured us with a further account of pioneer railway construction in Australia.

With the progress of inland settlement in Australia, in the early days, the want of rapid means of communication made itself seriously felt, more especially as Australia does not possess reliable inland waterways that would facilitate transport.

During the forties, railway speculation was at its height in England, and, amongst the railway proposals issued there in 1845, were several which advocated railway construction in Australia.