YARRAVILLE RAILWAY STATION COMPLEX

The place known as the Yarraville Station Railway Complex, which includes the Interlocking Railway Crossing Gates, Signal Box, Male Toilet Block, Upside Station Building and Booking Hall, Downside Shelter, former Goods Siding, Anderson Street Bus Interchange, Shops and former Railway Signal, and former Stationmaster's Residence. 

The Yarraville Railway Station Complex is of historical and architectural significance to the State of Victoria. It satisfies the following criterion for inclusion in the Victorian Heritage Register:
Criterion A
Importance to the course, or pattern, of Victoria’s cultural history.
Criterion B
Possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Victoria’s cultural history.
Criterion D
Importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural places and objects. 

 

The Yarraville Railway Station Complex is historically significant for being a surviving example of a railway station that functioned as a major freight hub within the metropolitan area. As a complex, including the former stationmaster's residence, the place demonstrates the development of the metropolitan railway network that has expanded over an extended period to serve a range of functions, turning the place into a major passenger hub and freight centre. The Bus Interchange is closely associated with the development of Victoria’s transportation infrastructure in response to post-war suburban growth. It is an early example of a clearly defined interchange between rail and bus transport modes. 

 

The Interlocking Railway Crossing Gates are a rare remaining example in Victoria of railway gates designed to protect road users and pedestrians. Protective gates at level crossings were once very common across the whole of the Victorian Railways network. Railway crossing gates have become increasingly rare with the closure of railway lines and road crossings; with the introduction of grade separation; and with the widespread installation of boom barriers in the post-war era. The Interlocking Railway Crossing Gates at Yarraville are also rare for protecting both main running lines and sidings. 

 

The Yarraville Railway Station Complex is architecturally significant as a fine representative example of a railway station complex. The Upside Station Building is a fine example of a high-quality late Victorian station building typical of the Victorian Railways during its era of expansion in the 1880s and early 1890s. The place also demonstrates the principal characteristics of the class through its high degree of integrity, including various railway structures, station buildings, Signal Box, wheel-operated Interlocking Railway Crossing Gates, Shops, stationmaster's residence, Bus Interchange and the remnant of the public goods siding.