Historical information

This item was used by Victorian Railways 1970's/1980's. It was used at Orbost Railway Station for the consignment of timber from Orbost to Westall.. Westall was a major timber-receiving depot near Dandenong, Victoria. Westall railway station is located on the Pakenham and Cranbourne lines in Victoria, Australia. It serves the south-eastern Melbourne suburb of Clayton South, opening on 6 February 1951. Westall station was opened as a workers only platform on 16 October 1954. It was provided for the adjacent Martin & King railway coachbuilding factory. The station was opened to the public on 1 June 1959 when all trains on the line began stopping there.
The Bairnsdale-Orbost railway was opened in 1916 to serve the agricultural and timber industry. Because of the decline in traffic and heavy operating costs, the line was finally closed in August, 1987.

Orbost Railway Station was opened on Monday 10 April 1916 as the terminus of the Orbost railway line, and closed in 1987. The station was located on the west side of the Snowy River despite the town of Orbost being on the east side of the river, in order to save on the costs of a bridge over the river, which at the time had highly variable levels.

Significance

This item is associated with the history of the Orbost-Bairnsdale railway line and therefore reflects the role that the rail line played in the social and economic history of Orbost.

Physical description

An unused brown/buff coloured goods/freight consignment envelope used by Victorian Railways, this one for timber from Orbost to Westall. It is DL size.

Inscriptions & markings

2497-78 VICTORIAN RAILWAYS G.F 63
From ORBOST to WESTALL
MASS Tonnes kg
Vehicle No Contents TIMBER
Consignee Date